Absence of the teamaster performed and filmed at Ishikawa Nishida Kitaro Museum of Philosophy in Japan, is a collaborative research project between Austrian artist Margret Wibmer and Japanese curator and artist Akane Nakamori. This transcultural collaboration explores the value of traditions and rituals in contemporary culture, the influence of globalisation on perception of culture as well as the relation between ancient traditions and gender roles.
In ‘Absence of the tea master’ the tea master was replaced by contemporary dancer Kiyomi Yamashita. This radical change of setting was further supported by the outer worldly musical composition of Kanazawa based composer Minowa Norihiro who not only designed a soundscape but also a sound system for this particular architectural space. Choreography, sound, design of the garments and other props were inspired by the architecture of the museum, designed by Tadao Ando. All invited participants are experts in the field of contemporary art and/or preservation of cultural heritage, among them Tokyo based tea master Fuyuko Kobori. This ‘0’ event was followed by two consecutive performances in Düsseldorf and Amsterdam, developed for the European context. The garments were designed and hand-crafted by Margret Wibmer in collaboration with Kanazawa Bunka Fashion College’s students and tutors.
Concept: Akane Nakamori and Margret Wibmer / Dancer: Kiyomi Yamashita / Sound composition: Norihito Minowa / Sound technician: Norihiro Mori/ Costumes and photography: Margret Wibmer / Glass bowl: Masaki Kusada / Trays: Takuma Pottery / Original sweets: Yoshihashi, Kanazawa / Tea coordinator: Yoriko Nakagawa / Video: Shoko Takimoto and Kenichi Tani
Participants performance: Fuyuko Kobori, Yoshiaki Sakamoto, Hiroaki Ochiai, Megumi Takabatake, Yoko Ueda, Kjell Hahn. Participants rehersal: Daisuke Inoue, Ai Ikejiri, Eri Yamamoto, Syota Yamamoto, Dai Hijikata, Satomi Den. Participants rehearsal: Daisuke Inoue, Ai Ikejiri, Eri Yamamoto, Syota Yamamoto, Dai Hijikata, Satomi Den
Generously supported by: Komatsu Seiren CO.,Ltd., Kanazawa Bunka Fashion College: Hisae Hashimoto (tutor), Emi Fukaya (tutor), Kazuhiro Nomura, Yukiko Nishimura, Haruka Hori and Miyuu Yoshimura (students) and Mondriaan Foundation NL, The Austrian Federal Ministry for the Education, the Art and Culture, Land Tirol.