INDEX
Focusing on Artistic Purity Over Accessibility
The only bright room in the venue is the “Ryuichi Sakamoto Archive.” This valuable section offers insights into the core philosophies, ideas, and historical context behind Sakamoto’s works. Of particular interest are the handwritten notes by Sakamoto displayed in glass cases. These fragments of thought, written in short phrases, can be interpreted as both a “notebook of ideas” and perhaps even as cries from the heart (or poems?).
The related materials for the opera LIFE, displayed on the bookshelves, are also very intriguing. Among them, a meeting memo from eight months before the opening, likely created for those involved in the production, is particularly interesting. It states, “If the storyline is hard to follow, insert a concise explanation by a narrator and supplement with booklets or other materials.” At this point, it was already declared that the purity of the work itself would be prioritized over ease of understanding for the general audience. The memo continues: “The important thing is to convey a vision that cannot be expressed in words through a comprehensive expression of sound and imagery.” I felt that the same mindset permeated this exhibition as well.
