YAMADA Seio
Born: 12 January 1869 – Died: 4 September 1943
Particulars:
Seio / Seiwo was detained on 8 December 1941, in Menado, Celebes in the Dutch East Indies, now Sulawesi, Indonesia. On 1 February 1942, he and his daughter Tatsuko, were interned at Tatura Internment Camp in Victoria, Australia where he remained until his death in September 1943. Originally from Okayama, Seio had settled in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia as a merchant. A widower, he had a son and a daughter. After the war, his daughter Tatsuko was repatriated to Okayama.
–Jennifer Procter
More info:
Jennifer Procter
Artist/s Statement:
Using a 1942 photograph of Seio, I created an animated drawing to show the passage of time during his internment and the dehumanising National Security ‘Aliens Control’ records. In the piece, I depict my hand reaching out to Seio, bridging past and present. The final portrait in the video restores his full name and shows him strong and healthy in Indonesia.
Artist Bio:
Jennifer Procter is an interdisciplinary artist based on Ngunawal / Ngambri land in Canberra, Australia. A director, choreographer, performer, teacher, and visual artist, she paused her professional arts career for eight years to practice meditation in Borneo, Nepal, India, and Australia. Now in Canberra, she creates art and teaches mindfulness, movement, and art. Grounded in movement and stillness, her work reflects Buddhist philosophies of impermanence and non-self.