From Japan straight out to the world: the web site for news and information

“Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13”
Overview of the 12 Selected Projects Revealed – Starting from September 2019 –

Tokyo (September 26, 2019) - The selected projects from the Public Call for Project Proposals for the Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL, organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture), has started in September 2019.
The latest information on twelve out of the thirteen projects, with one remaining secret, is now being released to the public. The new collective title for the thirteen projects - “Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13” - has also been announced. This title is intended to represent the specialness of the thirteen projects selected out of a total of 2,436 proposals submitted from Japan and overseas. Another aim is that it is easy for everyone to remember – from the citizens of Tokyo as well as across the country, and non-Japanese from overseas. Everyone will be able to associate “Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13” with these special proposals.   

This is the Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL’s key cultural initiative to foster a sense of excitement from a cultural perspective. The thirteen selected proposals cross various genres, and are filled with originality and a challenging spirit to unlock the future.  The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture), will present cultural programs at various locations in Tokyo leading up to the summer of 2020. Everyone can look forward to this array of special cultural programs that can only be experienced in Tokyo, where the atmosphere is steadily ramping up with less than one year to go before the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

【Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13】 (listed in Japanese alphabetical order)

■ Project name: “The Constant Gardeners” | Project proposed by Jason Bruges Studio (UK)
Date: Summer 2020 | Venue: Ueno Park | Supported by British Council A reconstruction of the history of Japanese culture and art in a Japanese Zen Garden through an international lens, expressed by utilizing robotics. A shape-shifting Japanese garden will be created using robotic arm movements that capture the motions of athletes. The project showcases an installation integrating robotics, Japanese garden culture, and sports with Ueno Park as its stage.

■ Project name: “SUMIDA RIVER | Storm and Urge” | Project proposed by NPO TOPPING EAST
Date: “Spring” mid-April 2020 and “Summer” mid-August 2020
Artists: KOM_I, Shuta Hasunuma and others
An interactive music and art festival presented along the Sumida River, which is used as a huge stage, bringing together a great collective of people. Japan’s leading artists will showcase music, performances, and installations in two seasons: “Spring” and “Summer.” Looking back to the golden age of the Edo Period 200 years ago and paying respect to the long history of this district, this project will portray people intensively intermingling through artistic performances.       

■ Project name: “World Performing Arts Festival 2020” | Project proposed by Japan Folk Performing Arts Association
Date: Saturday, April 18 & Sunday, April 19, 2020
Venue: Open-Air Concert Hall and Small Concert Hall, Hibiya Park A festival that brings together intangible cultural heritage from across the globe. Gathering traditional culture and performing arts that have been passed down through generations in various parts of the world, this project will seek to communicate the significance of cultural diversity and coexistence through intercommunication, helping to ensure that culture is passed on to future generations. Performers from five continents have been invited to showcase their heritage, including “Seto Polyphonic Singing Tradition” (the Republic of Estonia), “Dance and Music of the Garifuna” (the Republic of Honduras), “Ethiopians Ethnic Performing Arts” (the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia), “Saman, Traditional Dance of the Gayo” (the Republic of Indonesia), “The Yak Dance of Eastern Bhutan” (the Kingdom of Bhutan), and “Lakalaka, Dances and Sung Speeches of Tonga” (the Kingdom of Tonga). In addition, as performing arts from Japan’s Tohoku region, “Shishi-Odori (Deer Dance)” (Iwate Prefecture), “Akiu no Taue Odori” (Miyagi Prefecture), and “Jangara Nembutsu-odori” (Fukushima Prefecture) have been invited to represent the project’s sincere wishes for the recovery of Tohoku from the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster, as well as to convey the value of intangible cultural heritage.
* The invited performances listed are tentative.

■ Project name: “DANCE TRUCK TOKYO” | Project proposed by JAPAN DANCE TRUCK ASSOCIATION
Date: From Thursday, September 5, 2019 through August, 2020
Venues: Tokyo metropolitan area, Tama-area, and Tokyo island-area “DANCE TRUCK” refers to a truck specially made for mobile dance performances using cargo spaces of delivery trucks as a stage. This project will offer mobile dance performances as they travel to 15 locations throughout Tokyo including the Tokyo metropolitan area, Tama-area, and Tokyo island-area. Many cutting-edge artists from a wide range of fields will participate. Minimized space within the solar powered truck will transform into a stage integrated with body, sound, and music, and the performances resonating with the surroundings will drastically change the familiar cityscape.

■ Project name: “TOKYO SENTO Festival 2020”
Project proposed by TOKYO SENTO Festival 2020 Executive Committee
Date: From spring, 2020 
Venue: Sento in Tokyo                                                                                 
A project turning “sento” - Japanese public bathhouses - into a stage that will showcase Japan’s art scene and forge links between people to foster a sense of excitement ahead for the year of 2020. It will involve Japan’s leading artists, including manga and graphic artists, to create the coolest art in the capital’s hottest setting! With Japan’s traditional sento culture as the backdrop, this project will showcase the freshest voices in Japanese arts and culture to the world and cultivate heartwarming exchanges between individuals.

■ Project name: “TOKYO REAL UNDERGROUND” | Project proposed by NPO Dance Archive Network
Date: from April to June, 2020
An experimental art festival staged in Tokyo’s underground spaces. The programs will explore “underground” through its historical time and space and showcase programs rich in diversity and an element of surprise. With Butoh, which arose after the World War II in Japan and spread on a global scale at its core, this project will replay the various art expressions influenced by Butoh in the modern underground spaces.     

■ Project name: “Pavilion Tokyo 2020” | Project proposed by Pavilion Tokyo 2020 Executive Committee
Date: From Saturday, June 6, 2020 to Friday, September 13, 2020 Participating architects and artist: Terunobu Fujimori, Kazuyo Sejima, Sou Fujimoto, Junya Ishigami, Akihisa Hirata, Teppei Fujiwara, Makoto Aida Six world-renowned Japanese architects and one artist will each design a one-of-a-kind pavilion showcasing the future architectural designs and art. The pavilions will be located within a 3km radius of the New National Stadium. Visitors will be able to walk around the area with a map to experience the pavilions on their own.

■ Project name: “The Speed of Light” | Project proposed by Marco Canale (Argentina)
Date: From May to June, 2020
A theatrical project directed by Marco Canale, a theater and a film director from Argentina. He will conduct some research in Tokyo and build up this play based on interviews with elderly people living there, focusing on their memories and experiences as well as the history which ties them to Tokyo. The project will be developed centering on the theatrical performance which will be performed by local seniors, and complemented with short videos and a documentary movie to spotlight Tokyo from various angles and allow audiences to imagine its future. In addition, a workshop　(introduction to the project & experiencing drama) for senior citizens living in Tokyo will be held by Marco Canale in September 2019.　    

■ Project name: “After-school Diversity Dance” | Project proposed by ADD Executive Committee
Date: From September, 2019 to August, 2020 | Venues: Kunitachi-shi, Hinode-machi and other A social inclusion dance program for children with local communities interacting through dancing that transcends age, gender, nationality, and physical differences. Workshops will be held by professional dancers such as Koharu Sugawara and Osamu Jareo, as well as local dance advocates. The children themselves will work on the choreography so the joy of “creating” is passed on.

■ Project name: “masayume” | Project proposed by目 [mé]
Date: Summer 2020
 “masayume” is an art project by 目 [mé], a contemporary art team that called for applications from across the globe to choose the one person whose face will become a huge image hovering in the sky above Tokyo in 2020. The call for “face” took place between the end of March and June of 2019, and resulted in a total of over 1,400 applicants around the world. The interactive public “Face Meeting” conducted in June for selection attracted over 3,400 participants including live-stream viewers. The selected “face” will be transformed into a three-dimensional object flying across the Tokyo sky in the summer of 2020.   

■ Project name: Exhibition of MANGA “What if Tokyo”
Project proposed by Exhibition of MANGA “What if Tokyo” Executive Committee 

Date: Summer 2020 | Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo In this exhibition, leading Japanese manga artists depict their own original visions of Tokyo on the theme of “What if Tokyo.” 

■ Project name: “Light and Sound Installation “Coded Field” | Project proposed by Rhizomatiks
Date: Saturday, November 16, 2019 | Venue: Zojoji (Jodo-shu Buddhist temple) and other
A new urban public art project with installations of light and sound, utilizing cutting-edge media and communication technology. The live performance and the light and sound of the devices held by the audience will fully synchronize through highly accurate location technology, enabling an unprecedented hands-on interactive experience.     

*All project names and details are subject to change.

Details of the Projects to Take Place in 2019

Two projects from “Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13” have started in September 2019. With less than one year to go until the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, there is excitement in the air with the focus on sports, so these projects will also bring a cultural aspect to this excitement in Tokyo.

DANCE TRUCK TOKYO

“DANCE TRUCK TOKYO” is a night performance event using cargo spaces of delivery trucks parked in outdoor public spaces to showcase short dances in sequence by cutting-edge artists such as renowned Japanese contemporary dancers. The performances are planned in 15 areas including the Tokyo metropolitan area, Tama-area, and Tokyo island-area from September 2019 throughout the summer of 2020. The 2019 performances will be held in the following five locations. The kickoff performance in Shinjuku and the second performance in Adachi Wholesale Market were held in September. The next performance will take place along the banks of the Tamagawa river in Komae as follows.

<Komae Performance Details>
“DANCE TRUCK TOKYO” in Komae will be held along the bank of the Tamagawa which flows across the bedroom suburbs of Tokyo. The bank is an oasis for people. Family-friendly programs will be held. Ground sheets and portable chairs will be allowed to bring in.
Date & Time: Saturday, October 12, 2019, 6:00pm-8:00pm
Venue: Komae: Tamagawa River Bank
Admission: Free (advance reservations not required), standing only
*The event will be held rain or shine but in the case of stormy weather, it may be cancelled. Please check the official website (http://dance-truck.jp/tokyo/) for any notification of cancellation.   

<Other Performances in 2019>   *Please refer to the official website for details of each performance.
Shibuya: Vacant lot in Udagawa-cho
Saturday and Sunday, October 26, 27, 2019, 6:00pm-8:00pm                                                                                       

Fuchu: Keyaki Namiki Road 

Monday (public holiday), November 4, 2019, 4:30pm-6:00pm

 

Light and Sound Installation “Coded Field”

Using Zojoji Temple and its surroundings located in the historical and traditional Shiba district in Tokyo’s Minato Ward as its stage, this interactive public art project will connect reality with virtual reality on a real-time basis, using innovative ideas and advanced technology that will resonate with visitors. By having the participants hold the balloon-shaped devices developed independently by the Rhizomatiks, the level of freedom in movement will expand dramatically. The devices enable the transformative installation and live performances to interact with the audience. Through this new experience where the participants themselves can be part of the art, they will freely revisit the past and present of Tokyo, and dream about the future.         

<Performance Details>
Date & Time: Saturday, November 16, 2019 6:00pm-9:00pm (tentative)
Venue: Zojoji (Jodo-shu Buddhist temple) and other

Official website: https://coded-field.tokyo/
*Further details including the application method will be announced later.     

About Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL
Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL is an initiative that will see a variety of cultural programs unfold in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, promoting Tokyo’s appeal as a city of arts and culture.

About Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Arts Council Tokyo sought a wide range of creative and innovative ideas from the public for projects that would become the core of the cultural programs for the Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL.
From a total of 2,436 project proposals submitted from within Japan and overseas, 13 were selected for implementation. The 13 projects will be collectively named “Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13,” and will be implemented in sequence towards 2020, when the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be held.
Official website: https://ttf-koubo.jp/

For inquiries about this project
Public Call for Project Proposals Office for Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL
TEL:03-6256-9921
E-mail:info@ttf-koubo.jp

<Media Contact>
Sachi Maruo | Rika Konno
PR Office for Public Call for Project Proposals for Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL TEL : 080-9500-4782 | 070-6478-7121
E-mail: ttf-solaris@solarispace.com