At the invitation of Toru Takemitsu, the French sculptor François Baschet (aged 93 at the time of his death) created 17 sculptures at Osaka Expo ’70, but they were dismantled and placed in storage once the Expo ended. Two of the sculptures were restored in 2013 and displayed in Osaka and Kyoto; this project is taking the opportunity of these two pieces being displayed in Tokyo to work with the Furukawa Laboratory at Tokyo University of the Arts to try to restore the remaining sculptures. In restoring them, this project aims to re-evaluate the sound sculptures of the Baschet Brothers through performances that include other instruments, as well as workshops and film screenings, and ultimately to secure a home for these sculptures in the collection of a public institution, etc.
This association’s interim goal is to restore all of the remaining components of the Baschet Brothers’ sound sculptures owned by the Osaka Prefecture Expo ’70 Commemorative Park. So that experts and others can determine the positioning of these sound sculptures within the Baschet Brothers’ catalogue of work once they are restored, a program of activities to raise awareness of them will be undertaken during the restoration period, including lectures about the Baschet sound sculptures, as well as symposiums, concerts, and film screenings. The goal of this association’s activities is to facilitate a re-evaluation of the Baschet Brothers’ sound sculptures and to establish a roadmap for their preservation in a proper collection, so this is the intended outcome of the project.
Kazuo Iida
Securetary General
Baschet Association of Japan
3-13-18,Narita higashi,Suginami-ku, Tokyo 166-0015
Tel:+81-(0)80-2024-3321
E-mail:baschetj@gmail.com
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Auditorium(Chiyoda City, Tokyo)