Part 1: Kato Kuniko x Kuroda Ikuyo x Takagi Yuriko The music for Part 1 is by Reich. "His music is dynamic. With African rhythms at its core, it's well-suited for percussion and has the strength to be repeated over and over," says Kato. The sound of the marimba vibrates through the listener's body. It's direct and powerful, with a lingering, graceful tone. A stepladder, probably about two meters high, is placed at the left side of the stage, with Takagi sitting on top. Kuroda's performance evokes the atmosphere of an ancient forest, as if staring directly at human life. Clad in a blue costume, she seems to be searching for something. The sounds of her feet hitting the floor, her breathing. At times, her intense movements are poignant. "I think Kuniko's sound is from ancient times. Each note accumulates and then overdrives." For the purposes of the performance, Kuroda has Takagi act as a witness. "In the work, there are things that have been cut out from the past, and life is sealed away. The feeling that this has been witnessed and that evidence is here resonates with the body, and is projected onto the body, so I have received a lot."
Kuroda's costume is a new model from "132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE" called "DELTA," made of blue fabric with blue foil embossed. When worn, the foil scatters, revealing numerous large triangles. Kuroda expanded her imagination from this outfit as well. "The fact that the costume is folded into a triangle as a material gives me an image. The costume guided me in many ways, such as using a stepladder or creating triangular movement paths." Meanwhile, before the performance, Kato revealed that she was struggling with her costume. "It's like a second skin, so I want to get used to it. Working with a costume means figuring out how to use the parts that restrict movement to your advantage. As you use them to your advantage, the costume will begin to melt away. I want to get to that point."
If Part 1 was a world of "movement" where each individual sound was expressed, the pulse of the body, then Part 2 could be described as a world of "stillness" where sounds are elegantly connected. Kato describes Pärt's music as "quiet, very simple sounds, each one truly woven together. There is harmony and melody within the larger flow." One thing that can be said about both composers is that "the worldview created by the tones and music is truly vast, reaching a cosmic dimension."
■Part 2 Kuniko Kato x Megumi Nakamura x Yuriko Takagi
For Nakamura, Pärt is "someone who, after a long silence, returned to the faith of the church where he was born, and is filled with very simple yet very profound music." The simple, repetitive music inspired Nakamura to imagine "something being sublimated through the daily repetition, like a daily lesson, like a spiral staircase, building up or descending, but I'm not sure what that feeling is."
A costume folded on stage, resembling a spiral of overlapping triangles, overlaps with this image. It is the new No. 11 from "132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE." It was not made specifically for the costume; it was the same as the clothing sold in stores, completely untouched.
A flat costume with a triangular motif. I pick it up. There's a sense of exhilaration as something new begins. To borrow Takagi's words, Nakamura's movements are "extremely elegant, even though he's standing on the ground." The word "transition" comes to mind. "Life" shifts emotionally. A sense of nothingness, yet a dense emotion gradually fills the space. Nakamura's repetitive religious imagery evoked a certain thought. "People wage political wars over religion. Beliefs lead to conflict. Great suffering arises from clinging to a repetition of what one has done. There are many tragic events, and I wanted to create a performance in which the music resonates as a form of requiem for those unable to escape or caught up in them." He said he created the piece with the hope of conveying a message of peace. Dance is also connected to prayer. The brilliance of the pink gold foil stamped on the black background further emphasized this thought.
The concept of this project is a collaboration between music and various genres of art. Kato feels the dancers, and the dancers feel the music and the atmosphere, while Takagi captures that moment, and the dancers are in turn moved by this captured "past."
The sound of the marimba is like an echo from ancient times. Along with the inert sound of a shutter, Takagi captures the dancers' bodies and expressions. While these images relate to the present, they remain unfamiliar to the viewer. A mysterious sensation emerges, as if Kandinsky's abstract world were intertwined with Hodler's depictions of body and rhythm. This complex collaboration, incorporating many elements, is truly experimental. Furthermore, there was no director. It was created by everyone working together. Nakamura commented on the project, "Dancers cannot objectively view themselves dancing. When I saw Takagi's photographs, they touched me deeply, and even though they were my own images, they became something that really touched me, and it was fascinating to see the feedback that occurred from that." Kuroda also explained the significance of collaboration: "First, I seek to become zero. That's something I don't do in my own work. From a state of zero, my body becomes bigger, and I'm filled with the goodness of others. I realize that's what I wanted." The performers acknowledged that new discoveries—and thus creativity—can emerge from the constraints of collaboration.
Collaboration is only successful if each part, including the performers and their supporting team, is "precisely present" in the work. Furthermore, this is not a static piece, but performance art. Yet its dynamic nature allows the performers' keen sensibilities to interact in multiple ways. Furthermore, "132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE" existed more as an element than as a costume. I was able to discover the potential of these garments, which "co-starred" beautifully with the dancers.
This performance even incorporated the breathing of the audience, who perceived the collaboration, creating a spatial piece that filled the venue. I applaud this courageous initiative. And above all, I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt proud of the top-notch female performers who more than lived up to the project's promise.
Kuroda's costume is a new model from "132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE" called "DELTA," made of blue fabric with blue foil embossed. When worn, the foil scatters, revealing numerous large triangles. Kuroda expanded her imagination from this outfit as well. "The fact that the costume is folded into a triangle as a material gives me an image. The costume guided me in many ways, such as using a stepladder or creating triangular movement paths." Meanwhile, before the performance, Kato revealed that she was struggling with her costume. "It's like a second skin, so I want to get used to it. Working with a costume means figuring out how to use the parts that restrict movement to your advantage. As you use them to your advantage, the costume will begin to melt away. I want to get to that point."
If Part 1 was a world of "movement" where each individual sound was expressed, the pulse of the body, then Part 2 could be described as a world of "stillness" where sounds are elegantly connected. Kato describes Pärt's music as "quiet, very simple sounds, each one truly woven together. There is harmony and melody within the larger flow." One thing that can be said about both composers is that "the worldview created by the tones and music is truly vast, reaching a cosmic dimension."
■Part 2 Kuniko Kato x Megumi Nakamura x Yuriko Takagi
For Nakamura, Pärt is "someone who, after a long silence, returned to the faith of the church where he was born, and is filled with very simple yet very profound music." The simple, repetitive music inspired Nakamura to imagine "something being sublimated through the daily repetition, like a daily lesson, like a spiral staircase, building up or descending, but I'm not sure what that feeling is."
A costume folded on stage, resembling a spiral of overlapping triangles, overlaps with this image. It is the new No. 11 from "132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE." It was not made specifically for the costume; it was the same as the clothing sold in stores, completely untouched.
A flat costume with a triangular motif. I pick it up. There's a sense of exhilaration as something new begins. To borrow Takagi's words, Nakamura's movements are "extremely elegant, even though he's standing on the ground." The word "transition" comes to mind. "Life" shifts emotionally. A sense of nothingness, yet a dense emotion gradually fills the space. Nakamura's repetitive religious imagery evoked a certain thought. "People wage political wars over religion. Beliefs lead to conflict. Great suffering arises from clinging to a repetition of what one has done. There are many tragic events, and I wanted to create a performance in which the music resonates as a form of requiem for those unable to escape or caught up in them." He said he created the piece with the hope of conveying a message of peace. Dance is also connected to prayer. The brilliance of the pink gold foil stamped on the black background further emphasized this thought.
The concept of this project is a collaboration between music and various genres of art. Kato feels the dancers, and the dancers feel the music and the atmosphere, while Takagi captures that moment, and the dancers are in turn moved by this captured "past."
The sound of the marimba is like an echo from ancient times. Along with the inert sound of a shutter, Takagi captures the dancers' bodies and expressions. While these images relate to the present, they remain unfamiliar to the viewer. A mysterious sensation emerges, as if Kandinsky's abstract world were intertwined with Hodler's depictions of body and rhythm. This complex collaboration, incorporating many elements, is truly experimental. Furthermore, there was no director. It was created by everyone working together. Nakamura commented on the project, "Dancers cannot objectively view themselves dancing. When I saw Takagi's photographs, they touched me deeply, and even though they were my own images, they became something that really touched me, and it was fascinating to see the feedback that occurred from that." Kuroda also explained the significance of collaboration: "First, I seek to become zero. That's something I don't do in my own work. From a state of zero, my body becomes bigger, and I'm filled with the goodness of others. I realize that's what I wanted." The performers acknowledged that new discoveries—and thus creativity—can emerge from the constraints of collaboration.
Collaboration is only successful if each part, including the performers and their supporting team, is "precisely present" in the work. Furthermore, this is not a static piece, but performance art. Yet its dynamic nature allows the performers' keen sensibilities to interact in multiple ways. Furthermore, "132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE" existed more as an element than as a costume. I was able to discover the potential of these garments, which "co-starred" beautifully with the dancers.
This performance even incorporated the breathing of the audience, who perceived the collaboration, creating a spatial piece that filled the venue. I applaud this courageous initiative. And above all, I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt proud of the top-notch female performers who more than lived up to the project's promise.
