CITYLIGHTS
14-20 January 2013
CITYLIGHTS~街の灯 will be a free public event combining sculpture, dance, sound, interactive electronics and live streaming, connecting Sydney and Yokohama. The event will take place simultaneously at the Cleland Bond building, The Rocks (AUS) and the new Izayoi Yoshidamachi Studio, Yokohama (JPN). Development has already begun, with the final event taking place from 14th – 20th January 2013.
David Kirkpatrick (AUS), sound and multimedia, is creating a series of simple 'city modules' which, when interacted with by performers and the public, will pulse with a warm glow and play sounds unique to cities of Sydney and Yokohama. With the aid of projected video links between the two sites he is hoping to create one inter-cultural space where the public can create a shared light and sound composition.
Anna Kuroda (JPN), choreography and design, is training a team of young artists in Sydney and Yokohama to move within the installation, exploring emotional and physical distance, the fragility of nature and the human body, and technology's effect on communication.
The logistics and technology involved sound complicated, and are certainly turning out to be, but our final aim is to create an experience that is both subtle and beautiful – blending the natural environment, surrounding architecture and themes of the work.
Richard Tognetti and Satu Vänskä duo concert at Hakuju Hall
16 January 2013
Joseph Tawadros Oud Recital in Japan
16 January 2013
Egyptian-Australian oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros will hold a solo recital in Japan. Tawadros has won 5 ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) awards as well as receiving nominations in nine categories. He was placed 20th on the Sydney Morning Herald's list of the '100 most influential people'.
Gotye Japan tour
30-31 January 2013
Chart-topping singer-songwriter Gotye to embark on his first-ever tour of Japan!
Born in Belgium and based in Australia, Gotye is a singer-songwriter and multi-talented artist who topped the charts in 18 countries and sold over 10,000,000 CDs worldwide in 2012. After releasing his debut album in 2006, he was awarded the inaugural Red Bull Award in recognition of Outstanding Potential. He also won the ARIA Award - the Australian equivalent of a Grammy Award - for best male artist in 2007. In 2011, he won 6 ARIA awards, including best male artist, best pop release, and single of the year. His third album Making Mirrors reached No. 1 in Australia.
MYSTERY Japan tour
9-15 February 2013
Young Australian rockers MYSTERY have amazed audiences around the world on the first leg of their 2012/2013 'Thunder From dOWNuNDER World Tour', performing on main stages at major events alongside the biggest bands in the world.
They will now bring their electrifying show to Japan with three shows as part of the Melodic Metal Festival in Osaka and Nagoya and Melodic Metal Circle in Tokyo.
MYSTERY will also be participating in a special cultural exchange where they will visit the Toyama University of International Studies High School to perform a show and speak to students and teachers about music and life in Australia.
Nicholas Bastin 'This Beguiling Shelf' exhibition
9-24 February 2013
Bustin, having pursued a career as a jewelry artist since 90’s in Australia and internationally, has in recent years begun to develop his activities within the contemporary art scene. He is currently undertaking a residency at Youkobo between December 2012 -the end of February 2013.
In preparation for this exhibition he has developed a series of object based works in which he seeks out the possibilities of miniature collections. Based upon research into the manner in which individuals select and display mass produced objects which possess some form of narrative, he aims to construct his own miniature world while referencing to his own experiences in Japan.
"Outback and Beyond" - a live electronic opera
13-24 February 2013
"Outback and Beyond" is a live electronic opera performed by Mike Cooper and Australian resident Grayson Cooke. To Cooper’s blistering soundtrack of lap-steel guitar, deconstructed Blues and electronics, Cooke performs a live remix of archival footage of the Australian outback from the National Film and Sound Archive. Cooper also sings a libretto that explores the adventures and misadventures of Charles Todd, the man who built the Overland Telegraph between Adelaide and Darwin in the 1870s. With an outback road-movie soundtrack, and footage from docu-dramas and feature films from the 1920s to the ‘50s, "Outback and Beyond" presents the audience with a series of micro-narratives reminiscent of the themes and aesthetics of the Western film genre, but crucially, it is a Western set in Australia’s outback, reflecting Australia’s own relationship to its land, its history and its peoples.
Winner of Japan Media Arts Festival New Face Award in 2013.
Live performance at Talk & Live Performance "Trans Creation- Derivative expressions and creativity" at 18:00 on 19 Feb at SuperDeluxe in Tokyo.
Daniel Keene's "Scissors, Paper, Rock" at Haiyuza
16-17 February 2013
The Haiyuza Theater Company's will present internationally acclaimed Australian playwright Daniel Keene's "Scissors, Paper, Rock" in a performance showcasing the talents of an up-and-coming director.
Playwright : Daniel Keene
Translator : Keiji Sawada
Cast : Tatsuhiro Ito, Akari Sato, Yasufumi Kuramoto, Takeshi Yatsuyanagi, Ami Tamotsu
Director : Kae Sugata
Set designer : Natsuko Takebe
Lighting designer : Masumi Sakurai (Tokyo Butai Showmei)
Sound designer : Taku Kiuchi (Onei)
Stage manager : Michitaka Ishii
Daniel Sumegi to star in Bizet’s "Carmen"
17-24 February 2013
Australian bass baritone, Daniel Sumegi will star as Escamillo in the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre’s production of "Carmen". Since his US debut in 1991, he has sung at many of the world’s most famous opera houses and concert halls. He has also received many prestigious awards, including the 1994 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions - Bruno Walter Prize, the 1995 William Matheus Sullivan Foundation Award, and he was a winner at the Placido Domingo World Opera Contest/Operalia 2 held in Madrid in 1995. He is also highly acclaimed in Japan for his performance in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen at the New National Theatre, Tokyo.
"True Spirit" by Jessica Watson available in Japanese -The story of a 16-year-old Australian girl who sailed solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world-
22 February 2013-
By Jessica Watson / Translated by Mikico Tashima / Published by Shoshi Kankanbou
J.M. Coetzee at the Tokyo International Literary Festival
1-3 March 2013
Australian Nobel laureate author J.M. Coetzee will be in Japan for the Tokyo International Literary Festival.
J.M. Coetzee was born in South Africa in 1940 and educated in South Africa and the United States. Among his academic appointments have been professorships at the University of Cape Town and the University of Chicago. He is the author of thirteen works of fiction, as well as of memoirs, criticism, and translations. He has twice won the Booker Prize and, in 2003, the Nobel Prize for Literature. Since 2002 he has lived in Australia, where he is Professor of Literature at the University of Adelaide.
J.M. Coetzee will be reading at two sessions of the Tokyo International Literary Festival:
TOKYOLITFEST x Roppongi Art College
19:00 – 19:55 on Friday 1 March (Doors open at 18:30)
「Keynote Readings」
Introduction: Natsuki Ikezawa
Keynote Readings: J.M. Coetzee and Shuntaro Tanikawa
TOKYOLITFEST x Waseda University Part 2
17:50 – 18:30 on Sunday 3 March (Doors open at 17:20)
「Closing Reading」
Introduction: Yukiko Konosu
Reading: J.M. Coetzee, Japanese Reading: Shosuke Tanikawa
CCA Kitakyushu Sound Workshop LIVE
7 March 2013
The Center for Contemporary Art, CCA Kitakyushu invites young sound artists to hold workshops and live concerts every year as a part of the CCA's research program. This year, Australian musician Oren Ambarchi and Jim O'Rourke - both of whom have participated in this event over the last several years - and John Duncun from Bologna will hold a live concert at the Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center.
"Hanchos' Meeting in Cowra"
8 March 2013 - 24 March 2013
5 August 1944
The year is 1944 and Australia is at war.
545 Japanese prisoners of war at a camp in Cowra, New South Wales, plan the largest escape attempt in Australia's history.
Each group of Japanese soldiers elects a representative to speak for them. These representatives then vote whether or not to go through with the plan.
Back in the present, a group of women attempts to ascertain the truth about the soldiers and their fateful decision.
This play is the first in a series celebrating the Rinkogun Theatre Company's 30th anniversary.
After the performance on 10 March, there will be a talk by Yoji Sakate and Aubrey Mellor, Australian senior fellow at the LASALLE College of the Arts.
Book Launch for debut novelist Grant Wales’s "Man After His Kind"
15 March 2013
"Man After His Kind", the debut novel from Australian Author Grant Wales is a tale of have’s and have not’s and the process by which one finds oneself arranged into which category. Lifting the story’s frame from the verses describing Noah’s Ark and set in vivid exotic locations, the story follows those chosen to be left behind on a mission of revenge, and those chosen to be on board the voyage as they seek redemption.The book launch event will feature readings by the author as well as belly dance performances and live music from several Tokyo based musicians and singers.
Where: Heimat Café, Musashi-Koyama, Shinagawa
When: March 15, 2013. 8pm-10pm
About the author: Grant Wales was born and raised in Melbourne. After obtaining a degree in English he moved to Japan where he has continued to live and write for 10 years.
"TRACES - BLUE" at Setouchi Triennale 2013
20 March-4 November 2013
"Traces - Blue" is a site-specific Mixedmedia installation by Craig Walsh & Hiromi Tango from Australia, developed in collaboration with the people of Teshima, in response to the changing circumstances in the village of Kou. The project aims to generate conversation with the community around issues of change, where traditional values and the pace of island time contrast with contemporary society.
Incorporating existing objects, structures and a collaborative artwork, the projectdocuments and reframes this conversation through community workshops.
The resulting work honours an old fishing boat located in the harbour as the core motif for the project. A vessel for exploring ideas of place and change, the boat has been transformed through encasing it in a mirrored surface. No longer an elegiac remnant of the past, the boat now functions as an oscillating configuration of reflective screens, projecting the contemporary environment and its community.
A disused house near the harbour will be the site of a 3-channel video and sculptural installation, and will incorporate ‘traces’ from all the components of the project. The video works will be responsive to the sculptural and collective artworks created throughout the village, distilling and representing a community response to these sculptural interventions.
"Traces – Blue" foregrounds the strength and resilience of this community and enables us to collectively reflect on and embrace their challenges in an ever-changing enduring environment.
Spanning 12 islands in the scenic Seto Inland Sea, Setouchi Triennale will be held in 3 sessions so that you can enjoy the charms of the area’s changing seasons.
Lecture: 'Australian Theatre - Indigenous Culture Meets Modern Theatre'/ Part of the SPT × ITI Lecture series “Learn About Theatre Around the World!”
26 March 2013
It has been 225 years since the British arrived in Australia and just over a century since federation. Naturally, a young country like Australia does not have a long theatrical tradition. For many years, theatre in Australia was strongly influenced by the British tradition. Australia’s home-grown theatrical culture eventually emerged at the end of the 1960s thanks to a number of small theatre movements. At the same time, the theatre traditions of Australia’s Indigenous peoples – who have inhabited the continent for tens of thousands of years – began to transform Australian theatre into something much more interesting. The lecture will introduce examples of exciting modern Australian theatre productions that have been influenced by Indigenous culture, including text-based plays, musicals and multimedia performances.
Date: 19:00-21:00, Tuesday 26 March
Lecturer: Keiji Sawada
Venue: Seminar Room A, Setagaya Arts Center, 5th floor, Carrot Tower (near Sangenjaya station on the Tokyu line)
The lecture is a part of 'Learn About Theatre Around the World!' series, the result of collaboration between Setagaya Public Theatre (SPT) and the International Theatre Institute (ITI). This series has three main themes: “theatre and society”, “theatre around the world” and “global communication through theatre.”
The lecturer, Keiji Sawada, is a professor at Waseda University (theatre studies/cultural research) and a translator. He has written a number of publications on Australian theatre and is a winner of Yuasa Yoshiko award for translation of foreign-language stage plays.
Live in Concert: Donna Burke Shine On!
13 April 2013
Spectacular, romantic, epic songs from well known games including Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Gundam. Australian Donna Burke has two concerts on Saturday, April 13th, at 1pm and 5pm at Akasaka Hall. Hear epic, popular songs by Japanese composers, many of which are being performed live for the first time ever. Proceeds go to Shine On Kids, an NPO founded by Donna's best friend that supports sick children in Japan.
Australia House Artist in Residence program 2013-2015
2 May 2013-
Nat Bartsch Trio Japan Tour
17-19 May 2013
This musical trio led by young Australian female pianist Nat Bartsch - who won the Melbourne Prize for Music Development Award in 2010 - will come to Japan to showcase their unique brand of melodic, soulful music.
The trio was initially formed in 2006 when the members were studying improvisation at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. Bartsch is now joined by double bassist Tom Lee and drummer Daniel Farrugia.
The trio’s repertoire is inspired not only by great Australian jazz players but also indie rock and pop music of the likes of Elbow and Sigur Ros, and the improvised music of Europe. These influences enable the trio to communicate their heart-warming music to a broad range of listeners, extending far beyond the general jazz scene.
The trio’s debut EP Nat Bartsch Trio in 2008 was followed by their highly acclaimed release Spring for all the Winters in 2010. As a follow-up to her acclaimed 2009 tour of Japan, Nat Bartsch will visit Japan again, this time as part of a trio. The group also toured Europe in 2010. Their new album is scheduled to be released in March.
Japan Tour:
19:00 on 17 May at RAG in Kyoto
20:00 on 18 May at Pit Inn in Shinjuku, Tokyo
16:00 on 19 May at Jokoji temple in Joetsu-shi, Niigata
Australian short films at Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2013
23 May-16 June 2013
Australian films at Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2013:
"The Interviewer" (2012), directed by Genevieve Clay-Smith & Robin Bryan
"Self Help" (2012), directed by Alyson Standen
"The Tree" (Film)
June 2013-
A little girl loses her beloved father…
An 8-year-old girl becomes convinced that her recently deceased father is whispering to her through the leaves of a massive tree that towers over her house. The Tree is a story of hope and recovery through the eyes of a girl and her mother, who is also struggling to cope with the death of her husband.
The film is based on Australian author Judy Pascoe's debut novel Our Father Who Art in The Tree. The role of 8-year-old Simone is played by Australian rising star Morgana Davies, who made her debut in this film.
The film The Tree is French-Australian co-production.
More information in Japanese
Shibuya Underground Streams
2-20 June 2013
Australian drummer and sound artist Darren Moore Japan Tour June 2013
5–29 June 2013
OLIVER MANN – Melbourne's experimental folk singer-songwriter JAPAN TOUR
8-9 June 2013
Joe Robinson -'Australia's Got Talent' winner, super guitarist's performance @ COTTON CLUB
17 June 2013 - 18 June 2013
Young Australian guitarist Joe Robinson coming to Japan to showcase his amazing skills!
At just 22 years old, Australian guitarist Joe Robinson is set to conquer the world! A favourite pupil of Tommy Emmanuel, best known for his complex fingerstyle technique, Joe is now Australia's hottest young guitarist with amazing skills that have wowed professional guitarists around the world. Switching between electric and acoustic guitars, his method of simultaneously playing melodies and chords is reminiscent of Chet Atkins. Joe first picked up a guitar at the age of ten and he went on to master a wide range of genres including jazz and country rock. His 2007 debut "Birdseed" contained a number of original compositions and many hailed Joe as a guitar prodigy. In 2008, he won the "Australia's Got Talent" grand final at the age of 16, and in 2009 he also won the "World Championships of Performing Arts" in Hollywood. He has grown dramatically in the areas of both technique and song writing since then, establishing his own unique style combining pop, rock, blues, country and R&B influences with sweet vocals, which he showcases on his latest album "Let Me Introduce You" (2012). His latest album is sure to be a crowd-pleaser for all ages. Joe will be performing at Tokyo's Cotton Club at 6:30pm and 9:00pm on 17 and 18 June. Don't miss this chance to see Joe in action!
Member: Joe Robinson (g,vo), Mitch Cairns (b), Kayce Grossman (ds)
Joanne Hook Art exhibition in Tokyo
19-25 June 2013
Joanne Hook Art exhibition in Kyoto
18 June-21 July 2013
Jess Johnson's OPEN STUDIO at Tokyo Wonder Site Aoyama: Creator-in-Residence
22 June and 20 July 2013
Elizabeth Dobrilla solo exhibition
1-13 July 2013
Australian musician Lloyd Spiegel to perform at Sapporo City Jazz 2013
6 July 2013
Exhibition of Works from the Dax Collection, Melbourne
8-11 July 2013
Kijimuna Festa - 2013 : Children's Cheering Carpet
20-21 July 2013
Biwako Hall Summer Festival: Didgeridoo performance and workshop
22 July 2013
Part 1: Didgeridoo performance
Part 2: Let's make a didgeridoo
Biwako Hall Summer Festival: Children's Cheering Carpet “Saltbush”
24-25 July 2013
Tame Impala at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL '13
26 July 2013
Children's Cheering Carpet "Saltbush"
28-29 July 2013
Kanagawa Arts Theatre
"The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer" at TACT/fest
4-6 August 2013
More information in Japanese
"The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer" in Kanazawa
8-9 August 2013
Ensemble 3
8-9 August 2013
"The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer" in Nagoya
10-11 August 2013
Tommy Emmanuel at Summer Sonic 2013
10 August 2013
More information in Japanese
Angelica MESITI at Aichi Triennale 2013
10 August-27 October 2013
While reflecting on arts in the wake of the 2011 East Japan Earthquake, the upcoming second Aichi Triennale 2013, 'Awakening ― Where Are We Standing?― Earth, Memory and Resurrection', will bring together Japanese and international cutting-edge contemporary arts, performing arts including dance and theater, opera, and architecture, which manifest and resonate with the socio-political changes occurring in various areas of the world. This time, a video installation work by Angelica Mesiti from Sydney, Australia will be exhibited. Ms Mesiti is one of the hottest young artists in Australia right now. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the unique space she creates to reflect the theme of this Triennale.
Tommy Emmanuel @ COTTON CLUB
12 August 2013
Tommy Emmanuel at Billboard Live OSAKA
14 August 2013
Australian band Hetty Kate Trio to perform at Sapporo City Jazz 2013
20 August 2013
Australian band Vaudeville Smash to perform at Sapporo City Jazz 2013
25 August 2013
Mel Stringer and Yeung Hok Tak Exhibition 'Mel Tak' curated by Yoshitomo Nara
16 August-8 September 2013
Australian Jazz Journey 2013 – Dereb the Ambassador to perform at the 12th Tokyo Jazz Festival
6-7 September 2013
6 September 2013 The PLAZA
7 September 2013 The CLUB
Dereb the Ambassador to perform at Iwate Jazz 2013
15 September 2013
Performance of Perth Theatre Company's "The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer" at the BIRD Theatre Festival
14-16 September 2013
Public Lecture by Tessa Morris-Suzuki, 2013 Fukuoka Prize Laureate
15 September 2013
More information
https://fukuoka-prize.org/laureates/detail/5d7e1688-0b6a-469e-b707-8f730ae56471
Australian artists at the 'Roppongi Crossing 2013: OUT OF DOUBT' exhibition
21 September 2013-13 January 2014
Exhibition 'The Taxonomy of Desire' featuring Australian photographers
21–30 September 2013
Jazz Piano Concert by SEAN FORAN at Nojima Scuola
29 September 2013
Australian rock band goodbyemotel to perform their unique 4D live rock show in Japan
15-22 September 2013
Mel Stringer and Yeung Hok Tak Exhibition “Mel Tak” curated by Yoshitomo Nara at Aichi Triennale 2013
10 September-6 October 2013
"The Railway Man" directed by Sydney-born Jonathan Teplitzky to be screened at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival
19 October 2013
Director Jonathan Teplitzky and producer Chris Brown (both Australian) will attend the screening.
More information in Japanese
Mechano Acoustic Night - Polar Opposite
19 October 2013
Talk by Ignatius Jones, Creative Advisor for Vivid Sydney
24 October 2013
Jackson Slattery exhibiting at Fukutake House Asia Art Platform, Setouchi Triennale 2013
5 October–4 November 2013
Up-and-coming violinist Ray Chen to perform with the Tokyo Symphony in November
3-4 November 2013
The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra is pleased to invite Mr. Chen from Australia for its subscription concert No. 615 at Suntory Hall on November 4th, 2013. Mr. Chen has received global attention as a talented up-and-coming violinist and he will perform the Sibelius Violin Concerto, conducted by TSO Music Director Hubert Soudant.
Violin Recital by Ray Chen
5 November 2013
More information in Japanese
Autumn Gathering at Australia House:Snow Fences, Onigiri Lunch and Autumn Seminar
10 November 2013
Autumn has come to Australia House in Urada and we are holding a gathering to celebrate! The Tsumari region is known for its heavy snowfalls and autumn is the perfect time to prepare for the cold winter ahead. Our speaker, Mr Tetsuro Iizuka, will give participants a brief explanation about snow fences and the community's preparations for winter before demonstrating the installation of a snow fence at Australia House.
Deborah Louise Metz: Work in progress at 2013 MI-LAB Artist-in-Residence at Lake Kawaguchi
6 October-11 November 2013
An open studio event will be held on 2 November 2013.
'Banks' Florilegium' exhibition from the Bunkamura Museum of Art Collection
20 October-18 November 2013
18 engravings depicting Australian plants from the “Banks' Florilegium” will be exhibited together with the “Masterpieces from Yamadera Goto Museum of Art” exhibition.
More information in Japanese
'Birds, Insects and the Sky - Dean Bowen, Recent Works 2010-13'
30 November-22 December 2013
"THE LIFE AND DEATH OF DEMOCRACY" by Professor John Keane of the University of Sydney published in Japanese
November 2013-
More information in Japanese
http://www.msz.co.jp/book/detail/07743.html
http://www.msz.co.jp/book/detail/07744.html
Reading performance of "The Sapphires" musical at Waseda University
20-21 December 2013
More information in Japanese
2013 Australian Book Industry Awards(ABIA) winning novel, "The Secret Keeper" by Kate Morton published in Japanese
December 2013-
http://www.tsogen.co.jp/np/isbn/9784488010089
http://www.tsogen.co.jp/np/isbn/9784488010096
One of the masterpieces of contemporary Australian fiction, Tim Winton's "Breath" published in Japanese
December 2013-
More information in Japanese
