Events & Programmes Archive

Wagashi, or ‘Japanese-style confectionery’, has had a long and illustrious history. Created from plant-based ingredients such as azuki beans and rice, the elegant and delicate handmade creations are the result of artistry and have entertained not only the Japanese palate but also their eyes. Often reflecting the seasons, evoking nature, and symbolising important rites of life, wagashi, the elaborate art form with many shapes and colours, has co-existed for many years with other Japanese cultural staples, particularly literature.   In this special talk, NAKAYAMA Keiko, archivist at the famed confectioner Toraya, will introduce the charms of this artistry unique to Japan by tracing its history while looking into the unique aesthetic principles, materials, and designs. She will also elaborate on its relationship with Japanese culture and literature, such as its mention in The Tale of Genji or Sei Shonagon’s The Pillow Book.   Though sadly you will not be able to savour the taste in this talk, it will still be a treat for the eyes.     About the speaker NAKAYAMA Keiko is the Expert Director of Toraya Archives. She graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Department of Aesthetics and Art History. The theme of her dissertation at the university was The Design of Wagashi. NAKAYAMA has published several books on wagashi including The World of Wagashi (Iwanami Shoten), Wagashi Design in the Edo Era (Poplar Publishing Co., Ltd.), and the children’s book A Book of Wagashi (Fukuinkan Shoten). She also wrote about wagashi for a school textbook for 5th grade elementary pupils which aimed to encourage school children to become more familiar with traditional Japanese arts and culture.     About Toraya Archives   Toraya Archives was originally established in 1973 as the ‘Confections Reference Room’ with the objective of contributing to the development, preservation and transmission of wagashi culture. In addition to collecting Toraya-specific historical documents and antique utensils, the archives house general wagashi-related materials and conduct research. Information about wagashi is shared in an annual academic journal Wagashi, on the archives’ website, and through occasional exhibitions at the gallery attached to Akasaka store. While there is no facility for browsing the archives’ historical records they do try to respond to enquiries in as much detail as possible. https://www.toraya-group.co.jp/toraya/bunko/     Special Thanks to Toraya This event is curated with Mu: Arts.   This online event is free to attend but registration is essential. To reserve your space, please book your ticket here.  

Since last year, the Japan Foundation has been continuing work concerning Japanese language education that utilizes Kobanashi.  In this workshop, participants can view concrete examples of how Kobanashi is used in teaching, drawing on the actual practice of educators in a variety of locations. They can explore the discovery of practice as well as any issues encountered, and also make plans for new methods of practice. In this way we hope to create an enjoyable workshop with collaborative learning. We welcome both participants who already use Kobanashi in practice, as well as Japanese language educators who wish to use Kobanashi in their lessons in the future. Workshop Format: Online (Zoom software） Dates:  16th July 2021 (Fri) Time: 10:00 - 12:30 (BST） Number of Participants: Approx. 20 Instructor: Dr. Kazumi Hatasa (Purdue University, United States of America; Chair, Dept. of East Asian Language and Cultures, SLC, Asian Studies Faculty). Guidelines for Prospective Participants: PDF Sign-Up Guidelines The application form link is included in the Sign-Up Guidelines PDF (please see below "attachment file"). We would like to ask prospective participants to read the guidelines carefully and then fill out the application form.   ※Sign-Up Deadline: 28th June (Monday), 17:00 (BST)

  Translating literature into a different language requires not only high linguistic skills but also a fair understanding of the culture and society depicted in the original version. Distilling authors’ intended messages and meaning, translators navigate subtle nuance, aided by reading between the lines if necessary. However, is the medium of poetry comparable? Condensing wording, meaning, and nuance to fit the desired meter and style, writing poetry is, technically, very different from writing novels. Therefore, should those who accept the challenge of translating poetry be equipped with special skills disparate from those that are required for translating novels?   For the second day of the miniseries ‘Finding Japanese Poetry’, the Japan Foundation has invited three experienced poetry translators, YOTSUMOTO Yasuhiro, LENTO Takako, and Dr Janine Beichman, to introduce and explore their individual approaches to Japanese poetry and consider issues in reading and translating this sophisticated but demanding literary form, in an informal roundtable discussion. This will be led by Dr Alan Cummings, Senior Lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies, who is also a translator of the shortest type of Japanese poem, the haiku.     About the panellists   (Moderator) Dr Alan Cumming is a translator and senior lecturer in Japanese Studies in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, SOAS, University of London. His academic research is in early modern Japanese literature and theatre, especially kabuki. Amongst his publications are a volume of translations of haiku and senryu, Haiku: Love (British Museum Press, 2013), and several translations in the Kabuki Plays on Stage series (University of Hawai'i Press).     Dr Janine Beichman, professor emerita of Daito Bunka University in Japan, has published biographies and translations of the poets Masaoka Shiki and Yosano Akiko, and translated Ōoka Makoto's anthology of classical and modern poems by Japanese poets. Her most recent publication is the translation of Ozawa Minoru’s Well-Versed: Exploring Modern Japanese Haiku. She has received grants from the NEH, the NEA, and America PEN for her research and translations of Yosano Akiko. Beneath the Sleepless Tossing of the Planets, her translations of Ōoka Makoto’s poetry, received the 2019-2020 Japan-United States Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature.   LENTO Takako was born and educated in Japan. LENTO is an award-winning translator of poetry from Japanese to English and vice versa. Her books include translations of Yosa Buson, Tamura Ryuichi, Tanikawa Shuntaro, Yoshimasu Gozo, Kaneko Mitsuharu, Nagase Kiyoko, and Shinkawa Kazue. She frequently contributes essays and translations to publications in the U.S. and Japan. Ms. Lento holds an MA in literature from Kyushu University and an MFA in poetry and translation from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She lives in the U.S.   YOTSUMOTO Yasuhiro was born in 1959. So far he has published 13 books of poetry, two novels, and a couple of literary criticisms. Yasuhiro also published a few poetry translations including Stay home on Earth! , an anthology of COVID-19 related poems from around the world; The Poetic Works Homo Sapiens, an anthology of contemporary poetry from 32 poets in 22 countries; and Kid by Simon Armitage. His latest book is The Selected Poems of Shinkawa Kazue (Vagabond Press, Sidney), co-translated with Takako Lento.   The Japan Foundation ‘Finding Japanese Poetry Series’   Image credit: Photo used in top image by Elisa Calvet B. on Unsplash

  In the very long history of Japanese literature, poetry is arguably one of the first recognized literary forms. The notable Manyosho, a collection of Japanese short poems produced in the 8th century, evokes the gaze and thoughts of people from all walks of life and, until this day, still sets a standard for Japanese poetry. Contrary to the common perception that the world of literature is dominated by male voices, Japanese society did not always exclude women’s perspectives when it came to the arts and, indeed, there was a time where constructing and reading poetry was a significant tool of communication regardless of the gender. However, has the trend evolved with the times and have women remained in a prominent position within this literary sphere? In this first session of the ‘Finding Japanese Poetry’ series, the Japan Foundation invites poets and translators, YOTSUMOTO Yasuhiro and MORIYAMA Megumi (who has recently released her work, Nakazora), to trace the role of female poets from ancient to contemporary Japan, discussing their creativity, the gaze of women, and the impact their verses made upon Japan and its literary society. The talk will be led by Michele Hutchison, an award-winning translator.   About the speakers (Moderator) Michele Hutchison is a British translator, writer and editor based in Amsterdam. Her translation of Marieke Lucas Rijneveld's The Discomfort of Evening was awarded the 2020 International Booker Prize and her translation of Sander Kollaard's Stage Four won the 2020 Vondel Translation Prize. Recent poetry translations include Man Animal Thing by Alfred Schaffer (Eyewear Publishing) and Putting On My Species by Sasja Janssen (Shearsman Books). She is also co-author of The Happiest Kids in the World and is currently working on a new non-fiction book. MORIYAMA Megumi was born in Tokyo. She is a poet, English haiku poet, and translator. She is the author of four full-length books of poetry, including Tangible Dreams (Yume no tezawari, 2005), which was composed for a choir piece and published. MORIYAMA had been selected as a New Poet by a major poetry periodical and her poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. She has recently co-translated the full text of Arthur Waley’s The Tale of Genji and has won the 2020 Donald Keene Special Award. Her latest work is the translation of Virginia Woolf’s The Waves. YOTSUMOTO Yasuhiro, poet and translator, born in 1959. So far he has published 13 books of poetry, two novels, and a couple of literary criticisms. Yasuhiro also published a few poetry translations including Stay home on Earth! , an anthology of COVID-19 related poems from around the world; The Poetic Works Homo Sapiens, an anthology of contemporary poetry from 32 poets in 22 countries; and Kid by Simon Armitage. His latest book is The Selected Poems of Shinkawa Kazue (Vagabond Press, Sidney), co-translated with Takako Lento.   The Japan Foundation ‘Finding Japanese Poetry Series’  

We are excited to announce that the Finals Day of the Nihongo Cup Japanese Speech Contest for Secondary Schools in the UK will take place online on 10th July 2021 (Saturday). The UK's talented young students of Japanese language will be competing for some brilliant prizes. Finalists are in all levels of Secondary education - Key stage 3, Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5. Please be aware that this event is closed to the public. Spectators will be limited to finaliasts, their families and their teachers, as well as Nihongo Cup organisers, sponsors and so on. You can download the programme for Finals Day by clicking on the attachment to this article.

  Like many other nations, Japan has undoubtedly been influenced by and benefited from the modernist movement in architecture, in terms of the societal impact it carried and the position it held as a springboard for technological advancements. Japanese architecture holds a prominent position globally thanks to its aesthetic distinctiveness and design quality pioneered by a coterie of visionary architects. Of these figures, two stand out as particularly significant and influential: TANGE Kenzo and SHINOHARA Kazuo. While each created their own school of thought which took different directions in their ideologies, approaches, materials and views on society, both gained domestic and international notoriety as truly original voices and great contributors to modernism as a global movement. Focusing on visionaries who shaped the course of Japanese architecture, Dr Seng Kuan – a Japan Foundation Fellow, Project Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo, and Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design – will talk about the achievements of these two towering figures, explaining why he believes that TANGE and SHINOHARA represented two distinct vertices in this uniquely rich and momentous chapter of international modernism. He will then analyse the scope of their influence over subsequent generations of architects, providing his own predictions for how Japan’s architectural landscape might transform going into the future. After Dr Seng Kuan's presentation, there will be a short discussion with Robert Brown, Professor of Architecture and Master of Architecture Program Leader at the University of Plymouth.    About the guest speakers Dr Seng Kuan teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the University of Tokyo. He has written extensively on modern architectural culture in East Asia, most notably on Tange Kenzō, the Metabolists, Shinohara Kazuo as well as on the relationship between architectural design and structural engineering. Seng’s research projects have been recognized with grants from the Graham Foundation, the Japan Foundation, and the Association for Asian Studies. He received a PhD in architecture from Harvard University and serves as chief editorial advisor to the journal a+u. Robert Brown is Professor of Architecture and Master of Architecture Program Leader at the University of Plymouth. He has taught and lectured in Japan, including at Kobe University, as well as in Austria, Canada, China, Egypt and US. His research interests include socio-cultural identity and place, with publications on Japanese architecture and rituals. He is the author of various entries referencing Japanese architecture for The Encyclopaedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World (forthcoming). He is the recipient of funding from the Daiwa Foundation, Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and Japan 21 Foundation, and is chair of the RIBA Research Grants Committee.    Image credits: Tange Kenzō, House in Seijō, Tokyo, 1953. Photo by Hirayama Chūji Shinohara Kazuo, House in Kugayama, Tokyo, 1954. Photo by Hirayama Chūji    The Japan Foundation Game Changer Series: The World is Changing; What Changed Japan

  Calling all secondary school teachers of Japanese! We will be holding an online workshop led by two of the authors of a popular textbook series for secondary pupils. This workshop introduces the pedagogical benefits of using 'iiTomo' series (2nd edition) (https://www.pearson.com.au/educator/secondary/browse-resources-online/resources-for-languages/japanese/iitomo/) which aims to equip students with 21st century skills in a variety of ways. Participants will experience intercultural language learning through the eyes of students and teachers. The workshop includes group work to share ideas of assessment tasks and new online tools for formative assessment. - Date: 26th June 2021 (Saturday), 9:00-11:00 (BST) - Location: Online seminar using Zoom software - To apply, please click here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/3PPPWL/ - Participation fee: Free (Registration in advance is required.) - Registration deadline: 10th June - Languages used: Japanese/English - Speaker: Ms Yoko Nishimura-Parke and Ms Yoshie Burrows - Target audience: Secondary school teachers of Japanese (Private tutors are also welcome). - Maximum number of participants: 50 In case that we receive more applications than we have spaces, we will prioritise applicants who are currently teaching GCSE Japanese in the United Kingdom and we might close the applications earlier than the deadline if capacity is reached. - Planned schedule: Following the workshop, there will be an optional social gathering from 10:30. Speakers’ Profiles: Ms Yoko Nishimura-Parke As a senior education officer at the NSW Department of Education, Australia, Yoko Nishimura-Parke developed numerous language learning resources for language education during the period 1998-2015. Yoko also co-authored the Japanese language textbook series Mirai (1995‐2006) and iiTomo (2008‐2019), published by Pearson Education Australia. Yoko is actively involved in creating language learning resources to foster ethical and intercultural understanding and cultivate global views focusing on sustainability.    Ms Yoshie Burrows Yoshie Burrows, lead author of the iiTomo series, has been actively involved in Japanese education in Victoria for more than twenty-five years. This includes a long career at Loreto College as a Year 7-12 teacher and language department coordinator. Since 2015, she has been the Languages Professional Learning Community Leader for the Catholic Education Office at Ballarat Diocese. She has written VCE teaching materials including the Leading Edge VCE Japanese textbook, as well as practice exams for the Melbourne Centre for Japanese Language Education.    

The decades leading up to the turn of the 21st century have seen in Japan an unprecedented amount of growth and development, with the nation spearheading the way in pioneering technologies, art, and designs. While some cross-referenced existing global design movements, Japanese creators have focused on the needs and preferences of their society, creating many ground-breaking products with new conceptions that revolutionised not only the fields of design in Japan, but also provided key inspiration for future designs in the Western world. From fashion to ceramics, transportation devices to objects used in the daily lives of the average person, Japan offered new directions to explore original ideas.   But are there any tangible items in particular which can be said to stand out as the game changers in the history of Japanese design? To answer this question, we invite Professor KASHIWAGI Hiroshi, a prominent design historian and critic, who will draw on his long-standing career in the field to give his view as to the objects which deserve such an esteemed title. After introducing and providing a socio-historical background on his selection of objects, he will delve into where he believes the future of Japanese design is heading. Following KASHIWAGI's presentation, there will be a short discussion with Josephine Rout, Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum.      About the speakers KASHIWAGI Hiroshi is a Professor Emeritus at Musashino Art University, Tokyo. Majored in History of Modern Design. He is a design critic and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art, London. Born in Kobe in 1946. Graduated with a design degree from Musashino Art University. He has been attempting to spell out modern thought aesthetic through his research in design. Selected Exhibitions: Curator for the exhibition; Tanaka Ikko Retrospective Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, 2003. Curator for the exhibition; Fantaisies Cybernetiques, Maison de la culture du Japon a Paris, 2003-4. Selected Publication: Modan dezain hihan (Critique of the modern design) Iwanami Syoten, Tokyo, 02. “Shikiri” no Bunkaron (Cultural studies on “boundary”) Kodansya, Tokyo. 04. Tantei-syosetu no shitunai (Interior of Detective Story) Hakusuisya, Tokyo, 11. Dezain no Kyokasyo (The Textbook on Design) Kodansya, Tokyo, 11. Kaji no seijigaku (Studies on Domestic Science) Iwanami Syoten, Tokyo, 15. Shikaku no Seimeiryoku (The Life Force of Visual Culture) Iwanami Syoten, Tokyo. 17.   Josephine Rout is a Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum where she looks after the Japanese collections of Meiji, Modern and Contemporary Fashion, Design and Metalwork. She is a graduate of the University of Canterbury, Aotearoa, New Zealand, and the Royal College of Art, London. At the V&A, she was Assistant Curator for the Toshiba Gallery of Japanese Art refurbishment, curated the Friday Late Neo Nipponica and was Project Curator of the exhibition Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk. Her first book, Japanese Dress in Detail (2020), is shortlisted for the 2021 Association of Dress Historians Book of the Year Award.   The Japan Foundation Game Changer Series: The World is Changing; What Changed Japan

  In recent years there has been a noticeable trend in new UK productions made for the stage to be sourcing their ground material not only from Japanese plays but also through adapting other forms of Japanese media, such as anime, literature, or film. Be it a direct adaptation or simply taking inspiration, the communication of the culture which the original is steeped in is not entirely removed from the creation process. The culmination of such adaptations results in distinct visions of Japanese culture reframed to suit the message of their creators and lend relatability to their native audiences. In celebration of After Life, adapted for the stage from Hirokazu Kore-eda’s feature film and to be presented at the National Theatre between 2 June and 24 July 2021, we invited a group of UK theatre professionals – who have looked towards Japan for source materials in their respective productions – to join an informal roundtable talk aimed at exploring the significance of looking at other languages and art forms in conceptualising new works, and any challenges that may be faced in doing so.   About the panellists (Moderator) Professor Ken Rea is a theatre director, acting teacher, and author of the bestseller, The Outstanding Actor, Seven Keys to Success. After working as a leading actor and director in New Zealand, where he founded the Living Theatre Troupe, he studied theatre in Bali, Java, India, China and Japan, as well as studying with leading European teachers. Today, at the renowned Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where he is Professor of Theatre, Ken has trained some of Britain's leading actors, bringing to them his unique process, influenced by his research in Asian theatre. Through his corporate training Ken has also made a striking difference to thousands of business leaders. And as a journalist, he has been a regular feature writer for The Times and was for 15 years a theatre critic for The Guardian. As a public speaker, Ken gives many large-scale presentations in the worlds of business and the arts. Franko Figueiredo is the co-founder and artistic director of StoneCrabs Theatre Company. Franko and StoneCrabs Theatre Company have been running yearly drama workshops in Japan since 2006. He has directed all of Mishima's Modern Noh plays in English for StoneCrabs to great critical acclaim, including Sotoba Komachi (Metro and Time Out Critics Choice); Busu (Mishima’s take on the Kyogen play of the same name), and The Damask Drum (International tour, Pick of the EdFringe 2017). Franko also directed Asphalt Kiss, a co-production between One Two Works and StoneCrabs at Owl Spot Theatre, Tokyo in 2018. Currently they are collaborating with Busu Theatre on a new production inspired by tales of loneliness and Japanese folklore. Jeremy Herrin trained as a theatre director at both the National Theatre and the Royal Court, where he became Deputy Artistic Director in 2008. He became Artistic Director of Headlong Theatre in September 2013. In 2009, Jeremy directed Polly Stenham's play, Tusk Tusk for which he was nominated for an Evening Standard Best Director Award. In 2012 he was named as one of the Stage top 100. In 2014 Jeremy directed the critically acclaimed adaptations of Hilary Mantel's novels Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies for the RSC and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Director. The productions transferred to the West End at the end of 2014 and opened on Broadway in April 2015. Most recently he directed Noises Off at The Garrick Theatre and The Visit at The National Theatre. For TV Jeremy directed Talking Heads and Unprecedented for the BBC. Yojiro Ichikawa is a director who has been working in the UK, US, EU and Japan, in various kinds of theatre including musical, drama and physical theatre. He founded and has been the Artistic Director of a UK theatre company Théatre Lapis, which aim is to question traditional boundaries including those that exist between genres or cultures, and to seek other frontiers. His directing credits include Letter from the Sea at Polish Theatre Bydgoszcz and the New National Theatre Tokyo, Tell Me On A Sunday at the New National Theatre Tokyo which won a Yomiuri drama award, The Red Candle based on Mimei Ogawa’s Novel, at the Brunel Museum and was also appreciated by Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Pearl and Dagger at The Other Palace, a new musical created through the collaboration between the British and Japanese creatives, and KUWENTO an online production based on Japanese folktales. Alexandra Rutter is a director and producer of Anglo-Japanese collaborative theatre, and an ambassador for inter-cultural productions based on Japanese source material. She founded and has been director of UK Theatre company, Whole Hog Theatre since 2012 and is currently a Resident Director and Producer at Nelke Planning: a leading Japanese producer of “2.5 Dimensional Musicals” (theatre based on Japanese animation, comics and video games). Her most notable work includes: Creative Director on Magia Record (Madoka Magica Franchise) starring idol group Keyakizaka46, and Director of the world’s first stage production of a Hayao Miyazaki film Princess Mononoke (with the kind permission of Studio Ghibli). Most recent credits include the postponed 2020 production of the world’s first stage adaptation of The Garden of Words, based on the Anime by Makoto Shinkai and CoMix Wave films.   Special thanks to the National Theatre and IGAWA Togo.   Please note that this will be an Online Event held on Zoom.   This online event is free to attend but places are limited and registration is essential. To reserve your space, please book your ticket here.  

HIRANO Toshiki is an architectural designer based in Tokyo, Japan. Having studied under the globally acclaimed architect TAKAMATSU Shin, his talent began to be recognised abroad when he was awarded the Suzanne Kolarik Underwood Prize upon receiving his Master of Architecture degree from Princeton University in 2012. HIRANO aims to lend his distinct style to landmarks on an international scale as, in addition to his design work in Japan, he has been a pivotal creative voice involved in project proposals and design competitions such as for the Abu Dhabi Flamingo Visitor Center and the Aalto Museum Extension in Jyvaskyla, Finland. His work is frequently featured in public exhibitions such as his Malformed Objects at the Yamamoto Gendai, Tokyo in 2017. He teaches at the University of Tokyo and currently serves as a co-director of SEKISUI HOUSE - KUMA LAB by KUMA Kengo.   Ahead of the London Design Biennale 2021 in June, in which HIRANO will be representing Japan with his latest installation project Reinventing Texture, the Japan Foundation is proud to welcome him at an online talk event where he will discuss his defining projects including the work he will be presenting at the Biennale. HIRANO will also explore what he considers to be the new architectural aesthetic, as well as how his creative philosophy has and does determine his architectural activities. His presentation will be followed by fellow architect and co-founder of Pareid, Déborah Lopez, and will be moderated by Sarah Mineko Ichioka, director of Desire Lines (Singapore).   About the guest speakers HIRANO Toshiki is an architectural designer based in Tokyo, Japan. He teaches at the University of Tokyo and currently serves as a co-director of SEKISUI HOUSE - KUMA LAB. His research and work investigate the new aesthetics in architecture drawing inspirations from digital technology, art and philosophy. His latest installation project "Reinventing Texture”, curated by Clare Farrow Studio, will be exhibited at Somerset House for the London Design Biennale 2021. Website: toshiki-hirano.com   Sarah Mineko Ichioka, Hon FRIBA, leads Desire Lines, a strategic consultancy for environmental, cultural and social-impact organisations and initiatives. She has been recognised as a World Cities Summit Young Leader, one of the Global Public Interest Design 100, and a British Council / Clore Foundation Cultural Leadership International Fellow. She has advised initiatives including the European Prize for Urban Public Space, Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and Milan Triennale. Ichioka is a co-curator of the Singapore Pavilion at the 2021 Venice Biennale of Architecture, and co-author, with Michael Pawlyn, of 'Flourish: Design Paradigms for Our Planetary Emergency' (forthcoming 2021).  Déborah Lopez is a licensed architect in Spain and co-founder of Pareid; an interdisciplinary design and research studio currently located in London. Her work adopts approaches from various fields and contexts, addressing topics related to climate, ecology, human perception, machine sentience, and their capacity for altering current modes of existence through imminent fictions (if). Currently, she is a Lecturer (Teaching) at the Bartlett, UCL in London where she co-leads Research Cluster 1 and 20  under the title of ‘Monumental Wastelands’. She has been recently awarded the Arquia Innova Award by Fundación Arquia and her work has been featured in different international institutions and exhibitions such as the Royal Academy of Arts, Centre Pompidou, the Seoul Biennale and the Venice Biennale.

  We are proud to partner with Architecture Film Festival London in welcoming Japanese artists to the programme line-up of the festival this June. Exploring film and installation performance pieces that create architecture out of light, projection, and film, Capsule #3 titled Temporal Architecture Sculpted in Time will include films and videos that showcase Japanese visual, sound and spatial artists such as Shiro Takatani and Dumb Type.   Temporal Architecture Sculpted in Light Existing between the real and the imagined, the architecture of space and time created by film allows us to temporarily inhabit non-existent worlds. Intently constructed to be experienced through multiple senses, it deconstructs the space it inhabits and reconstructs an alternative space to be experienced. Manifested in a range of forms, either being passively observed or actively engaged with, this temporal, imaginary architecture is built out of light, projection, film and data. This capsule will explore film and installation performance pieces that create architecture out of light, projection, and film. It will examine non-physical imaginary spaces which sit between virtual 3D systems and physical architectural spaces. By looking at temporal art pieces that are intended to be observed and experienced in the present and in person, this programme aims to investigate / explore architecture that has been created and enhanced with the medium of film.   Shiro Takatani, Between Nature and Technology Giulio Boato, Canada, 2019, 52′ Across Europe and Japan, this film covers over three decades of Shiro Takatani’s artistic journey through his installations, theatre and dance performances. Takatani and his collaborators (including composer Ryuichi Sakamoto) explain the driving principles behind his work where nature and people are observed through modern tools. Takatani uses technology to improve our understanding of our environment: enhancing infinitely small organisms, showing large scale galaxies, creating an interaction between performers / dancers with cameras and large screens. Carefully selected performances and installations – remarkably filmed – demonstrate the evolution of his work.   2020 Dumb Type – Members: Takayuki Fujimoto, Ken Furudate, Satoshi Hama, Marihiko Hara, Yuko Hirai, Ryoji Ikeda, Nobuaki Oshika, So Ozaki, Ryo Shiraki, Norico Sunayama, Shiro Takatani, Yoko Takatani, Mayumi Tanaka, Hiromasa Tomari, Misako Yabuuchi, Aoi Yamada, Toru Yamanaka, Yukiko Yoshimoto, Japan, 2020, 57′ Under the direction of Shiro Takatani who was one of the founding members, this work is the first to be presented since Voyage (2002) 18 years ago.        

  It is probably not an overstatement to say that many view the films produced by Studio Ghibli to be the gateway for the Japanese animation craze gaining traction across the globe. Easily accessible in foreign countries and boasting universally engaging and uplifting storylines, works like Spirited Away or My Neighbour Totoro directed by Hayao MIYAZAKI have become household names worldwide. However, the contributions of the other creative giant for Studio Ghibli, Isao TAKAHATA, have sometimes slipped under the radar; in particular those works with storylines which cannot necessarily be classed as fantasy or family friendly. One such film is Grave of the Fireflies, directed by TAKAHATA and based on an autobiographical story by NOSAKA Akiyuki. The film follows two Japanese children orphaned by a catastrophic air raid in Kobe, portraying their struggle to survive the last days of the Second World War with an unflinching realism rarely seen in animation. But why has this film been left out of the frenzied consumption of Studio Ghibli’s works? In conjunction with the release of the first book-length study of the film in English, Grave of the Fireflies (BFI Film Classics) in May, we invite the author, Alex Dudok de Wit, a journalist with expertise on Japanese anime, to explore his findings and the significance of this title. With critical analysis contextualised by the film’s production background, he will focus on Isao TAKAHATA’s contribution to the animation genre, moving away from the more common spotlight on Hayao MIYAZAKI’s work. His presentation, which will include live reading of short passages from the book, will be followed by a conversation with Dr YOSHIOKA Shiro, lecturer in Japanese Studies at Newcastle University, who specialises in MIYAZAKI and Studio Ghibli’s animation.   ‘Grave of the Fireflies’ by Alex Dudok de Wit will be published by Bloomsbury on 6 May (ISBN 9781838719241) as part of the BFI Film Classics series. The attendees of this event will receive a special discount code for purchasing their own copy.   About the guest speakers Alex Dudok de Wit is a journalist who writes chiefly about the art and business of animation. He is the Associate Editor at Cartoon Brew, the most widely read animation news site, and an animation correspondent for Sight & Sound, the magazine of the British Film Institute. His writing has also appeared on the BBC and in Vulture, Little White Lies, The Telegraph, The i, The Independent, Time Out, and Index on Censorship. His first book, Grave of the Fireflies (BFI Film Classics), was published by Bloomsbury on May 6. YOSHIOKA Shiro is lecturer in Japanese Studies of Newcastle University. His main research interest is Japanese popular culture, especially anime. He has published articles and book chapters on Ghibli, Miyazaki and Takahata in English and Japanese, and is currently working on a monograph on Miyazaki, which overviews his life and career focusing on how he came to be seen as an auteur and quasi-intellectual. Besides Miyazaki and Ghibli, recently he is interested in how fans experience anime beyond the texts in various ways such as ‘pilgrimage’ to the locales.     Please note that this will be an Online Event held on Zoom.   This online event is free to attend but registration is essential. To reserve your space, please book your ticket here