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Japanese Artist Akira Takayama Prepares To Film Artwork For 21st Biennale Of Sydney
By: Stephi Wild Jan. 22, 2018
Japanese theatre director Akira Takayama invites Sydney residents to perform a song or poem that was taught to them by their ancestors handed down through generations and across geographies, on the stage of Centennial Hall in Sydney Town Hall on 28 January 2018. The song or poem can be in any language, no prior auditions or rehearsals are required, and participants of all abilities are invited to take part.
Participants will perform to an empty theatre, with the unoccupied seats representing the memory of their ancestors and the promise of future generations. Each performance will be recorded on film, and the resulting film piece will act as a collection of the oral histories that the people of Sydney carry with them.
Titled Our Songs - Sydney Kabuki Project, the final artwork will be exhibited from 16 March - 11 June 2018 as part of the 21st Biennale of Sydney, 'SUPERPOSITION: Equilibrium & Engagement'.
WHO: Artist Akira Takayama and a variety of participants aged 5 - 94 years old who will be singing in languages such as Dharug (Western Sydney), Yiddish, Dutch, Japanese, Arabic, Czech, German, Korean, Russian, Spanish and English.
WHEN: Sunday 28 January
WHERE: Centennial Hall, Sydney Town Hall, George Street Sydney
EXHIBITION DETAILS: The final artwork created as a result of the day of performances will be screened as a video work in the 21st Biennale of Sydney from 16 March - 11 June 2018
The concept for the performance has developed from the etymological connection between the Japanese word for song, 'uta', and the word 'uttae', which indicates a summons or call to action. Drawing on the relationship between these two words, the artist considers this performance an open call to people to tell their story and the story of their family through the expression of song and prose.
The performance features elements of Kabuki Theatre,?a 400-year-old form of Japanese theatre recognised by the UNESCO Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. One by one, participants will be invited to walk along a specially constructed hanimichi (a runway structure traditionally staged in Kabuki Theatre) through the grand hall to the stage, where the chosen song or poem will be performed. The performances will take place in a continuous procession throughout the day.
Akira Takayama creates and directs projects that challenge the conventions of traditional theatre, expanding the audience experience through participation and experimental and theoretical considerations. In 2002 Takayama founded Port B, a project-specific theatre collective aimed at fostering collaborative relationships and artistic interventions, including installations in urban spaces, tour-performances, experimental social projects, lecture performances and sight-seeing tours. Motifs of movement, migration, participatory theatre, and the use of a radio transistor and maps, are common themes in Takayama's practice.
2018 marks the 45th anniversary of the Biennale of Sydney and its 21st edition. The Biennale of Sydney provides a platform for art and ideas and is internationally recognised for commissioning and presenting innovative, thought-provoking art from Australia and around the world. A leading international art event, the Biennale of Sydney has showcased the work of nearly 1,800 artists from more than 100 countries. It has attracted over 4 million visitors since its inception in 1973 and holds an important place on both the national and international stage. The Biennale of Sydney is located on the traditional lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Land and pay respect to Elders, both past and present.
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