The event “Electromagnetic Cyber Bon Odori in SusHi Tech Square,” organized by Electronics Fantasticos!, will be held on Sunday, August 25, at SusHi Tech Square in Yurakucho, Tokyo.
Electronics Fantasticos! is a participatory art project that revives old electronic appliances into new musical instruments, gradually forming an orchestra through performances held across Japan. At this event, in addition to Electronics Fantasticos!, performers include Yūichi Kishino, Cyber Okan, DJ Robotics, and Nyantoko, all of whom will present performances themed around “Electromagnetic Bon Odori.”
Admission is free, and applications are open until Saturday, August 24, with a limit of 200 participants on a first-come, first-served basis.
Electromagnetic Cyber Bon Odori in SusHi Tech Square
2024/8/25 (Sun) 15:30 – 17:30
Venue: SusHi Tech Square 1st Floor Space (3-8-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Led by artist Ei Wada, Electronics Fantasticos! is a project that revives old electronic appliances into new musical instruments through collaborative creativity. The project is gradually forming an orchestra, with activities expanding to five cities in Japan and an online lab, engaging nearly 100 members in this participatory art initiative. They have transformed various household electronics, such as CRT TVs, fans, ventilation fans, video cameras, air conditioners, and telephones, into instruments. Through innovative reinterpretation of the original functions of these appliances, they create “electromagnetic folk music” and its associated festivals, weaving a daily fantasy from outdated technology.
Yūichi Kishino teaches at the Graduate School of Film and New Media at Tokyo University of the Arts, among other institutions. He refers to himself as a “studyist” (勉強家) to encompass his diverse activities, which include music units such as “Hige no Widow” and “Watt’s Towers.” Known for creating innovative spaces, he organizes DJ events in unconventional venues like public baths, convenience stores, and Bon Odori festivals. In 2015, he received the Grand Prize in the Entertainment category at the 19th Japan Media Arts Festival for his work The Right Way to Count Numbers. In 2017, he served as the artistic director for the “Totto Shopping Street” project, a collaboration between the Sapporo Snow Festival and the Sapporo International Art Festival 2017.
Born in Nakakawachi, Osaka, and currently based in Neo-Saitama. Cyber Okan is a cyber artist known for creating the world’s first wearable neon made from real glass tubes bent into shape. They are transforming Japan with this unique cyber style. Cyber Okan is available for DJ bookings and also performs with the unit Cyber Okan with Denno Kaikan, which features two DJs and two pachinko microphones. ⚡️⚡️🎤🐍
DJ Robotics creates opportunities for encountering humanoid robots through entertainment, focusing on selection AI technology and advanced robotic hand techniques. In addition to control software, the system includes an AI that selects music based on audience reactions and feedback. This AI technology allows for the quantification of audience behavior and the evaluation of performances by artists and festivals.
Nyantoko is a duo consisting of Saito Pon and Suu. They are illustrators and performers in the traditional art of “Banzai” (a celebratory chant) with a focus on “Akita Banzai.” Their work includes illustrations for advertisements, books, packaging, and merchandise. They also oversee self-planned projects, such as Norabon and Folk Song Record Listening Party: Kai-Reco, participate in various events, and supervise the release of folk song CDs. They actively explore and document festivals, Bon Odori, and folk performances across different regions. Based in Tokyo.
Chochin Lighting Direction: Dai Bon Odori Kai (DAIBON)
Electromagnetic Bon Odori
Drawn by the nostalgic festival music played by old electronic devices, you find yourself arriving at a Bon Odori venue. This modern interpretation of Bon Odori, originally a ritual to honor the dead, has been expanded to celebrate the modern, indispensable element of “electricity” alongside the traditional elements of fire, water, earth, and wind. This is what we call “Electromagnetic Bon Odori,” and it is being held in various locations.
By integrating contemporary technology with the historic Japanese folk art of Bon Odori, a space-time where electricity, magnetism, and humans interact emerges, characterized by indigenous rhythms and vibrant dances.
