Join ‘Roppongi Art Night 2015’
- Mind of Roppongi, created by participants
ROPPONGI DATA OF MIND
Application Now ClosedThank You Application Details
- Open Call Project
Application Now ClosedThank You Application Details
- Roppongi Art Night 2015 Volunteers Wanted
Theme
Roppongi Art Night 2014
Artistic Director for Roppongi Art Night 2015 will be artist Katsuhiko Hibino, who also held the post in 2013 and 2014. For 2015 Hibino has assembled a more varied and wide-ranging program than ever celebrating the strengths of Tokyo, the attractions of Roppongi, and the diversity of art. In a new development for RAN, Hibino will be joined by Seiichi Saito, director of Rhizomatiks Co., Ltd., in the role of Media Art Director. Together they will explore new possibilities in technology and media art, essential considerations for Tokyo today and cities of the future, with the aim of devising a new format for Roppongi Art Night.
Another first in 2015 will be what has been provisionally dubbed the “Open Call Project(Tentative),” in which members of the public will be invited to submit their own projects for Roppongi Art Night. In addition, the process of making works and other initiatives directed toward the event on the night will be facilitated and augmented through a series of initiatives referred to as “pre-programs.” The first of these will be the Tentatively named “Open Call Project Public Presentation” in which promising submissions to the “Open Call Project(Tentative)” will be selected and planners summoned to present their works in person in front of a judging panel, in sessions open to a general audience. A number of other “pre-programs” will also be scheduled in the lead-up to the festival itself on 25-26 April.
Plenty of surprises are sure to be in store when the formidable tag team of Hibino and Saito join forces to present Roppongi Art Night.
Event Profile
| Official title | Roppongi Art Night 2015 |
|---|---|
| Mission statement | Roppongi Art Night is a one-night celebration of art staged in the district of Roppongi. A diverse range of works including not only artworks but also design, music, video and performance pieces are dotted around the Roppongi neighborhood with its high concentration of retail stores and cultural institutions, creating an extraordinary experience, while proposing a lifestyle that celebrates the enjoyment of art in everyday living. Bringing art and street together as one will also enhance the image of Roppongi as a cultural hub, and offer a trailblazing example of neighborhood initiative within the vast metropolis of Tokyo. Roppongi Art Night will continue to develop as the capital's premier art festival. |
| Date & Time | 10:00 (Sat) 25 April –18:00 (Sun) 26 April 2015 Core Time*: 18:22 (Sat) 25 April–4:56 (Sun) 26 April (From sunset on Saturday 25 April until sunrise the following day) *Core Time is the period during which many of the main installations and events will be held. |
| Venues | Roppongi Hills, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo Midtown, Suntory Museum of Art, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, The National Art Center, Tokyo; Roppongi Shopping Streets, and other collaborating facilities as well as public spaces in the Roppongi area |
| Admission | Free (Some programs and exhibitions are subject to fees) |
| Organized by | Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Arts Council Tokyo / Tokyo Culture Creation Project Office (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture), Roppongi Art Night Executive Committee (Mori Art Museum, MORI Building Co., Ltd., The National Art Center, Tokyo; ROPPONGI Shopping Streets Association, Suntory Museum of Art, Tokyo Midtown, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT *In alphabetical order) |
Roppongi Art Night Executive CommitteeFumio Nanjo
2015 will be the seventh year, and sixth staging of Roppongi Art Night, the one-night-only annual art event that enlivens and enriches the Tokyo spring. With spectator numbers rising every year, RAN is now without question the capital's premier celebration of contemporary art. This year's festival features for the first time technology-based media art, exploring new directions in art as it unfolds in the streets of Roppongi, and possibilities for new forms of participatory art.
In 2020 Tokyo will host the Olympics and Paralympic Games, and Roppongi Art Night will deliver a huge message on culture in Tokyo as the city looks ahead to these major events. Join with Japan to carve out a new, creative vision for art and the urban environment, and enjoy a magical night where art meets party.
20, November 2014
Artistic DirectorKatsuhiko Hibino
Acclaimed for capturing the essence of the 1980s with his multidisciplinary style of art, Katsuhiko Hibino has also turned art into a highly functional medium to vitalize local communities by engaging people in art production to help express their emotions. In 2013, he conducted the Sea Floor Exploration Art Museum project “Day-Before-Yesterday Ship” at the Setouchi International Art Festival, and staged solo shows at the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki and the Yokosuka Museum of Art. Hibino teaches at Tokyo University of the Arts and serves as a director of the Japan Football Association. He was born in Gifu Prefecture in 1958 and completed postgraduate studies at Tokyo University of the Arts.
Recent works
“Asatte Asagao Project”
Day After Tomorrow Newspaper Cultural Department 2003
The Asatte Asagao Project dates back to 2003 and the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, when Hibino launched the “Day After Tomorrow Newspaper Cultural Project” based in a disused school building in the hamlet of Azamihira, Tokamachi, in Niigata, and began raising asagao (morning glories) with local residents. Seeds produced here have been taken all over Japan to corresponding initiatives by Hibino in other regions, connecting people in an ever-expanding network. At present the Project has 29 participating regions.
“MATCH FLAG PROJECT”
MATCH FLAG PROJECT, 2014
The MATCH FLAG PROJECT, a gesture of solidarity with the Japanese national soccer team and soccer fans worldwide, began when Hibino adorned the streets of Kumamoto with 300 flags ahead of a World Cup qualifier match in the city in 2009. Workshops were held nationwide to coincide with the World Cup year. Time spent discussing the competing nations, the Japanese team and so on while making such flags is a cornerstone of football culture. According to Hibino, “Soccer is culture, soccer is art.”
Media Art DirectorSeiichi Saito
Born in Kanagawa in 1975, Saito began his career in New York in 2000 after graduating from Columbia University with a Master of Science degree in Advanced Architectural Design (MSAAD). Since then, he has been active in creative work at the Arnell Group, and returned to Japan upon being selected to participate in the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale. He produces works in the commercial art field that are three-dimensional and interactive while also being based on the firm grounding in logical thought that he cultivated through architecture. Saito has won numerous international awards. He currently serves as Director of Rhizomatiks Co., Ltd., while also lecturing part-time at the Department of Architecture in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Tokyo University of Science. He served on the juries for the 2013 D&AD “Digital Design” and 2014 Cannes LIONS “Branded Content and Entertainment” divisions.
Recent works
“FULL CONTROL TOKYO 2012”
Work used to implement the world of the FULL CONTROL Tokyo/Real TV commercial for KDDI's au mobile services offshoot. People chosen in a draw congregated at the temple of Zojoji, backing on to the Tokyo Tower, to experience controlling a live concert and the Tokyo streets with their smartphones. In a further experiment, others took part in the event via internet, using a dedicated app.
“NIKE ‘house of mamba' LED basketball court”
LED basketball court work unveiled in Shanghai in August 2014. Sensors were attached to players to obtain positional data, opening up new possibilities for training and games. NBA player Kobe Bryant also tried out the court, which attracted widespread international coverage.
*In accordance with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government regulation on the healthy development of youth, children below the age of 18 may not to attend events between the hours of 11 pm and 4 am.