Art surfacing in the streets of Yuda Onsen A new cityscape orchestrated by light and interaction
This large-scale outdoor exhibition project was staged in the streets of Yuda Onsen, an urban district in the immediate vicinity of YCAM. Three internationally operating artists/groups presented site-specific works on a common theme of "light and interaction", incorporating the characteristic features of Yuda Onsen such as the city's grid-like structure, and the footbaths scattered about town. Each of the three works unveiled here was to be enjoyed/participated freely, and designed to help establish an interactive connection between the spectator and the city itself through the casual appreciation and involvement of general citizens. At the same time, the project was an opportunity to promote a new side of Yuda Onsen by highlighting the fun aspect of strolling the neighborhood and discovering its own appealing characteristics.
Terminals (photo booths) for shooting and printing special portrait photos are installed at four locations in the city of Yuda Onsen.
At each of the terminals, participants can take/print only one part of a photograph that can only be completed by traveling to all four terminals - set up in a convenience store, a hotel, and on the street - and putting the fragments together. The resulting portraits are heavily tinged with the unique atmosphere of Yuda Onsen.
The photo fragments are also sent to an Internet server, where they mix with portraits of a variety of participants. These mixed photographs are projected every night during the event period as "faces of Yuda Onsen" onto a large screen set up in the city centre.
The work lets viewers/users witness a crossover of different times and spaces via the Internet, and experience new encounters between human individuals, and between "people" and the "city".
Animated films themed around the relationship between the "city" and its "individuals", screened at footbaths - casual relaxation spots for both tourists and local residents - at four locations in the city of Yuda Onsen. A unique type of animation fusing together various expression styles ranging from flat illustrations to 3D computer graphics, the work featured an original character created by artist Shinchika. This character functioned at once as a navigator through different "promotion videos" for Yuda Onsen that were shown at the respective locations. Furthermore, the films' length of 15 minutes each was determined based on the idea that this is the appropriate duration for an effective footbath, which gave them an additional "timer" function for footbathers.
Installation set up in the garden of the Chuya Nakahara Memorial Museum.
43 pole-shaped lamps arranged in a grid responded with gradually changing color and lighting patterns to visitors' movements, accompanied by sound that transformed accordingly while seemingly enveloping the entire venue. This installation - a "forest of light" that instantly surfaced in the middle of Yuda Onsen - blended with the surrounding environment to create a new look for the city of Yuda Onsen.
The opening of the exhibition was celebrated with a solo dance performance using LED lighting, staged in the garden of the Chuya Nakahara Memorial Museum. A total of twelve LED devices were distributed across an area of 5x5 meters. Based on a system developed by Takayuki Fujimoto, the computer-controlled lights were arranged in a different layout for each scene according to the movements of dancer Yuko Mori, resulting in a variety of sceneries.
Date
November 21, 2008
Place
Chuya Nakahara Memorial Museum
Credit
Performer: Yuko Mori
Choreography: Kosei Sakamoto
Direction / Lighting design: Takayuki Fujimoto
Sound design: Daito Manabe
The three artists/groups who participated in the main exhibition introduced their respective works in a presentation and talk event explaining backgrounds and production processes. The event culminated in a discussion exchanging multi-faceted views of "the role of media in public art."
