A recreation of The Last Geisha at the Paris Autumn Festival (Festival d'Autonne)
*Information at the time of adoption.
- Name of the organization or individual
- Hydroblast
- subsidy category
- Creation Grant
- Grant Type
- single year
FY2024 1st Term Creation Grant Category I Single-Year Grant
Business Overview
A documentary performance work that captures the disappearing geisha culture critically from a modern perspective while maintaining respect for tradition, based on the fact that the artist learned the reality of the culture through extensive training in banquet halls and ozashiki. After premiering in Tokyo in 2022, he recreated this work and presented it as a new work at the international festival Festival d'automne in Paris. While there are many stereotypes of geisha culture overseas, this film attempted to reexamine that image and present it to European audiences in a deeper cultural context, and received a great response. In addition to main cast members Takenaka Koko and Ota Shingo, musician Uchihashi Kazuhisa will perform live. In addition to the local performance of the work, a post-performance talk was held as a related project with Hidemi, the last geisha in Kinosaki. Other related events included film screenings, photo exhibitions, and exchange events between artists and audiences to promote a deeper understanding of geisha culture.
- Period of Activity / Project
- Friday, November 15, 2024 - 16th (Sat), 18th (Mon) - 19th (Tue)
- Venues
- Japanese Culture Center in Paris (Paris/France)
*Information such as project outlines is provided by organizations and individuals providing subsidies.
Profile
[General Incorporated Association Hydroblast]
It was established in 2019 by the film director Shingo Ota as an organization that works on film and theater productions. Kako TAKENAKA joined as a producer in 2022. Each project has its own role and aims to create works from multiple perspectives. Hydroblasting is a method of cleaning castings by spraying high water pressure or a mixture of high water pressure and sand from a nozzle onto the surface of the castings. In this system, a blasting material (water) is made to collide with an object to be cleaned called a workpiece to remove dirt and paint adhering to the surface. It was named after the artist's desire to make the theater function as a place to disperse, remove, and wash away all boundaries, discontinuities, stereotypes, and prejudices defined in society by spraying the tool of art, and to ensure the diversity of society.