King-Richard_3.tomb
The first performance of King Richard III, a tragedy by Shakespeare, was given in 1591. King-Richard_3.tomb, a collaborative piece by Arata Mino, a photographer and playwright, and Shohei Amimori, a musician and composer, was created by referencing King Richard III, which depicts Richard III, a brother of the king and a Machiavellian, ascending to the throne using his eloquence to scheme the downfall of his political opponents and his subsequent defeat, deserted by his followers after a short reign.
“I am at Richard III’s tomb. Richard III used to be here. I am sad because Richard III died. Richard III had been killed here. Now, am I Richard III?”
Set in Tokyo of 2019-2020, with accelerated urban development plans underway for the upcoming Olympics, a person wearing a parka and a jacket is walking along a temporary enclosure of a construction site while dragging a guitar and reading the lines aloud. A person holding a microphone accompanies the person from the front, recording the ambient sounds of the construction site as well as the spoken words. The man holding the guitar utters things while imitating Richard III, seemingly acting as a mouthpiece for a certain entity. He simultaneously strikes the guitar on the road, damaging its wooden body, and occasionally making sounds from it. Perhaps the resulting sound image and the man’s monologue lamenting the tragedy are instant reactions to the front Tokyo puts on amid its definite decay.
MINO ARATA
Born in Fukuoka, in 1987. Director of Nikasan. Photographer and playwright. From 2010, he led Hippie-b, a group formed in pursuit of finding the relationship between photography and physical expression, and has played the roles of photographer, designer, and director in all of their works. After his first solo exhibition Z/G in 2013, Mino began showcasing exhibitions and performances under his name. Focusing on the theme of “visualizing the premonition of horror” in his works, he takes an interdisciplinary approach of utilizing the mediums of narrative, photography, and theater as a method to see the unseeable. In 2017 he formed the theater group Nikasan. His major works include Exercise of Falling Well (ANOMALY & Kyoto Art Center, 2019) and One Breath Followed by Another (Ningen Restaurant curated by Chim↑Pom, Tokyo, 2018)
www.aratamino.com
AMIMORI SHOHEI
Born in Tokyo, in 1990. Musician and composer. Graduated from the Department of Composition, Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts and from the Graduate School of Music of the same school. He began activities as a composer and arranger of classical and contemporary music since his student years and released many works ranging from chamber to orchestral music. In recent years, he has engaged in other genres such as pop music and sound art as well. Besides showcasing his works and performance utilizing various methods, Amimori has produced music for television advertisements and shows and participated in projects of many artists as a studio musician. His major works include the musical album PataMusic (noble, 2018) and the sound installation Broken Silencer (MOT Satellite 2017 Fall, Tokyo, 2017).
www.shoheiamimori.com
King-Richard_3_1.tomb
Cast / Staff
Performers: TACHIKAWA KIICHI, OSHIRO MAKOTO, AMIMORI SHOHEI
Recording: OSHIRO MAKOTO
Photo Assistant: SHIGA KOTA
Script / Photography: MINO ARATA
Music / Sound Design: AMIMORI SHOHEI
Original Idea: “Richard III” (W. Shakespeare)
Subtitle: KITAGAWA MITSUE
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King-Richard_3_2.tomb
Cast / Staff
Performers: TAMANA RAMEN, OSHIRO MAKOTO, AMIMORI SHOHEI
Poetry: TAMANA RAMEN
Recording: OSHIRO MAKOTO
Photo Assistant: SHIGA KOTA
Script / Photography: MINO ARATA
Music / Sound Design: AMIMORI SHOHEI
Original Idea: “Richard III” (W. Shakespeare)
Subtitle: KITAGAWA MITSUE, MINO ARATA
© Arata Mino + Shohei Amimori
