Upcoming Live Performances at nowJapan 2018 in Vilnius, Lithuania
I’m excited to announce my upcoming conceptual live calligraphy performances at nowJapan 2018, the largest Japanese cultural festival in the Baltic region, in Vilnius, Lithuania on September 8th – 9th, 2018.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary of the festival and 100 years anniversary of the independence of Lithuania this year, nowJapan will take place in the central part of Vilnius – The Old Town, the UNESCO-inscribed one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in Northern Europe. The cobble stones, narrow streets, old palaces, countless churches in Baroque architecture — It has been inspiring to explore the city, learn the history, feel the culture here in Lithuania and I am excited and very curious see how the modern and traditional Japanese culture is be celebrated with people in the Baltic States in this historical part of the Vilnius.
I will be performing with dancers from Dance Theater PADI DAPI Fish, a Lithuanian contemporary dance company based in Klaipėda, accompanied by Marius Sakavičius, Vilnius-based cellist, and original sound composition by Corey Fuller, Tokyo-based sound artist on both days, on September 8th and 9th at Vilniaus Rotušė (Vilnius Town Hall). This performance will be an unique collaboration of Japanese calligraphy, Lithuanian contemporary dancers and music, celebrating the cultural heritage and its evolution in modern society. Inspired by the idea of independence, this collaborative performance explores the stages of our lives to search for “self” in three segments: journeys through the past, the present, and the awakening. Through the collaborative process, I aim to seek and learn how the idea of individual, community, society, and country differs from one another, and shares the similar value with one another, and to transform this cultural discourse into an artistic expression.
I will also be giving a talk about Japanese calligraphy and my creative process on Saturday at Philharmonic Hall, and teaching calligraphy workshop on Sunday at Town Hall.
SCHEDULE
Saturday, September 8
13:00-13:20 Performance (Vilniaus Rotušė):
Aoi Yamaguchi x PADI DAPI Fish, Marius Sakavičius, Corey Fuller
16:00-16:45 Keynote Presentation (Philharmonic Hall)
Sunday, September 9
14:00-14:20 Performance (Philharmonic Hall):
Aoi Yamaguchi x PADI DAPI Fish, Marius Sakavičius, Corey Fuller
15:30-17:00 Calligraphy Workshop (Rotušė: Kamerinė salė #1)
ARTISTS
Dance company “PADI DAPI Fish” contemporary dance
Dance company “PADI DAPI Fish” – theater professionals working in the contemporary dance field creating dance and music performances, immersive theater, site-specific performances, promenade performances, dance education projects and theater laboratories. The highest professional theater scene awards winners, who have been working as a company in Klaipėda for six years expanded their geography to many countries abroad. We speak the universal language of dance, unrestricted by any censorship or political, cultural, ethnic, religious or social boundaries.
Marius Sakavičius cello, improvisation
Marius Dominykas Sakavičius was born in 1994, graduated National M. K. Čiurlionis school of arts cello speciality in teachers‘ Romanas Armonas class. He is currently studying third course of bachelor in Vytautas Magnus University Music Academy in lectors‘ Ramutė Kalnėnaitė class. Marius has won prized places in various national Lithuanian and international competitions, played as a soloist with St. Christopher chamber orchestra, National M. K. Čiurlionis school of arts symphonic orchestra, West Bohemian symphonic orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra Hradec Králove. He has worked on some projects on pop stage, and also performed with Dance Company “PADI DAPI Fish.” The young cellist likes to play electric base, improvise and compose music.
Corey Fuller original sound composition
Born in the US and raised in Japan, Corey Fuller is a musician and multimedia artist from Tokyo, Japan. Growing up between several different cultures and traveling extensively as a child have made geography and a sense of place major components of Fuller’s music. His work is a slow and gradual music composed of infinitesimal details comprised of processed and delicately treated acoustic instruments, field recordings, and other sound sources. In addition to his work as a solo artist, Fuller finds his collaborations with other artists invaluable. Known for his work as ILLUHA on 12k, he has collaborated with musicians Ryuichi Sakamoto, Taylor Deupree, Simon Scott (Slowdive), Stephan Mathieu, Marcus Fischer and others on releases and tours, as well as with visual artists, choreographers, fashion designers, poets, filmmakers and architects. 2018 will see the release of a duo album with Taylor Deupree as well as Fuller’s new long anticipated solo album on 12k.