Origami Soundscapes / The Crane - Avant-garde Performance in London this August

Date: 2019 July 23 20:50

Posted by Joe

Fans of Japanese culture in London looking for something a bit different this August are in luck. We've just been sent details about an Anglo-Japanese Theatre/Opera/Live Art Production Origami Soundscapes / The Crane. It's set to run at the arcola theatre in East London on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th August 2019. The Friday showing will be at 20:00, while there will be two showings on Saturday at 15:00 and 20:00.

The performance folds origami and music together in a multi-media opera installation exploring classical Japanese traditions with a uniquely avant-garde twist. You can always check out the trailer to get more of an idea.

This is supported by Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and has been recognised as an Official Event of the Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019-2020.

It will be sung in English and Japanese without subtitles.

Tickets range from £12 to £22.

Full Story

Details as follows:



Music and Libretto (English and Japanese) by Verity Lane

Origami and music. A multi-media opera installation. Verity Lane's two-part project draws on her 10 years' experience of living in Japan, exploring classical Japanese traditions with a uniquely avant-garde twist.

A brand-new performance project with music, stories and concept by Verity Lane, Origami Soundscapes: Flower, Bird, Wind & Moon explores ancient symbolism and Japanese birdsong, featuring a large-scale origami performance by Coco Sato, percussion, shakuhachi and storytelling.

The Crane reimagines a Japanese folk story about a magical crane that takes human form, set around Hokkaido's Otowa Bridge. This mystical opera installation explores traditional Japanese aesthetics through a blend of Noh theatre conventions, traditional and contemporary dance, avant-garde music and animation.

Sung in English and Japanese without surtitles.

About Verity Lane

Born in Tottenham and spending nearly a decade in Japan, visual artist, composer and writer Verity Lane specialises in creating highly visual performance installations for traditional Japanese instruments and beyond.

Her recent multi-media projects include A Thousand Bamboo in a Dancing Wind (performance installation for 300 shakuhachi, 2 dancers, projection and performance poetry, commissioned by The World Shakuhachi Festival, held at Goldsmiths, 2018), Yugenism: Animated Soundscapes of the Japanese Sublime (supported by Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation), and Japanese Sandscapes: The Tale of Mt Fuji where she worked with artists including Ko Ishikawa (sho/Reigakusha), Etsuko Takezawa (koto/shamisen) and Kaho Aso (traditional Japanese dance/kotsuzumi). Both projects saw Lane launch herself within London's avant garde music scene, selling out venues across London.


Performance Origami: Coco Sato http://cocosato.co.uk

Performers: Tomoko Komura (old couple), Mirei Yazawa (The Crane), Hester Dart (old couple)

Musicians: Beibei Wang (percussion) https://www.beibeimusic.com

Kiku Day (shakuhachi) http://www.kikuday.com


Coco Sato is an award-winning Japanese artist based in the UK. Her work uses origami to change the way people see the world.

https://www.facebook.com/GiantOrigami/


Mirei Yazawa is a performance artist based in London.


Beibei Wang is a genre defying percussionist based in London.
https://www.facebook.com/beibeiwangmusic/


Tomoko Komura is a London based performer from Japan, trained at the London International School of Performing Arts with an MFA in Lecoq-based Actor-Created Theatre (2006). She has performed and toured in shows by award-winning theatre companies such as Theatre Ad Infinitum (Ballad of the Burning Star), Theatre Témoin (Jukai) and Out of Chaos (Out of Chaos).


Kiku Day is a shakuhachi player based in Denmark.
http://www.kikuday.com/


Hester Dart is a London based contralto and graduate from the University of Leeds. They study with Prof. Neil Baker and are currently finishing their second year at the Morley College Opera School. Hester is particularly interested in promoting the work of LGBTQ+ composers and musicians. They would like to contribute towards a more inclusive and accessible environment within　classical music and opera.


Rowan O'Brien is a renowned animator and 3D artist from the West Coast of Ireland. He mixes sketches, objects, computer animation, and video in his work. He has screened and exhibited work across Europe, South Korea and Japan, where he lived and studied Japanese fabric craft known as oshie.