SENーLines as Names

As a younger generation of Japanese artists living abroad, we seek to embody the roots of our Japanese cultural identity through our performance. We explore 'SEN', which means boundaries and lines, through perspectives rooted in Japanese thought. By seeking intuitive and sensory connections, we pursue the multifaceted viewpoints inherent in 'SEN', as well as the awareness of national identity that emerges through the act of drawing boundaries.

Through this process, we have realised that shodō (Japanese calligraphy) has the potential to deepen 'SEN' because it gives characters not only literal meanings but also images and impressions, and requires careful attention to each individual stroke as well as to the relationship between line and space. This creative process closely resembles our own performance making process, and calligraphy could become a symbol of Japanese aesthetic sensibility. Our work combines Japanese calligraphy, movement, and theatre. Through spatial composition, movement, gesture, narrative and text, we explore how ‘SEN’ appears not only as a visual line but also through the body and in the relationships between performers and audience.

Living abroad has made us aware of the different ways Japanese culture is perceived. Through performance, drawing on our experiences of living abroad, we wish to create an open space at Anita Berber Park, where people come to spend time or simply pass through. Together with the audience, we consider attitudes towards cultural reception and intercultural exchange, and explore new perspectives.

Those on the inside give a voice to their own traditions.
Those on the outside receive them.

In that process, what perspectives will we hold? Perhaps some will adopt an Orientalist viewpoint. In a sense, we must confront the present reality in which Asian cultures, Japan included, are viewed through an Orientalist lens. We will meet this reality with our own unflinching gaze.