Events

Oto ・ Iro 　音 ・ 色　

Oto・Iro (Sound ・ Colour) transforms the OIST tunnel into an immersive audio-visual experience that blends art and science, featuring original field recordings from all over Okinawa.

It’s part installation, part experiment.

We are testing how natural and synthetic sounds can influence our emotions and state of mind, especially when mixed with projected colours. Help us by walking through the tunnel!

As a small token of our thanks, we hope you’ll feel a sense of calm and renewal each time you pass through — a brief but meaningful moment of peace in your day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please note: cameras will be operating in the Gallery at six locations during the installation. The images captured will be automatically processed to discard any identifiable information before a researcher sees the data. Only the coordinates of people's locations will be recorded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Important note to visitors:

The schedule for this installation has changed. It will be temporarily unavailable from Friday, February 28, until Sunday, March 2, and will resume on Monday, March 3. Consequently, the exhibition period will be extended until Thursday, March 6. 
We sincerely apologize for the short notice and for any inconvenience this may cause.
If you have any questions, concerns, or need further assistance, please feel free to contact us at culture@oist.jp.
Thank you for your understanding.

An Okinawa Sound Portrait 
for Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island, Okinawa

September - November 2024

Featuring recordings made all across Okinawa’s main island, our sound portrait blended 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 represented 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 was 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 featured the unique and evocative sound of a delicately drifting sanshin - the signature instrument of Okinawa - performed by Mutsumi Aragaki. 

The soundscape was 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.

Credit:
Nick A. Luscombe, Ichiro Kikuta, Mutsumi Aragaki, James Greer, Izumi Fukunaga

Additional materials were kindly provided by Cassondra George, OKEON, Jeffery Jolly, Timothy Ravasi, Shunsuke Hanamata, Kenji Takehara.

We are grateful for the support from OIST Graduate University and JST-funded Bioconvergence Center for Innovation at OIST. We thank the Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island for the venue and KEF speakers for the equipment loan.

The Science of Sound and Wellbeing

Mon, 6:30 PM | 港区虎ノ門１丁目１７−１ | By CIC Japan

October 7, 2024, 18:30 - 20:30, (17:30 Reception start)