We would like to make the live art performance by the new band `` Butterfly Studio'' the opening event for the ` Hyakunengo Art Festival.''
2023.08.28 | Chiba Prefecture
interview
Takeshi Kobayashi General Producer of the 150th Anniversary of Chiba Prefecture
———First of all, please tell us about the background to the establishment of Hyakunengo Art Festival.
The history is a little long, but I started TAGAYASU the agricultural production corporation in Kisarazu, Chiba, the predecessor of KURKKU FIELDS. You were there.
Up until then, we had continued to carry out sustainability activities that would continue into the future, but after the earthquake, we spent more time focusing on Tohoku. At that time, I think it was 2012, an acquaintance introduced me to a place I would definitely like to visit. That was the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale in Niigata.
I only knew that Mr. Fram Kitagawa was doing it, but when I actually visited, I realized that this world is really made of the connections and activities of the region. I was moved by the fact that there are people who are not only following the authority of the central government, but are also doing such a wonderful job of asking questions about a precarious future through art.
On the other hand, we have been holding a music event called ap bank fes in Tsumagoi, Shizuoka Prefecture since 2005, and in 2012 we also held a two-day event in Tohoku as part of the reconstruction support after the earthquake, but it ended in two or three days. I thought that it would never be possible to achieve this with just a music event, and that we should get more involved in the community and do activities that will lead the town itself to a better direction through art even after the event is over. That's how I started the Reborn-Art Festival.
And apart from that, in Kisarazu, you were continuing the "plowing" that I talked about at the beginning in order to create a future that will continue through food. Of course, while doing music activities, I was active in both Tohoku and Chiba throughout the 2010s. Then, in 2019, we opened KURKKU FIELDS as a place to attract customers as a step up from the agricultural corporation. KURKKU FIELDS was never created for my personal pursuit of profit, but I thought it should be started as a business.
On the other hand, I feel that the Reborn-Art Festival is an extension of volunteer work, and that's why I went into each region of Ishinomaki and started chemical reactions and encounters. Ta. I really felt the power of art to turn negatives into positives, so for several years I had been fantasizing about holding an art festival in Chiba, where KURKKU FIELDS is located, just like in Tohoku.
At the same time, Mr. Flam was holding "Ichihara Art x Mix" in Ichihara City, and I went to visit it several times. I felt that art has the power to connect imagination and creativity and make up for what is lacking in this world. did. While talking with Mr. Fram, he said that he wanted to bring in a young creative director, so we asked Hideaki Oki (OOAA inc.) to participate and formed a small team. The word that came out while brainstorming with them was "100 years later art festival".
———Please tell us about the specific content of Hyakunengo Art Festival.
The "Hyakunengo Art Festival" is a fairly large project, so I would like to do an event that stands out first, on a different axis from the part I entrust to Mr. Fram.
It's partly because I'm a musician, and although it's wonderful to appreciate art, where you can encounter and notice various things by confronting each piece of art, when you're doing music, it's within the time axis. So, this time, I wanted to challenge an art performance that can be done within that time axis. In other words, I thought that it would be better not only to exhibit the works, but also to show at the first stage, "This is what we will do at the Hyakunengo Art Festival."
Mr. Oki came up with the name "100 Years Later Art Festival", and while talking about what he wanted to do with this art festival, he realized that Chiba was so close to Tokyo that there were few elements that would make you feel like you were on a trip. I ran into an issue. Unlike the Setouchi, Niigata, and Oku-Noto Art Festivals where Mr. Fram has been, it is a place where you can come right from the city center, so you can't show technology art by modern, cutting-edge creators, which is different from sentimental or nostalgic. I thought.
Therefore, we newly formed Butterfly Studio. Artists and creators from a variety of fields, including not only music but also video, technology, science, and contemporary dance, came together to create new expressions. People with a variety of talents come together like a band, creating a team that resonates with each other's sensibilities, and the events held by this team are called "en Performances." We are currently producing works for the `` Hyakunengo Art Festival'' and one specific project that has been decided is a live art performance to be held on October 21st at KURKKU FIELDS.
There is a movie called ``Swallowtail'' directed by Shunji Iwai, for which I was involved in the music production, and Chara from YEN TOWN BAND, who appears in the movie, is also my second work with director Iwai. Salyu, who played the role of Lily Chou-Chou in the film "All About Lily Chou-Chou," and Kyrie, the main character in the third music movie "Kyrie's Song," which will be released on October 13th. ), former BiSH member Aina the End will be joining us.
It feels like we're inviting you to the `` Hyakunengo Art Festival'' as a special present from Butterfly Studio. It's a commemoration of me and director Iwai's trilogy, and it's also a commemoration of Kyrie's first live performance after her debut, so a lot of things overlap.
Butterfly Studio also has a drone team, so it's a challenge that I'm personally really looking forward to. Drone technology is rapidly evolving, and drone performances fused with music have recently become a hot topic at the Burning Man festival in the United States. Please look forward to this as well.
——— Will your activities as Butterfly Studio continue after the “Hyakunengo Art Festival”?
Well, I don't think it's temporary. It's a band that creates new expressions while thinking about the future 100 years from now, so I'm looking forward to how I myself will evolve.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake, the global warming problem, and the corona disaster, we can no longer live without feeling that we are part of nature. The fact that our social activities affect the climate of the earth in this way is becoming an issue with a terrifying momentum.
How should we interact with nature from now on? I have always had the perspective of looking at the place that played a role in supporting Tokyo and the metropolis of Tokyo from a bird's-eye view. At Butterfly Studio, we consider the concept from this point of view.
———While preparing for Hyakunengo Art Festival, do you feel any challenges or hurdles as an art festival producer?
Speaking of Butterfly Studio, all of us are active on the front lines of various fields, so there are challenges in coordinating schedules and getting everyone's opinions to agree. As a producer, I try to add to the talent of each creator and artist, and by my involvement I can make it resonate even more, but on the other hand, like organic vegetables, I add to the talent of each creator and artist. I think it's better to use it as is, and I want to cherish its sharpness.
Various elements come into play within the time frame of a 50-minute performance, so there is almost no master-slave relationship. For example, we held AP Bank FES'23 this year, and as part of the Bank Band, we had Mr. Sakurai as the main performer, but that's not the case with Butterfly Studio, and we're trying to do it without having a main performer. Yes. We are planning to hold several performances of "en" starting this fall, but we want to create something good and get people talking about it, so that might be our biggest challenge.
———Please give a message to those who are interested in the 100 Years Later Art Festival.
The `` Hyakunengo Art Festival'' will center around the ``Uchiboso Art Festival'' held in 5 Uchibo cities (Ichihara City, Kisarazu City, Kimitsu City, Sodegaura City, Futtsu City), Ichikawa City, Sakura City, Sammu City, Sakae Town, In Shirako Town, we are also thinking about content that is appropriate for each area. The main period is two months from about mid-March to May next year. It will coincide with Golden Week, and we are also planning Butterfly Studio 's performance ``en Performance'', art exhibitions, and various food events. If you visit the Boso Peninsula in spring when the weather is relatively nice, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
What I feel when I actually start running is that everyone reacts to the word 100 years from now. I think that there are more than a few people who imagine a dystopian image, not something that can only be hoped for 100 years from now. In that sense, I think Hyakunengo Art Festival will never be just wishful thinking, but will become something more edgy.
Also, flying drones to farms with cows and chickens called KURKKU FIELDS is an experiment, and I would like to make it fun as entertainment. If possible, I would be happy if you could take the time to visit Chiba, or if you would like to come several times. If you are interested in this art festival even a little, I would like you to visit it.
text: Kana Yokota
Takeshi Kobayashi
musician. From the 1980s to the present, he has worked on the production of numerous artists and film music, and is a leading figure in the Japanese music scene. Mr. Children's Kazutoshi Sakurai and Ryuichi Sakamoto launched the non-profit organization "ap bank" and held the outdoor music event "ap bank fes". -Art Festival" and other activities. He is a comprehensive producer who has pioneered initiatives for a sustainable society, such as starting "KURKKU FIELDS" that can embody the circulation of energy and food.