Vancouver-based artist Jeremy Isao Speier explores the disruptions of digital technologies, new media, and globalization in Made in Japan, on at Blim in Vancouver's Chinatown from July 29 to August 27. Schema Magazine's Beth Hong caught up with Speier at his East Vancouver studio to talk about his upcoming exhibit.

Jeremy Isao Speier's studio is on the second floor of a nondescript concrete office building, a stone's throw from Vancouver's eclectic Main Street. Speier welcomes me into his studio, a cozy space with a full bathroom, bunk bed, and kitchenette. Faded incense lingers in the air like cigarette smoke in old pubs.

This is where Speier creates his art—film and video, kinetic sculpture and sound, and installations. Pieces from his most recent project, Made in Japan, hang on the high-ceilinged walls.

"I would've worn nicer shoes," Speier says, looking down at his blue Crocs. "But I figured you would want to see what I normally wear."

This is where Speier creates his art—film and video, kinetic sculpture and sound, and installations.

At 42, Speier exudes a youthful energy. Lanky in a faded grey T-shirt and cargo pants, the only thing that betrays his age is his frizzy, shoulder-length grey hair―that, and his VCR player.

"I do watch movies on it," he admits. His VHS tape collection ranges from David Lynch's Blue Velvet to Pixar's A Bug's Life. He also has the entire Godfather series.

We sit down on his couch, and talk about the influences behind Made in Japan.

What inspired this particular collection?

There's a previous series of work to this called Kinetics which actually looks similar to Made in Japan. On one of the Kinetics pieces, I find a motor that says "Made in Japan" on a little white sticker. When I saw that, I mounted it, and I put the motor off the piece, and that was the impetus for the next series. Also, having a Japanese heritage, this peaked my interest.

Did you create each piece to address a specific aspect of the influences you identified in your artist statement (pre-digital, pre-globalized Japan, industrial Main Street, Deep Purple's record Made in Japan)?

It's a layering of all concepts. Japan struggled to find consumer-based technology. They came up with Walkmans, and VHS, and a few of the things that were important at the time, but they didn't carry it through. The people who were at Sony didn't stay at Sony. And they didn't find what the next thing was, and then Apple and other American companies came in to take over the market. Sony could have gone a lot further, but they didn't get to.

I read a book called Made in Japan which is an autobiography of Akio Morita, the co-founder and former chairman of Sony where he talks about this.

Can you tell me a little more about the Deep Purple record Made in Japan and its influence on this collection?

Definitely. It's one of the main conceptual layers of this collection, which I first proposed to the Western Front artists' residency program in 2006. I came across the Deep Purple record in 2009. The record itself was released in 1972 and '73.

The idea back in the '70s was that "made in Japan" implied a product that was second-rate, and the band [Deep Purple] was skeptical about the name. But it turned out to be one of the best live albums of that era. So it's interesting how now we have opinions about products that are "made in China". We associate them with dollar-store items or items that are second-rate. What does "made in Japan" mean? What are the connotations of that compared to back then, as opposed to now? It's a commentary on innovation and technology.

What is the broader concept behind this collection?

The idea of loss of space, as well as an exploration of the pre-digital and pre-global. When I talk about space, I'm talking specifically talking about the dichotomy between pre-digital, like pre-Internet and social media, and digital space, like Facebook. I'm not against digital space per se, but I just want to open a dialogue.

What kind of dialogue do you hope to provoke?

I'd like the audience to question their current state. When they're looking at my work, hopefully it allows them to see the world differently from what they normally would.

For more about Jeremy, check out his website JeremyIsaoSpeier.com. Also make sure to check out Made in Japan at the BLIM Gallery (115 Pender St. E, Vancouver) until August 27.
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Beth Hong is a freelance journalist and managing editor of InDepth at Schema Magazine. She likes kimchi, poutine, and everything in between. You can follow her on Twitter @metrolens or check out her site BethHong.com.