Dentsu Inc. (Tokyo: 4324; ISIN: JP3551520004; President & CEO: Tadashi Ishii; Head Office: Tokyo; Capital: 74,609.81 million yen) announced today the launch of the Tech-Noh Project, designed to expand the possibilities of noh, the traditional Japanese performing art, through the use of technology.
The purpose of this project is to combine noh, considered one of the world's oldest existing performing arts, with a range of cutting-edge technologies to thereby allow noh to develop in new ways as a traditional art form and to be used in many different ways.
Although noh is one of Japan's greatest performing arts, it is appreciated by a relatively small group and occasions for performances are limited, even in Japan. Also, when noh is seen as a method of expression, there are limited opportunities for it to be enjoyed in the modern-day context despite its remarkably high international regard.
As with other traditional performing arts, to shake up the fixed perception that noh is lofty and hard to understand, it is effective for people working directly with this art form to collaborate with others and create new value, aside from the efforts made by those directly concerned. To this end--and considering that Japanese culture will likely draw global attention in the years to come--members of the Tech-Noh Project will work to generate opportunities to apply noh to many different occasions, including business situations involving many types of companies, organizations and creators.
Specific examples will include increased noh performances for Japanese audiences and visitors from other countries, as well as applications in TV commercials, video content for business, and colorful, profound presentations among others.
The first noh performance under this project will be Dali Noh during the opening ceremony of the Dali Exhibition* at the National Art Center, Tokyo. Dali Noh will be performed by Tessen-kai, a group of noh performers, with a completely new noh mask made by Daishin Seiki Corporation using an epochal method of high-precision metal carving. Mr. Seiichi Saito, a member of Rhizomatiks Architecture, a creative group attracting attention for its projects that take full advantage of the latest media technology, will be the director for moving images to accompany the performance, creating the yugen (subtle hidden beauty) of the digital era.
Following Dali Noh, the Tech-Noh Project will work with leaders of traditional Japanese performing arts and modern creators to create new possibilities for noh, with "traditional performing arts x technology" as the theme.
* Dali Exhibition, Tokyo http://salvador-dali.jp/
Dates: Wednesday, September 14 - Monday, December 12, 2016
Hours: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm; open until 8:00 pm on Fridays; open until 10:00 pm Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22
The National Art Center is closed on Tuesdays
Venue: Special Exhibition Chamber 1E, the National Art Center, Tokyo (Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Overview of Dali Noh (opening of the Dali Exhibition)
Overview: Dali Noh will be performed to open the Dali Exhibition. As Dali himself did, the performance will meet the challenge of blending tradition with innovation, presenting the first performance ever that combines a traditional performing art with the latest technology.
Date and time: 4:00 pm, Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Venue: First Floor Lobby, National Art Center, Tokyo (Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Note: Only official invitees may attend the opening ceremony. No public admission.
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