“Japan Media Arts Distributed Museum” Deployed at Takamatsu Airport Based on a “Japanese Garden” Theme

The Agency for Cultural Affairs:

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191004005219/en/

Overview of Exhibition at Takamatsu Airport
Date and time:	Starting Friday, October 4, the first year of Reiwa (2019) - *8:00-20:00
Location:	Takamatsu Airport (Takamatsu-shi, Kagawa Prefecture) International Terminal 1F Departure Lobby, etc. *2F glass wall decorations also scheduled in the future.
Content:	“Japanese garden” theme depicted by artist evala (See by Your Ears). A new audiovisual installation based on the sound sources of the “Chosho Hakkei” sound art exhibition that is currently being held at “Nakazu Bansyouen” (Marugame-shi, Kagawa Prefecture) will be exhibited at the Takamatsu Airport International Terminal 1F Departure Lobby.
Official website:	https://jmadm.jp/en/

The Agency for Cultural Affairs is hosting the “Japan Media Arts Distributed Museum” that will be deployed in approximately 10 locations, including Japanese airports, as part of a new project called the “Japanese cultural media arts dissemination initiative in airports and other institutions.”

The artists and creators featured in this exhibition capture the cultural resources borne out of various local cultures through fresh perspectives in places like airports, which serve as gateways to these regions. By showcasing the works of media arts, we invite visitors to explore the true spirit of these cultures throughout their travels.

Following the exhibitions at the New Chitose Airport and Haneda Airport, the new exhibition “Score of Presence - Gravity of Bird”, which is linked with the sound art exhibition “Chosho Hakkei / Sound Installation - evala (See by Your Ears) feat. SUZUKI Akio” that is currently being held at the traditional Japanese garden “Nakazu Bansyouen” in Marugame-shi, Kagawa Prefecture and can only be experienced at Takamatsu Airport, will be presented to the public from Friday, October 4, the first year of Reiwa (2019.)

“Score of Presence - Gravity of Bird” is an audiovisual installation created by evala, a participating artist of “Chosho Hakkei / Sound Installation - evala (See by Your Ears) feat. SUZUKI Akio”. Based on sound sources that have already been presented at the “Kanchoro House,” the oldest surviving tearoom at “Nakazu Bansyouen,” which was established in 1688, the unprecedented “sound painting” evokes the aesthetics and presence of the space by distorting the fine sounds produced from special acoustic panels.

Please experience this unique combination of advanced technology x sounds x cultural resources at the new art spot in Takamatsu Airport.

*2F glass wall decorations are also scheduled in the future at Takamatsu Airport. It will be announced when the details are confirmed.
*The latest information, including airports where the exhibitions will be held in the future, will be announced as soon as the details are confirmed.

Takamatsu Airport Exhibition Summary

Theme: Japanese Garden (Nakazu Bansyouen)
Work: Explanation of “Score of Presence - Gravity of Bird”

A new audiovisual installation created exclusively for Takamatsu Airport is depicted by artist evala based on the sound sources of “Anechoic Sphere/Reflection/Inflection” that is presented at the “Kanchoro House,” the oldest surviving tearoom at “Nakazu Bansyouen” as part of the sound art exhibition “Chosho Hakkei.”

For the works exhibited at Nakazu Bansyouen, field recordings of Nakazu Bansyouen and Lake Biwa and other noises picked up by microphones from “otodate” sound points placed in various places in the garden by artist SUZUKI Akio programmed into 3D audio data; after analyzing the data, the sound art is composed with original chaotic algorithms. With the Takamatsu Airport version of the installation, the essence of these sound sources have been uniquely arranged specifically for the airport, creating a unique “sound space” structure by evoking the aesthetics as well as presence of the space by distorting the fine sounds produced from the flat speakers that are arranged along the L-shaped wall. Furthermore, the images that are digitally visualized from the sound data and printed using special effects cover the entire surface of the wall to create an aesthetic representation of the transforming sounds. The monitor displays that stand facing the L-shaped wall depict actual images of the ponds, bridges, inside of the tearooms and pine groves of Nakazu Bansyouen that have been reconfigured for this exhibition. This multi-layered installation visualizes the deep flow hidden in the depths of the Japanese garden and enables visitors to interact with their essence from within the airport.

Artist: evala (See by Your Ears)

Born in 1976 in Kyoto Prefecture. He has presented avant-garde electronic music works in Japan and overseas, and in 2016, he launched “See by Your Ears,” a sound project which brings a whole new auditory experience using 3D acoustic systems. He also has exhibited “Anechoic Sphere,” an installation experienced in a completely dark anechoic chamber in the pursuit of creating unique space-conscious sounds, in various parts of the world including Sónar+D (Barcelona, Spain) and ACC (Gwangju, South Korea.) In 2018, he presented the installation “Acoustic Vessel Odyssey” with 576 individual speakers using Sony’s “Sonic Surf VR” VR technology at SXSW (Austin, Texas.)

Curatorial Director: ABE Kazunao

Born in 1960 in Nagano Prefecture, and currently works as a curator, art producer and professor at Tokyo Polytechnic University. From 1990 to 2001, he served as a full-time curator for the Canon “ARTLAB” project. From 2003 to 2017, he served as an artistic director and deputy director at the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media, where he produced various new art productions. In 2006, he was part of the international jury for the “transmediale award 06” in Berlin, Germany. From 2014 to 2016, he served as a judge for Media Arts Division at the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan Award for Fine Arts, and in 2017 he served as a judge for the Art Division at the Japan Media Arts Festival hosted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan. In 2018, he served curated the “Otherly Space/knowledge” exhibition as a guest director at the Asian Cultural Center (Gwangju, South Korea.)

Collaboration exhibition “Chosho Hakkei - evala (See by Your Ears) feat. SUZUKI Akio”
Held from September 27 (Fri) to November 24 (Sun) at Nakazu Bansyouen/Marugame Museum of Art
(25-1 Nakazu-cho, Marugame-shi, Kagawa Prefecture)

[Chosho Hakkei]
A new sensational sound art exhibition set throughout the entire 330-year old Japanese garden “Nakazu Bansyouen” in Marugame-shi, Kagawa Prefecture. Based on the themes of advanced technology x sounds x cultural resources,” historical cultural properties are depicted with the power of the advanced sound art, and the Japanese garden that blows winds from the Seto Inland Sea is transformed into a new art spot. This experimental project enables visitors to feel and follow the natural perspectives and aesthetics of Japanese in the traditional cultural heritage passed down from the Edo period from a new spatial expression using “sounds.”

[Nakazu Bansyouen/Marugame Museum of Art]
The historic circuit style Daimyo Garden was originally built by the second lord of Marugame Castle, Kyogoku Takatoyo, in 1688. The pond in the center of the garden was designed in the shape of Lake Biwa, the home of the Kyogoku family. In the pond, there are eight islands that reflect the Eight Views of Omi (Omi Hakkei), a series of landscape images surrounding Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. The garden was named after a framed calligraphy "Bansyouen" which means "all things in the Universe," which this garden is said to possess. The “Marugame Museum of Art” was designed in the style of a traditional Japanese one-story house, and the adjoining restaurant called “Kaifutei,” where visitors can enjoy the atmosphere of the garden landscapes can be found along the lakeside.

[SUZUKI Akio profile]
Born in 1941, and currently resides in Kyotango, Kyoto Prefecture. He is considered to be a global pioneer of sound artists. From the 1960’s, he has constantly taken the stance on the “listening” side, and is known for his sound events, performances and installations as he searches for the relationship between sound and space. He has incorporated words such as “Nagekake (to cast, to throw)” and “Tadori (to trace and to follow)” in his solo exhibitions, and implemented various sound events using familiar events, such as performances using his own echo instrument “Analapos.” Since the 1990’s, he has continued to passionately present sound installations in pursuit of his own original concept of “listening” in various parts of the world.

Official website: http://www.bansyouen.com/sound/

Overview of Exhibition at Takamatsu Airport (Details)
Date and time:	Friday, October 4, the first year of Reiwa (2019) - *8:00-20:00
Location:	Takamatsu Airport (Takamatsu-shi, Kagawa Prefecture) International Terminal 1F Departure Lobby, etc. *2F glass wall decorations also scheduled in the future.
Artist:	evala (See by Your Ears)
Curatorial Director:	ABE Kazunao
Supporter:	Takamatsu Airport Co., Ltd., Kotosan Bus Corporation
Sponsor:	Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan “Japanese cultural media arts dissemination initiative in airports and other institutions in the first year of Reiwa”

How to access Nakazu Bansyouen from Takamatsu Airport
[Taxi (Direct)]
Taxi from Takamatsu Airport to Nakazu Bansyouen: approx. 50min
[Via Marugame Station]
Airport limousine bus (Kotosan Bus) from Takamatsu Airport to Marugame Station: approx. 70min, taxi from Marugame Station to Nakazu Bansyouen: 6min
[Via Takamatsu Station and Marugame Station]
Airport limousine bus (Kotoden Bus) from Takamatsu Airport to Takamatsu Station: approx. 40min, JR Yosan Line Rapid Service from Takamatsu Station to Marugame Station: approx. 30min, taxi from Marugame Station to Nakazu Bansyouen: approx. 6min

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191004005219/en/

Contact information

Inquiries from the press regarding this document
Japan Media Arts Distributed Museum Office PR Team
Person in charge : Yukinori Aoki
Mail: yukinori.aoki@dentsu-pr.co.jp