tagged w/ Tokyo Design Festa
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Corosuke is a kick-ass hardcore band in Japan with two female vocalists. They played this year at the Design Festa May 2009.
http://www.myspace.com/corosukejpCorosuke is a kick-ass hardcore band in Japan with two female vocalists. They played... more
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Here are some snippets of three bands I caught a bit of at the Tokyo Design Festa
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As I entered the futuristic-looking Tokyo Big Site building on Odaiba Island, I was greeted by a person with the head of fish. Beyond him/her/it and all about the place wandered a colorful assortment of strange characters which appeared to have been born in fertile imaginations bred on Japanese Anime, Gothic Horror, and Salvador Dali. It was then that I knew I had reached my destination: the Tokyo Design Festa.
Design Festa is a chaotic showcase of artists, musicians, craftsmen, designers, dancers, and performers - the sublime mixed with the avant garde. The Design Festa takes place twice a year in Tokyo and has been going on for 14 years.
Artists come from all over the world to participate. Booths are set up to showcase their creations and crafts. Visitors can look at, handle, and purchase their favorite pieces. In addition they have the chance to talk with the artist to learn more about them and their artwork.
For artists, the Design Festa gives them the opportunity to get their work noticed and possibly sold. The event is a breeding ground for future art as a lot of networking goes on between artists which can lead to potential collabrations.
There is so much to see, do, and absorb in a weekend at Design Festa. The place is literally a beehive of activity. There are performances to see, workshops to attend, bands to hear, painters to watch, and oddity to puzzle over.
Some of the booths offer short workshops to teach visitors a bit their craft. I tried my hand at the ancient art of Japanese calligraphy. Calligraphy in old Japan was considered an all important skill. In the far off days of the Heian Period (794-1192), a person’s calligraphy was believed to be a mirror of their character. I would have been laughed out of the Heian Court with my paltry attempt at the turtle kanji character. My turtle looked a bit more like a sickly chicken strung up by clumsy anti-poultry vigilantes. My teacher, a ten year old girl, was patient with me and guided me as best as she could.
At a makeup special effects booth, visitors were able to get horrific body scars which didn’t hurt a bit. I got myself a nice deep scar running down my arm which later fooled a few drunks at my local bar.
There were several fantasical creations from this booth wandering around surprising the unwary and small children. One was tall elegant alien creature frighteningly realistic but fortunately sweetenly demure.
Another creation was a ghastly sculpture of a half-tree half-woman monster with the severed head of a man in her/its hand. Her/Its roots were nourished with the blood and gore of other men. It was a macarbe cocktail of environmentalism and feminism blended horrifically together.
Along with the countless booths, there are a variety of showings throughout the day in different sections of the event area. Bands, short films, musicians, eclectic performers can be seen outside, upstairs, and in the main hall. I was able to see rock bands, taiko drum groups, naughty nurses, a gyrating eyeball man, and a dancing ninja troupe.
One of the popular returning performance groups is Mr. Eyeball Love Globe from Taiwan. The group is headed by man with an enormous eyeball as his head. His outfit is covered with a similar pattern. His story from his flyer is that he is an alien here to spread love. The Eyeball group was one of the most out-there groups and attracted a lot of attention. They have been to Design Festa several times before.
Design Festa takes place twice a year in May and November. For more information please check:
http://www.designfesta.com/index.html
As I entered the futuristic-looking Tokyo Big Site building on Odaiba Island, I was... more
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These stealthy assassins of yore...what lurks deep in their hearts?
Their whole lives are dedicated to their craft...to stealth, to sabotage, to espionage, to theft, and to assassination.
But what do they dream of when they allow themselves to succumb to sleep's gentle embrace?
What is it that they secretly yearn to do?
Watch this video and learn "The Secret Desire of the Ninja"These stealthy assassins of yore...what lurks deep in their hearts?
Their whole... more
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Take a dip into the surreal and the avant-garde with the Taiwanese performance group - the Eyeball Love Globe group. I've added a bit of my own touch with some music from Seven Cycle Theory.
The Eyeball Love Globe performed at the Tokyo Design Festa this past May and have done so a few other times before being one of the popular re-occuring performances at the exhibition.Take a dip into the surreal and the avant-garde with the Taiwanese performance group -... more
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The Tokyo Design Festa is a semi-annual event where artists, craftsmen, performers, musicians, film-makers, and what-not gather from all over the world to exhibit their creations.
It's a weekend of artistic chaos!The Tokyo Design Festa is a semi-annual event where artists, craftsmen, performers,... more
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Here's a little avant-garde weirdness from Tokyo Design Festa.
She's from Taiwan and was one of the performers at the Design Festa. Her group is known as the Mr. Eyeball Loves Globe.
The music is by SevenCycleTheory:
http://www.myspace.com/sevencycletheoryHere's a little avant-garde weirdness from Tokyo Design Festa.
She's from Taiwan... more
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Here's a bit of a big band I caught at Tokyo Design Festa called Crazy Angel Company.
They have a lot of energy and it shows in their performance.
http://www.crazy-angel.com
Here's a bit of a big band I caught at Tokyo Design Festa called Crazy Angel Company.... more
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This footage is from the Tokyo Design Festa of the female Taiko Drum Group known as Usagi. Usagi means rabbit in Japanese.
http://usagi-8.com
This footage is from the Tokyo Design Festa of the female Taiko Drum Group known as... more
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