“Tangent” is a stage masterpiece led by Japanese media artist Shiro Takatani and his avant-garde art collective Dumb Type. The work synthesizes Takatani's three decades of interdisciplinary artistic exploration across installation art, theater, and modern dance, pioneering a new form of contemporary stage art.

 

©️Yoshikazu Inoue

 

The work centers around the theme of "liminal space," delving deeply into the boundary between reality and the surreal. Through precise lighting and sound design, “Tangent ”creates a unique perceptual field that blurs the boundaries of time and space. In this space, interwoven with light and shadow, the distinctions between dawn and dusk fade, and the divide between the micro and the macro disappears.This performance incorporates several innovative and customized technologies, including computer-generated shadows displayed on the LED video wall that moves in sync with the moving light, light trails of electric arc sparks, 18.4 channel surround sound system, and pendulum audio feedback devices, creating an immersive artistic experience. Audiences will experience unparalleled audiovisual impact through the fusion of technology and art.

 

Notably, the music featured on “Tangent” is taken from 12, the last album by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, who participated in Dumb Type as a new member at the 2022 Venice Biennale. Sakamoto’s music, with its profound emotional depth and distinctive style, harmonizes beautifully with the visual elements of the work, adding a profound emotional layer to the performance. This cross-disciplinary artistic collaboration not only continues the deep artistic dialogue between Dumb Type and Sakamoto, but also infuses “Tangent” with an immortal artistic soul.

 

“Tangent” is not only an innovative experiment in artistic form and technical means, but also a profound reflection on the relationship between humanity, nature, technology, and culture. It offers audiences a unique opportunity to re-examine the boundaries between human perception and the reality of the world, becoming an unmissable piece of modern art with its unparalleled artistic value and profound intellectual depth.

 

This performance is one of the specially invited projects for ARTRA 2025, a new brand launched by the China Shanghai International Arts Festival.

 

 

Host
The Center for China International Arts Festival

 

Co-organizer
Theatre YOUNG

 

Organizer
Rolling Music Productions

 

Especially supported
The Japan Foundation，Beijing

 

CAST AND CREW

 

Production:
ROHM Theatre Kyoto

 

Co-production:
La Biennale di Venezia
Kanuti Gildi SAAL

 

Artistic Director:
Shiro Takatani

 

Project Members:
Satoshi Hama, Ken Furudate, Koichi Shiraishi, Miyu Hosoi, Takuya Minami

 

Performer:
Miyu Hosoi

 

Music:
Ryuichi Sakamoto

 

Lighting Design:
Yukiko Yoshimoto

 

Stage Director:
Nobuaki Oshika

 

Technician:
Takuro Iwata, Yuya Ito

 

Management:
Yoko Takatani (Dumb Type Office Ltd.)

 

Wardrobe:
TARO HORIUCHI Inc.

 

Technical Support:
Kanta Horio (PONOR EXPERIMENTS Inc.)

 

CG Production Cooperation:
Hokuto Fukuoka (HIMAWARI STUDIO Co., Ltd.)

 

Tour Management:
EPIDEMIC (Richard Castelli, Mélanie Roger, Florence Berthaud)

 

Special Thanks:
KAB America Inc. (Norika Sora, Alec Fellman), Kab Inc. (Mai Yuda)