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HOSHIGATAMI 2019 ~Seasons of Sonic Garden

  • Organization : Hoshigatami Project 2019
  • Section : Artistic and creative activity in Tokyo
  • Type of Grant Program : Single
  • Art Forms : Music

Outline

Under the concept “Constellations of sound gathered in the heart,” Hoshigatami Project organizers roll out creative initiatives and performances nationwide with the aim of sharing quality time with people by means of hands-on artistic expression utilizing different environments. For this event, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 3 presented its first live concert, “HOSHIGATAMI ~Seasons of Sonic Garden~.” This unique triangular space by architect Tadao Ando was reimagined as a cave in the middle of the city for this event, which incorporated natural phenomena and environmental elements such as calendars and sunlight, and presented the “cycle of time” as a day-long spatial musical piece.

The event comprised a morning and evening concert with a sound installation. Four different sequences materialized through musical pieces both ancient and modern: The traditional Gagaku work “Choushi” (from around 1000 AD); Toru Takemitsu’s “Seasons” (1970 / 2019 computer-generated AI version premiere); Tamami Tono’s “Mabayui Hizashi wo Aogimite – Look up at dazzling sunlight -”(1996 / 2019 version premiere); and a new commissioned piece by Dai Fujikura, “Obi for Sho and Electronics”(2019 world premiere). The accompanying sound installation by Ray Kunimoto, “Iki” (2019) created different acoustic expressions and impressions of the music in a venue whose look and feel fluctuated in accordance with constantly changing external light and temperature.
The unique sound effects of Sho, a flute-like Gagaku instrument with a history of 1,000 years, was set against spatial acoustics by ZAK using super-directional speakers (designed by multimedia artist Shiro Takatani), maximizing both technological innovation and the venue’s spatial potential. The event proved popular with a cross-genre visitor base that included non-Japanese, opening up new perspectives and possibilities for spatial creative expression which leads visitors to an internalized experience of sound.

Profile

Tamami Tono
Graduated top of her class from Kunitachi College of Music (Composition B.A.) before winning the Arima Prize and going on to study under composer Sukeyasu Shiba and Sho player Mayumi Miyata. After studying at Keio University (Media and Governance M.A.) she won the Keio University President’s Award. She won first prize for her works at festivals including ICMC and ISCM and a composition concours held by the National Theatre of Japan, as well as awards such as The Special Prize of Performing Arts Creation Encouragement from the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2001. She has been involved in a variety of projects in Japan and overseas including creation, performance, planning and production in genres from Gagaku classics to multimedia works. She is a member of Reigakusha Gagaku Ensemble and Genpouren. From 2018 she has served on the Gagaku/Shomyo special committee of the National Theatre of Japan.

Contact

Hoshigatami Project
contact@hoshigatami.jp

Venues

21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallary3, Minato city, Tokyo