November 15, 2014
Tokyo Creative Weeks
From traditional performances to contemporary arts, the festival presents a full palette of art experiences in one
By Metropolis
As the autumn approaches, why not fall into the world of art and culture at the Tokyo Creative Weeks? The TCW is a seven-week festival celebrating traditional culture and contemporary art in various venues around the city. The festival offers fascinating exhibits, as well as interactive programs. For the season dubbed in Japan as a time for whetting appetites, get immersed in and inspired by the creative side of Tokyo!
Kyogen: Supremacy and Successors
Kyogen is a kind of spoken drama that is based upon laughter and comedy, an art form passed down from generation to generation, for more than 600 years. It is often performed as interludes in Noh performances, another type of theater with which it shares history. The predominantly male actors have kyogen in their blood, coming from families of performers who pass on the art form from generation to generation. Of them, three particular kyogen actors are deemed living national treasures of Japan. And will perform for the first time in the same show. Witness history in the making! Oct 28, 6:30pm, ¥2,000-6,000. National Theatre of Japan, 4-1 Hayabusacho, Chiyoda-ku. Nearest stn: Hanzomon. www.dento-wa.jp/en/index.html
Tokyo Art Meeting (V): Seeking New Genealogies—Bodies/Leaps/Traces
In an age of uncertainty with an unclear future, people want to affirm their corporeal selves as a solid touchstone. They examine traces on their bodies to find the sources of their feelings, memories and knowledge. In this exhibition, “Seeking New Genealogies—Bodies/Leaps/Traces,” traces of the memory and knowledge that remain in the body have been put into expression across the ages, arriving at a new genealogy born from creativity, with the intention of rethinking contemporary expression. Tokyo Art Meeting welcomes kyogen master Mansai Nomura, who has also been highly appreciated as a contemporary theater director and actor, as its general advisor. His body inherits 600 years of tradition while suddenly leaping forward to today, sharing a variety of forms of contemporary expression and creating new creative genes. Along with new works, the exhibition displays paintings, video works and live performances as an alternative form of an installation. Audiences can appreciate and experience the multifaceted nature of performance in composite, multiple ways. Sep 27, 2014-Jan 4, 2015, ¥600-1,200. Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku. Nearest stn: Kiyosumi-Shirakawa. www.mot-art-museum.jp/eng
Senju Pun-Filled Music Festival: 1010 People in Senju
In addition to exhibitions in halls and museums, the TCW also has community events. On October 12 (Sun) from 3pm, a music festival will be held at a Senju district fish market, featuring composer Makoto Nomura and performances by 1,010 other participants. The NPO formed by the citizens and students of Adachi ward seeks to enliven their town through sounds. There will be noted musical pros, and a mixture of various styles and concepts to create beautiful and lively music. A great chance to feel the joy and beauty of music and meet people—or even fall in love. Oct 12, 3-5pm, free. Senju District, Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, Adachi Market. Nearest stn: Kita-Senju. www.aaa-senju.com
