The Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM) kicks off its 10th anniversary festival on the 6th of this month. The first period runs from July 6th to September 1st, and the second period runs from November 1st to December 1st. Various events and performances are scheduled throughout the festival. German composer Heiner Goebbels' "Stifters Dinge" (advance tickets: ¥4,000, same-day tickets: ¥4,500) will be performed for the first time in Japan. Inspired by a novel by 19th-century author Adalbert Stifter, this work features five pianos and a variety of objects (dinge)—light, sound, voice, fog—controlled and transformed by human hands and machines. Performances will begin at 7:00 PM each day for three days, from July 13th to 15th. A free pre-lecture by German theater critic Morihiro Niino will be held at 3:00 PM on the first day.
"Korogaru Park," which was exhibited at YCAM last year and proved popular with children, has been transformed into a semi-outdoor pavilion called the "Korogaru Pavilion" by the architectural unit "assistant," and will be on display from the 26th of this month to December 1st. Various media devices, such as speakers, microphones, and LED lighting, are embedded into the undulating floor, creating opportunities for children to think about the connection between their bodies and media. Meetings for elementary and junior high school students will be held on August 18th and September 16th. Successful ideas will be added as new features to the pavilion.
"THE OPENING LIVE CONCERT," featuring Ryuichi Sakamoto, is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM on the 26th (advance tickets: ¥6,000, same-day tickets: ¥6,500). Participants include Koji Ueno, who provided music for a video competition for a fictional film score; New York-based sound artist Taylor Deupree; and the musical unit ILLUHA. The installation "Forest Symphony," also a collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto, will run from the 26th of this month until December 1st. Sakamoto, who has developed a deep interest in forests since the Great East Japan Earthquake, created Forest Symphony, and this project will further develop it by converting the bioelectric potential flowing from trees into music. The toolkit for capturing the electrical potential from trees will be released as open source. Additionally, YCAM has teamed up with Naohiro Ukawa's live streaming studio DOMMUNE to set up locations called "YCAM DOMMUNE" throughout the city during the first and second phases of the project. By screening archived content previously distributed only online, the project aims to reexamine the meaning of place in a post-Internet era. A live event will also be held on the 27th of this month from 8pm (advance tickets: 5,000 yen for general admission, 5,500 yen on the day).
The Yamaguchi Mini Maker Faire will be held on August 10th and 11th at Studio A and Yamaguchi City Central Park. This event, which began in the US in 2006 as a venue for DIY individuals and organizations to showcase their work and has since been held in over 60 countries around the world, will be held in Western Japan for the first time. The ideas of the makers who gather at YCAM will be shared with the world, and children will also be able to participate in collaboration with the educational outreach program. Other events planned include a participatory outdoor project by physical artist contact Gonzo (August 24th to 26th), the international group exhibition "art and collective intelligence" (July 6th to September 29th), the "YCAM Summer School" workshop (July 20th to September 29th), the annual "Midsummer Night's Starry Sky Screening" event, where you can enjoy movies on the lawn (August 9th to 11th, starting at 7:30pm each day), and the "YCAM Loud Screening," where you can watch movies at full volume (August 23rd to 25th, screening times to be determined).
【Exhibition Information】
Ycome 10th Anniversary Festival
Venue: Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media
Address: 7-7 Nakazono-cho, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Dates: July 6th to September 1st, 2013 (1st period), November 1st to December 1st (2nd period)
Hours: 10:00 to 19:00 (excluding live performances and events)
Closed: Tuesdays
Free admission (paid events and live performances available)
