An Okinawa Sound Portrait for Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island, Okinawa
Featuring recordings made all across Okinawa’s main island, our sound portrait blends many different aspects of this richly diverse, sub-tropical sonic landscape: from the cries of Okinawan birds such as the rail and the ryukyu robin, to the hidden underwater, percussively clicking delights of the coral reef, and much more in-between. The work represents a cycle of activity during 24 hours across Okinawa, underpinned by the calmly rising and falling ocean sounds of Seragaki Island.
The creative process was informed by our initial research into sound and well-being, and is rooted in the idea that reconnecting with nature’s cycles and rhythms through sound can ground us and instil a sense of peace.
The composition also features the unique and evocative sound of a delicately drifting sanshin - the signature instrument of Okinawa - performed by Mutsumi Aragaki.
The soundscape is complemented with a series of beautiful sketches by renowned Okinawa-based artist Ichiro Kikuta, which gently appear and fade out to mirror the unfolding sounds.
We invite you to relax and enjoy this very Okinawan experience, designed to enhance a sense of calm.
-- Nick Luscome, Artistic director, OIST Sonic Lab
At Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island,Okinawa, you can experience a captivating sound portrait created by OIST Sonic Lab, harmoniously blending recordings from across the main island of Okinawa with a series of stunning sketches by a renowned Okinawa-based artist.
Date：Tuesday, August 27, 2024 (All day) to Saturday, November 30, 2024 (All day)
Location：Main lobby, Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island, Okinawa
OIST Sonic Lab is a project to explore and unravel new connections and potentials of sound and well-being through a series of soundscape studies, designs and installations with scientists and researchers, acousticians and musicians. It is coordinated by Prof. Izumi Fukunaga, who is involved in this center’s R＆D project “Healthy Minds”.
For more information, please visit the following links.
Updates
OIST Sonic Lab Presents “Portraits of Sound in Okinawa” at PCST Conference in Scotland
On May 27, 2025, the OIST Sonic Lab introduced its past project, Portraits of Sound in Okinawa, at the PCST Conference held in Aberdeen, Scotland.
The PCST (Public Communication of Science and Technology) Conference is one of the world’s most prestigious platforms in the field of science communication.
During the session, approximately 40 participants—including university public relations officers, science communicators, and researchers from around the globe—learned about the work of the OIST Sonic Lab and the soundscape research conducted as part of OIST’s biodiversity monitoring initiative, the OKEON Churamori Project.
This presentation offered an opportunity to share Sonic Lab’s innovative approaches to science communication, which blend scientific research with outreach activities rooted in Okinawa’s unique cultural and natural environment.
It also served as a valuable occasion to exchange ideas and receive feedback from international experts in the field.
The presentations were made possible in part by the support of The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.
Related links
An Okinawa Sound Portrait for Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island, Okinawa | OIST Groups
OIST Sonic Lab | Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology OIST
