Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2010

Crazy installations, avant-garde performers and a general matsuri-like atmosphere will envelop Roppongi Hills at sundown on March 27, when the second annual Roppongi Art Night kicks off. Last year’s inaugural event featured everything from Styrofoam teahouses to a huge fire-breathing robot, and the 2010 program goes several steps further. Attractions include Hiroshi Fuji’s gigantic dinosaur sculptures made from toy figurines; an installation where users interact with cats via video monitor; and Rêve d’Herbert (pictured), a parade of illuminated “balloon people” by performance troupe Compagnie des Quidams. But the highlight is sure to be Noboru Tsubaki’s Before Flowers, a 13m-tall monster-like sculpture that displays different video images in response to levels of carbon dioxide emitted by the audience.

The exhibits run from dusk to dawn at various locations around Roppongi. See www.roppongiartnight.com for more info.