“When Japan opened itself to international trade in 1854 to become a modern industrialised and military power in its own right, the Japanese government sent intellectuals to Europe and the United States to study what was needed for modernization, which included the study of Western Society and Western thought. Most Japanese philosophers turned towards Germany for their inspiration. 

How to negotiate the differences between traditional Asian and modern Western values became a major concern among Japanese philosophers in the first half of the Twentieth Century. Today the hyper-connectivity of the Internet and global access on all levels offers new possibilities for cultural studies and a new ground for collaborative projects.

With the event at Weltkunstzimmer – HPZ Foundation, the project initiators Japanese artist/curator Akane Naka-Mori and Austrian/Dutch artist Margret Wibmer examine an old Japanese tradition, which represents many aspects of Japanese culture. Based on a rhizomatic research method driven by desire and chance encounters rather than objectivity, they are carefully negotiating new perspectives. Their collaborators are artists and experts from different fields.

After a successful start of the project in February 2013 at Ishikawa Nishida Kitaro Museum of Philosophy, a building designed by Tadao Ando, this first European event will mark the beginning of an ongoing Asian-European collaboration.

We are delighted to announce that tea ceremony master Fuyuko Kobori from Tokyo will join us for our first set of events in Europe. She is a member of the famous Kobori Enshu family, one of the original founders of that old tradition (1579 – 1647). Butoh dancer Kiyomi Yamashita who studied Indian dance before devoting herself to the study of Butoh, will guide participants and public into a world far from the ordinary. The raw industrial space of Weltkunstzimmer and the soundscape of Minowa Norihito, a Kanazawa based composer and owner of music studio Di-Fairy Co., Ltd., will add to an unforgettable experience…”

(text from the press release)

Date: 24th May, 2013

Venue: Weltkunstzimmer

Tea Master: Fuyuko Kobori

Concept and Production: Akane Nakamori / Margret Wibmer

Photo: Margret Wibmer

コンセプト・プロデュース
Margret Wibmer (Mbassy Unlimited)・中森あかね（彗星俱楽部）

舞踏
山下きよみ (Ganesha Dance Studio)

茶の湯
小堀芙由子（小堀遠州流）

音楽
箕輪紀人

音響
森憲史

コスチューム・写真
Margret Wibmer (Mbassy Unlimited)

スタイリング・ヘアメイク
中森あかね（彗星俱楽部）　 茶碗：鯉江良二・中村康平・米林朗・志田美知子・中山達磨・ジョン・ディックス・キール・ハーン

ドイツ・デュッセルドルフにあるアーティストインレジデンス「Weltkunstzimmer」において、舞踏と茶の湯のコラボレーションパフォーマンスを行いました。

「ダキニ神」に扮した舞踏家の山下きよみ氏が独特な踊りで観客を異空間に誘い、「聖なるもの」の象徴として白無垢を着た小堀芙由子は舞台上で茶を点て参加者に供しました。100人以上の熱心な観客が集まり、日本の伝統文化を現代アートの文脈に落とし込んだパフォーマンスは大変好評を得ました。

Date: 24th May, 2013

Venue: Weltkunstzimmer

Concept and production: Akane Nakamori / Margret Wibmer

Photo: Margret Wibmer