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photo Atsushi Koyama<\/p>\n
Turning toward a mysterious tone that was closing in little by little, onlookers noticed Suzuki playing a flute. Dancing as if drifting through the air, Miyakita approached \u201cno zo mi\u201d \uff0dfive small piles of rectangular concrete plates (60cm square, 8cm high), arranged in the form of stairs \uff0dand listened carefully. The children running around the space had started imitating Miyakita\u2019s dancing and were laughing to Suzuki\u2019s tune. The energy of the children, which softened the museum\u2019s stoical appearance, spurred from both Suzuki\u2019s playful work and the loose tempo of the dancing. The choreography made limited use of intense spins and jumps, incorporating everyday actions such as standing still and sitting instead \uff0da casual approach that also allowed very young children to take part. When a little one would approach Miyakita, she would respond with eye contact, thus engaging in nonverbal communication.<\/p>\n
Such warmth that accommodates diverse audiences is also fundamental to Suzuki\u2019s playing. \u201cKyu-kyu\u201d is the sound of polishing a hand mirror with a sponge, while \u201ckoroppon\u201d is emitted when using a thin stick to knock on a small glass bottle wrapped in a towel. Realizing that the many strange sounds I heard are produced by familiar items such as hoses and small stones made me want to hear the sound of everything I saw around me. It is as if the impurities of mind and body are swept away by the poetic sound and dancing; my breathing gradually becomes deeper, and I start noticing the smells of the nearby park and waterways.<\/p>\n
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photo Atsushi Koyama<\/p>\n
A space that allows a wide variety of people to develop a common understanding also came into being at \u201cHa da ka mi ta i\u201d, the opening performance of Takehito Koganezawa\u2019s \u201cNaked Theatre\u201d, an exhibition of contemporary art held at KAAT. In place of the sense of freedom felt at MOT, here the audience was immersed in a tension that strained both eyes and ears. In the past, the Medium Studio at KAAT has hosted several noteworthy works, including Chiharu Shiota\u2019s \u201cThe Locked Room\u201d (2016), an installation in which red threads were set up throughout the studio, and \u201cNozoki\/know the key\u201d, choreographed and performed by Shintaro Hirahara. Here, the creativity of artists and artisans, fully versed in the secrets of theater equipment brings about previously unknown forms of expression.<\/p>\n
Before the performance, I walked through a black box in which a smoke machine was used to blur the borders of the three dimensions. Whenever the flickering lights and the smoke pouring down passed through the holes in the white partitions found throughout the space, all decorated with Koganezawa\u2019s daughter\u2019s drawings, the scenery would change before the audience. The glittering and disappearing neon lights in the ceiling mixed with their silhouettes and a complex sound, giving the impression of an environment endlessly generated anew.<\/p>\n
In the locker room next door, the Woman and Man (*2<\/a>) versions of the \u201cHalf Shaman\u201d (2019) video piece were playing on two monitors. The film, in which a deformed human figure struggles against civilization, gave off an eerie but humorous vibe.<\/p>\n The performance started with Koganezawa placing a lamp made of various daily essentials on the floor of the Medium Studio. The handmade costumes (by Hanako Washio) worn by Suzuki and Miyakita were designed to evoke the sea in Kyotango, where the two are based. The blue-toned, collage-style knitwear changed color when interacting with the lighting and smoke.<\/p>\n Blurred eyesight enhances one\u2019s sense of hearing. Suzuki\u2019s location is revealed by a light-hearted rhythm; the changing sound carries a sense of mystery with it and lends our imaginations wings. Miyakita\u2019s hand, sticking out from a cut in one of the partitions, is something straight out of a horror movie. When a spotlight parts the fog diagonally from above, the dancer raises her arms and black shadows extend from her fingers as if splitting the path of light in two, conjuring up an illusion of an extended body. Koganezawa obstructs the light with a board, turning it into a flash that passes across the space in a sharp trajectory. The abstract image and shape formed by these overlapping elements, never to be seen again, remains clear in my mind.<\/p>\n These two highly experimental performances surely encouraged each member of their audiences, watching from differing points of view, to make unexpected discoveries. Together, the sounds, bodily movements, light, and art roused by Suzuki and Miyakita brought about a thrilling experience, which once again reminded me of the inherent value of transient live art.<\/p>\n Notes<\/small><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/_sys2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/0414_NAKED_51-1024x682.jpg\")
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