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F/T Dialogue: Debate, Discussion & Discourse

F/T Dialogue Participants

  • Kyoko Iwaki [Japan]
    Kyoko Iwaki [Japan]

    Born in 1977. Performing arts journalist. Alongside her career as a journalist, covering articles in 15 countries and 29 cities, this year she has completed an MA in Performance and Culture at Goldsmiths University of London. Her book "Tokyo Theatre Today: Conversations with Eight Emerging Theatre Artists" was published in 2011. For F/T Dialogue she will be leading the program "Blog Camp in F/T" for young critics and journalists.

    Learn more:

    http://blogcamp-festivaltokyo.com

    Projects
  • Atsushi Sasaki [Japan]
    Atsushi Sasaki [Japan]
    Born in 1964. Critic. Leader of HEADZ and editor and publisher of the magazine ex-po. Teaches at Waseda University and Musashino Art University. His many books include "Encounter with the Unknown", "Japanese Thought" and "What is Criticism?"
    Projects
  • Naoto Moriyama [Japan]
    Naoto Moriyama [Japan]
    Born in 1968. Theatre critic. Lecturer at Kyoto University of Art and Design's Department of Performing Arts, and chief researcher at the university's Kyoto Performing Arts Center, editing its journal, Performing Arts. Member of the executive committee for KYOTO EXPERIMENT (Kyoto International Performing Arts Festival) 2012. His main publications include "On the Origin of the Silent Plays of Shogo Ota" and "'The Stage' Opened Up by the 'Documentary'".
    Projects
  • Daisuke Muto [Japan]
    Daisuke Muto [Japan]
    Dance critic. Associate professor at the literature faculty of Gunma Prefectural Women's University. Co-author of "History of Ballet and Dance" (2012). His thesis was on Kazuo Ono and he has also written about Yvonne Rainer. He contributes to a monthly dance magazine in Korea. He was the co-curator of the Indonesian Dance Festival in Jakarta.
    Projects
  • Mitsuru Yamamoto [Japan]
    Mitsuru Yamamoto [Japan]
    Born in 1973. He joined Seidosha in 1997 as part of the editorial department. He moved to the editorial desk of Eureka magazine in 1999, and became the editor-in-chief in 2006.
    Projects
  • Hyunsuk Seo [Korea]
    Hyunsuk Seo [Korea]
    Born in 1965. Director and researcher in performing arts. Lecturer in interdisciplinary arts at Yonsei University. He has directed the site-specific performances, "FAT SHOW", "Heterotopia", "The Divine Prostitution of the Soul", and "Desire Paths".
  • Seno Joko Suyono [Indonesia]
    Seno Joko Suyono [Indonesia]
    Seno Joko Suyono is the producer of Indonesia Theater of Studioʼs "The Bionarration of A Disjointed Body!". He graduated from the philosophy faculty of UGM. He had written some books, including a novel, "Tak Ada Santo Dari Sirkus". He is a journalist and managing editor of art and cultural articles for Tempo Magazine. He also was a producer for choreographer Yola Yoviantiʼs performance, "Water Proof in Indonesia Dance Festival" (2012).
  • Hoo Kuan Cien [Singapore]
    Hoo Kuan Cien [Singapore]
    Born in 1981. Arts manager.Studied theatre at the National University of Singapore. Previously Project Manager of TheatreWorks - led by Ong Keng Sen - he has also worked at the 2009 Singapore Arts Festival, curated by Goh Ching Lee, and The Necessary Stage's 2006 M1 Singapore Fringe Festival. His interests like in contemporary theatre and dance, and he is visiting Japan for the first time under the Visiting Fellows Program of The Saison Foundation.

F/T Dialogue Events Calendar

F/T Dialogue Projects: Kyoko Iwaki [Japan]

Report on a "marathon camp" debating art and politics this autumn

Truth is Concrete: A twenty-four-seven non-stop debate on politics and the arts.

Steirischer Herbst is a festival held annually in Graz, Austria. For its fortieth anniversary the festival organized a program under the title of "Truth is Concrete", including a "marathon camp" project involving worldwide artists and critics. Against a backdrop of the Euro crisis, the Arab revolutions and the "We are the 99%" Occupy movements, the event asked how can art participate in politics? And how can we insert artistic ideas into politics? Featuring 200 artists, architects and theorists, as well as 100 specially invited participants, the debates took place twenty-four hours a day in the shared camp-style occupation in Graz. Kyoko Iwaki and Seunghyo Lee, who both took part in the marathon camp, will give a report on the program and consider a relationship between the arts and politics today that can respond to the needs of contemporary society.

  • Date: October 29 (Mon), 19:30-21:00
  • Venue: F/T Information (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Atelier East)）
  • Entry: Free, no reservation required. First come, first served (max. 30 persons)
  • Speaker: Kyoko Iwaki (performing arts journalist) Seunghyo Lee (F/T Asia Projects Co-ordinator)

12 young bloggers critique F/T in real time in their unique voices

Blog Camp in F/T

12 young critics and writers from a variety of nationalities and occupations will be blogging daily during the F/T period from their individual perspectives. From reviews to essays, reportage and artist interviews, the project aims to stir up a new media movement in the performing arts with analytical skills and spontaneity as weapons.

Open Campus

Akira Takayama ("Kein Licht II")
The Port B director will talk with the Blog Camp participants regarding his work and contribution to F/T12, "Kein Licht II".

  • Date: November 13 (Tue), 20:00-21:30
  • Venue: F/T Information (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Atelier East)

To participate, please send an email with the subject line "Open Campus Inquiry" to ft.dialogue@gmail.com.

F/T Dialogue Projects: Atsushi Sasaki [Japan]

5 Emerging Artists Program participants discuss their ambitions in this passionate debate!

F/T12 Emerging Artists Program Kick-Off Talk
  • Date: November 1 (Thu), 19:30-21:30
  • Venue: F/T Information (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Atelier East)
  • Entry: Free, no reservation required. First come, first served (max. 30 persons)
  • Speakers:5 Japanese participants from the F/T12 Emerging Artists Program
    Honsuke Sakusha (The end of company JIENSHA), Norishige Kawaguchi (Peachum Company), Arata Mino (Hippie-b),
    Nobusuke Kashima (Jyuuryoku/Note), Ryuichi Tani (syudan:hokoukunren)
  • Moderator: Atsushi Sasaki

The possibilities of documentary to re-question reality by leaders in photography, film and theatre

Forum: "Documentary: Challenging Reality"

In recent years approaches to re-evaluating in a broadly "documentary" style have been advancing, not only in the performing arts, but in diverse artistic forms.

The methodology is not only one style and the motivations behind it are also many, though for plenty of conscious artists, there is undoubtedly an urgent duty to confront "reality" in an extremely revealing and lifelike way. These panel discussions will explore the meanings of what is variously called reality, actuality and the real, gathering artists together to discuss their own creativity and presentation. The debate will cross borders to examine what is "documentary" and what is the relationship between documentary and fiction.

F/T Dialogue Projects: Naoto Moriyama [Japan]

Cutting open history and the present to delve deep into critique!

Seminar: Aspects of Stage Arts History

We will consider how best to "connect" the criticism of a present day stage work with "theatre history". For now, at each session various materials will be thrown out there and, based on these, I hope to deepen the debate with the guest speakers and the participants. I was born in Tokyo but as of last year have been living in Kyoto now for 10 years. For "theatre" [drama] and "theatre" [a venue], surely the theme of where someone is currently living will be reflected somewhere.

―　Naoto Moriyama

Session #1: Why is theatre "real"? A cross-disciplinary approach
In the world there are three types of people: Those who like "theatre"; those who hate "theatre"; and those who have no interest in "theatre". And the respective reality (or lack thereof) felt by these people in "theatre" is actually quite different. In the first place, the points and quality itself where this "reality" is felt is surely different from the start. From this perspective the group will compare and verify the "reality" in theatre, film and the arts, in reference with several theories. Masataka Matsuda, whose art exhibition-style "theatre" has been much-discussed in recent years, will be invited as a guest speaker to give his concrete opinions regarding the place of creation. Is "theatre" truly a form of "media"?

  • Date: October 30 (Tue), 19:00-21:00
  • Venue: F/T Information (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Atelier East)
  • Entry: free, reservation required
    Please send an email to moriyama.kyoto(at)gmail.com with the event title in the subject line, including your name, contact telephone number and affiliated organization (if any).
  • Guest Speaker: Masataka Matsuda (marebito theater company)
  • Lecturer: Naoto Moriyama (theatre critic, Kyoto University of Art and Design Department of Performing Arts)
Session #02: Why and how do people gather? An historical consideration of the theatre space

All of theatre = theatre space is a "demo" (in the post-Sixties wider sense of the word). How about trying to re-consider "theatre space history" from this kind of hypothesis? A new definition of the theatre space would be communicated by a new definition of "demo", and vice versa, a redefinition of "demo" would become "theatre space".
Both share the point that they are single places where people gather (or gathered). Paying attention to this point, the group will consider "theatre space history" as a sort of key for recapturing the present, and also why people become so absorbed in drama, which then vanishes at that very place.

  • Date: November 6 (Tue), 19:00-21:00
  • Venue: F/T Information (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Atelier East)
  • Entry: free, reservation required
    Please send an email to moriyama.kyoto(at)gmail.com with the event title in the subject line, including your name, contact telephone number and affiliated organization (if any).
  • Lecture: Naoto Moriyama
  • Guest Speakers: Kyoko Iwaki & Blog Camp participants

F/T Dialogue Projects: Daisuke Muto [Japan]

What is the language of Asian dance criticism? And can that be shared?

Talk Event: Asian dance critics - Controversy, theory, strategies (Two sessions)

What is dance criticism in Asia?

Asian dance has increasingly begun to attract the attention of European and American critics but there are still not many opportunities for it to be debated by Asian critics. Asian critics also hardly know what each other is discussing in their various fields and from what standpoint. What should we do about this problem that in the region of Asia, with its many historically shared points, there is still no real interchange in dance and critical discourse?

Western critical theory can be an mutual intellectual foundation for Asia. But what about things other than this? Based on the differing geographical spaces and differing histories, each will have its own local knowledge and local awareness of issues. Putting these together, will sharable controversies then appear?

While holding discussions with Asian critics participating in F/T Dialogue mainly on the F/T Emerging Artists Program's productions, these talk sessions will mutually attempt to find what kind of "Asian" framework functions in critical language. This will surely make the framework of "Japan" relevant and lead to the opening up of new perspectives.

―　Daisuke Muto

  • Session #1 November 12 (Mon), 16:00-19:00 (Co-Lab Project Group)
  • Venue: Sakura Cafe (1F Sakura Hotel Bekkan, 2-39-10 Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo-to)
  • Entry: 1 drink (from ¥180), no reservation required
  • Speakers: Darryl Jingwen Wee (writer), Hoo Kuan Cien (project manager) [all Singapore]
    Hyunsuk Seo (director, performing arts researcher) [Korea]
    Seno Joko Suyono (producer, journalist, novelist) [Indonesia]
  • Moderator: Daisuke Muto (dance critic)
  • Consecutive Japanese-English interpretation
Fu Kuen Tang (curator) was previously announced as one of the speakers but for logistical reasons he will not now be able to participate. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
  • Session #2 November 19 (Mon), 16:00-19:00 (WCdance, daniel kok diskodanny)
  • Venue: Sakura Cafe (1F Sakura Hotel Bekkan, 2-39-10 Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo-to)
  • Entry: 1 drink (from ¥180), no reservation required
  • Speakers: Fu Kuen Tang (curator), Darryl Jingwen Wee (writer), Hoo Kuan Cien (project manager) [all Singapore]
    Hyunsuk Seo (director, performing arts researcher) [Korea]
    Seno Joko Suyono (producer, journalist, novelist) [Indonesia]
  • Moderator: Daisuke Muto (dance critic)
  • Consecutive Japanese-English interpretation

F/T Dialogue Projects: Mitsuru Yamamoto [Japan]

Eureka magazine editor considers F/T, theatre and the contemporary.

Talk Event: F/T and recent theatre developments

Theatre is not complete just by watching it by yourself. But it's not metaphysical. Simply, if you don't talk about a piece of theatre after seeing it, either heaping praise on it or tearing it to pieces, then surely you don't feel like you've really seen it.

Even if it's not with your friends or acquaintances with shared interests, as long as there is a space for talking then you don't need any special effort. In this way I will be hosting an informal discussion with an artist and research about recent fringe theatre trends.

―　Mitsuru Yamamoto

  • Date: November 23 (Fri), 19:30-21:00
  • Venue: F/T Information (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Atelier East)
  • Entry: Free, no reservation required (max. 30 persons)
  • Speakers: Shu Matsui (playwright, director, leader of Sample), Eimi Ozawa (American studies and theatre critic, Tokyo Gakugei University)
  • Moderator: Mitsuru Yamamoto (Eureka magazine editor)
  • Japanese only