Events category: Special event

An Evening Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Newly revised and staged for live performance, ‘The Priest’s Tale’ by award-winning British actor/playwright Michael Mears is his adaptation of one of the atomic-bomb survivors’ accounts from John Hersey’s remarkable book ‘Hiroshima’. Father Wilhelm was a German Jesuit priest living in Hiroshima, who survived the blast but witnessed much of the destruction. Told with compassion, warmth and flashes of humour, ‘The Priest’s Tale’ is a clear-eyed depiction of the pity of war… and of the terror wrought at the start of our nuclear age.

Enjoy Homemade Sushi!

Do you like sushi? Would you like to make sushi yourself? Well, in that case, join us! We will show you how to make delicious and healthy nigiri-sushi at home. Erika Henderson from Café Yukari will give you a brief history of sushi and show you how to prepare sushi rice. Cooking proper rice and mixing it with the right amount of vinegar, sugar, and salt is the first step in making successful sushi. Then Erika and Yukari Henderson will show you some good sushi recipes with easy-to-obtain supermarket ingredients, including vegetarian varieties. You can also try some samples of their nigiri-sushi at the event.

Exploring Japan: A Diplomatic Journey with Ambassador Paul Madden

We were delighted to welcome Paul Madden CMG FRGS, former Ambassador to Japan, to discuss his favourite experiences in Japan with Stephen Barber, a trustee of The Japan Society and Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. In his popular book 三九 Sankyu Japan: Twittering thanks to Japan, Paul Madden documents his travels across Japan during his time as British Ambassador, and the relationship he developed with his 30,000 Japanese twitter followers as he posted about his favourite Japanese things. After sharing his reflections and highlights, Paul was joined by Stephen who has also lived and travelled extensively in Japan for a discussion and Q&A with the audience.

Rakugo & Kōdan:
The Art of Japanese Solo Storytelling

Join rakugo master Tatekawa Shinoharu and kōdan master Kanda Yōko for a unique event that showcases the fascinating world of Japanese storytelling. With roots in early modern times and enjoying increasing popularity in contemporary Japan, both rakugo and kōdan feature a single storyteller creating a kaleidoscopic world of emotions through words and body language. After a brief introduction to rakugo by Prof Laura Moretti (University of Cambridge) and to kōdan by Prof Motoi Katsumata (Meisei University), both delivered in English, the two performers will gift us with short snippets of their art.

[Last Chance] Gallery Tour: Erase and See by Sumi Kanazawa

Last chance to join us for a free lunchtime tour related to our exhibition, Erase and See by Sumi Kanazawa, led by Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation staff. The tour focused on a series of works titled, Drawings on Newspapers, and the concepts behind them, along with a new piece derived from these installations. Kanazawa uses a black 10B pencil to obliterate printed words and images in newspapers, except for those that appeal to her, either for a reason or intuitively. The remaining content is thus excised from its context to weave new stories. For Kanazawa, the erasure of context is a liberating experience, pointing up the discrepancy between an individual’s sense of time and that regulated by society. We explored Sumi’s artistic practice, ideas, and inspiration.

Gallery Tour: Erase and See by Sumi Kanazawa

Join us for a free lunchtime tour related to our exhibition, Erase and See by Sumi Kanazawa, led by Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation staff. The tour will focus on a series of works titled, Drawings on Newspapers, and the concepts behind them, along with a new piece derived from these installations. Kanazawa uses a black 10B pencil to obliterate printed words and images in newspapers, except for those that appeal to her, either for a reason or intuitively. The remaining content is thus excised from its context to weave new stories. For Kanazawa, the erasure of context is a liberating experience, pointing up the discrepancy between an individual’s sense of time and that regulated by society. We will explore Sumi’s artistic practice, ideas, and inspiration. As the number of participants is limited, we urge you to sign up quickly.

Special Video Screening: 'See Art through the Body' and '1001' by Fukiko Takase

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation is delighted to present two dance video works by Fukiko Takase – ‘1001’ and ‘See Art through the Body’. These pieces use dynamic dance performances to interrogate human cognition and physicality in modern society.

‘1001’ explores the idea of technology and humanity and mind-body dualism, the notion that humans have a mind with free will and a body that excites mechanical movements, both existing independently and interacting with each other. In ‘See Art through the Body’, in which Fukiko collaborated with sculptor Meg Shirayama and singer and vocal performer Hatis Not, the work is a highly experimental and playful multi-disciplinary creative idea which brings together an immersive gallery experience by collaboration with an artist in gallery and museum space.

Gallery Tour: Erase and See by Sumi Kanazawa

Join us for a free lunchtime tour related to our exhibition, Erase and See by Sumi Kanazawa, led by Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation staff. The tour will focus on the work Drawings on Newspapers and the concepts behind this work, along with a new work derived from Drawing on Newspaper. Kanazawa uses a black 10B pencil to obliterate printed words and images in newspapers, except for those that appeal to her, either for a reason or intuitively. The remaining content is thus excised from its context to weave new stories. As the number of participants is limited, we urge you to sign up quickly.

Special video screening: AMA-Perlentaucherin by Yoriko Maeno

AMA – the women of the sea, who use no diving equipment as they submerge their bodies into the ocean. Themed on the past and present of these mermaid women who form a cultural heritage unique to the East Asian region, this dance artwork fuses dance, music, art and video projection. This work poses serious questions to us who live in an age in which climate change and ocean pollution have become major issues. The approximately 4000 Ama who worked in Mie Prefecture’s Shima Peninsula 50 years ago have decreased in number by 7/8, with only about 500 left. There are fears that the Ama tradition may die out in the next ten to twenty years.

Gallery Tour: TENTACLE by Bikky Sunazawa

Join us for a free lunchtime tour related to our exhibition, TENTACLE by Bikky Sunazawa, led by the Foundation’s staff. Bikky Sunazawa was one of Japan’s most prominent post-War sculptors. Born in Asahikawa on the island of Hokkaido, he was self-taught, developing a practice that was concerned essentially with self-expression through capturing the spirit of human and animal subjects. He is most renowned for his woodcarving, sometimes for public sculptures, but also made abstract paintings and drawings, accessories and furniture. The tour focused on Bikky Sunazawa’s art practice, his humanity, and his true nature.