At London Design Biennale, a multisensory exhibit of washi paper
At the bottom of the stairs, the 36-year-old begins to play her violin, pauses for a recording of cello and shakuhachi flute to rise, then plunges into motion, plucking the strings with her whole body. The rustle of washi against skin joins the ensemble, culminating in an exhilarating, John Cage-like experimental score reverberating through the five-story rotunda.
'Sound is lighter than air,' writes Komachi, quoting acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, in the exhibition pamphlet. Yet her plucking carries weight, like the sekimori ishi (boundary stones) that anchor the washi clouds, imported by Sekisui House Kuma Lab Codirector Toshiki Hirano, who also designed Komachi's washi dress.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
24-07-2025
- Japan Today
Wax lyrical: Taylor Swift gets lucky 13 Madame Tussauds statues
The museum said the 13 statues were to honour Taylor's lucky number US pop megastar Taylor Swift will be honoured with 13 waxworks of her at Madame Tussauds venues around the globe, the museum said on Wednesday. In honour of Swift's lucky number, 13 of the waxwork museum's 22 branches will each receive a statue of the "Love Story" and "Blank Space" singer, in what it called the "most ambitious project" of its 250-year history. The statues were inspired by some of the 35-year-old songwriting sensation's looks from her record-shattering "Eras Tour" from 2023 to 2024. With 149 shows across the world over nearly two years, the tour raked in $2 billion, making it the most lucrative in music history to date. More than 40 artists worked for more than a year on the statues of Swift, one of the most acclaimed artists of her generation with 14 Grammy Awards. "This is the most ambitious project in Madame Tussauds' 250-year history, which only feels right to reflect the stratospheric status of Taylor Swift," said Danielle Cullen, the museum's senior figure stylist. UK-based Swifties are well served, with one waxwork slated for London and another for the northern seaside resort town of Blackpool. Another 10 will find a permanent home at the branches of Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam, Berlin, Budapest, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Nashville, New York, Orlando and Sydney. The thirteenth statue, which will travel around the remaining museums, will begin its worldwide walkabout with a residency at Madame Tussauds Shanghai. © 2025 AFP
Japan Times
23-07-2025
- Japan Times
Heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne dead at 76
Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary frontman of heavy metal group Black Sabbath, died on Tuesday at the age of 76, his family said, just weeks after he gave an epic farewell concert. The hell-raising singer, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019, passed away just over a fortnight after playing a final gig before a sold-out crowd in his home city of Birmingham, England. "It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning," said a family statement. "He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time." On Black Sabbath's official Instagram account, the remaining members simply posted "Ozzy Forever." Prince Charles meets Ozzy Osbourne and "The X Factor" finalist Chico Slimani (center) from Morocco at a reception in 2006 for the people who lent their support to The Prince's Trust 30th Birthday concert in London. | REUTERS Tributes poured in for the notorious figure nicknamed the "Prince of Darkness," who once bit off the head of a bat while on stage. Music icon Elton John praised Osbourne as "a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods — a true legend." "He was also one of the funniest people I've ever met. I will miss him dearly," John wrote on Instagram. Rolling Stones member Ronnie Wood said he was "very sad" to learn of Osbourne's death. Osbourne was instrumental in pioneering heavy metal — an offshoot of hard rock — as Black Sabbath enjoyed huge commercial success in the 1970s and 80s after forming in Birmingham in 1968. Black Sabbath's eponymous 1970 debut album made the U.K. top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit records, including their most famous song "Paranoid." "It was Ozzy's voice that took me away to a dark universe. A great escape," Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready posted on X. "Thanks for the music, Ozzy it makes our journey in life better." Black Sabbath went on to sell more than 75 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Osbourne was added for a second time last year as a solo artist. From left: Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath after being inducted during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in New York in 2006 | AFP-JIJI He gained huge notoriety along the way for his outlandish stunts, many of them fueled by a hedonistic lifestyle involving the lavish use of drugs and alcohol. His live performances at the height of his hedonism have gone down in rock folklore, particularly a 1982 gig in Des Moines, Iowa, when he bit the head off a bat on stage. Osbourne said he thought a fan had thrown a fake rubber bat onstage, and it was not until he took a bite that he realized it was real. "I can assure you the rabies shots I went through afterwards aren't fun," he told U.S. TV host David Letterman in 1982. Osbourne is also rumored to have snorted a line of ants up his nose and once urinated on a cenotaph commemorating war dead. His public persona took a new turn with the reality TV series "The Osbournes" in the 2000s, which followed the ups and downs of his family life alongside wife Sharon, whom he married in 1982, and their three children. Born John Michael Osbourne on Dec. 3, 1948 in Birmingham, he left school at 15 and did odd jobs including factory work before teaming up with school friend Geezer Butler in several bands before finding success with Black Sabbath. He paused touring in 2023 after extensive spinal surgery. Osbourne suffered a fall at home in 2019, which aggravated injuries from a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003. He released his 12th studio album, "Ordinary Man," in 2020, followed by "Patient Number 9" in 2022, which went to No. 3 and 2 in the U.K. charts, respectively. Flowers are left at a makeshift memorial at Ozzy Osbourne's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday in Los Angeles. | AFP-JIJI Osbourne brought the curtain down on a wild career on July 5, when Black Sabbath rattled through their most iconic songs in front of 40,000 adoring fans at Villa Park, home of Premier League football club Aston Villa. He was joined by original bandmates Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward for the concert, dubbed "Back to the Beginning" — their first gig together in 20 years. Osbourne — stylish to the very end — held court from a giant leather throne, topped with a bat. "It's the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle... Thank you from the bottom of our hearts," Osbourne told the crowd after finishing the set with "Paranoid."
NHK
23-07-2025
- NHK
Yoshida Miyako returns to London with National Ballet of Japan
The National Ballet of Japan is in the UK for its first performance at the Royal Opera House. The London event marks a homecoming for the company's artistic director Yoshida Miyako. Yoshida served for many years as principal dancer of The Royal Ballet, which is based at the ornate theater. Yoshida told reporters on Tuesday that she felt truly nostalgic as she returned to the theater, and was happy to watch the dancers rehearse. She said she hopes the performance will become a big step forward for the National Ballet of Japan, as it aims to become a global name. The company will perform Yoshida's production of the 19th century classic "Giselle," over four days from Thursday. Yonezawa Yui, who will play Giselle, said it is like getting a gift to be able to dance on a historic stage like this. She said she hopes to perform well to make the spectators in London happy.
