Roppongi Art Night 2016, an art festival set in the district of Roppongi, will be held from October 21st to 23rd.
As children, we would turn parks and vacant lots into our own playgrounds, playing and losing track of time. There were many encounters with new things and people. This year's Art Night, based on the theme "Roppongi, Art Playground - Spin, Run, Try It Out," will bring together a diverse range of people around art, participating in the event and reviving memories of innocent times that have been forgotten in everyday life. This event allows visitors to see, hear, touch, and experience art with their own eyes, enjoying a "real" experience that is both old and new. The main visuals that express this theme were designed by groovisions.
The main program artist is Kohei Nawa, a contemporary artist who has been highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad. Nishihata Seijun, a plant hunter who travels the world in pursuit of rare plants, has teamed up with Daisy Balloon, the balloon unit consisting of Hosogai Rie and Kawata Takashi, who have been acclaimed for their bold ideas that completely overturn conventional notions of balloons, to present a program based on the concept of "welcoming the dawn of culture in the 'forest' of Roppongi." The program will be held at three locations: Roppongi Hills Arena, the National Art Center, Tokyo, and Tokyo Midtown.
In addition, a variety of art programs will be held throughout the Roppongi area. This year, France-based spectacular performance group Company des Quidams, which is active internationally and also made a debut in 2010, will be returning to Japan for their new work "FierS a Cheval ~ Proud Horse," in which performers in strange white costumes transform into shining horses accompanied by a symphony evoking the image of space and the sound of horse neighing. "Tokyo Caravan," conceived by Hideki Noda as a leading project for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to spearhead the cultural program for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, will bring a cultural circus born from encounters he had during workshops in Rio, Miyagi, and Fukushima to the main stage of Roppongi Hills Arena. Other projects include a new work by Tsai Kuenlin, who creates works using resin pipes and wood, engaging viewers in the process of engaging with issues he cares about, and "Takoyaki Sequencer," which transforms the process of takoyaki being cooked in a takoyaki pan into music. Last year's highly acclaimed "Roppongi Art Night Switch," a 3- to 30-second happening performance in which something happens when a "switch" is pressed, will be held again this year. The momentary "theatrical performances" initiated by switches installed in various locations, including shops and facilities in Roppongi, are enjoyable for people of all ages and genders.
[Event Information]
"Roppongi Art Night 2016"
Venue: Roppongi Hills, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo Midtown, Suntory Museum of Art, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Roppongi Shopping Arcade, and other cooperating facilities and public spaces in the Roppongi area
Date and Time: October 21st 17:30 - October 23rd 6:00
Admission is free
