Japanese woodblock prints, or Ukiyo-e, as they are known in Japan, is a well-known art form. And living in Japan, we sometime see them in museums, galleries and even souvenir shops. So the thought of Digital Ukiyo-e surprised me, and piqued my interest when I first saw information on it online.
Digital Ukiyo-e
The Kadokawa Museum is holding this Digital Ukiyo-e immersive art exhibition, which is on from 30 Oct 2021 to 10 Apr 2022. It is called Spirit of Japan 浮世絵劇場 from Paris and features huge digitalized woodblock prints in an exhibition area. And the artworks cover both the walls and floor in that area.
Tickets
The ticket counters are on the 2nd floor of the building, and the Spirit of Japan exhibition is on the 1st floor.
The cost is 2,400 yen/ticket if you purchase them at the counter, and 2,200yen if you purchase them online.
Once you purchase the ticket, the counter staff will hand you a slip of paper with a QR code. This is the entrance ticket, which the entrance staff will need to scan to let you into the exhibition hall.
The ticket is a one-time entry ticket, and there is no bathroom in the hall, so the entrance staff will remind you of this before they scan your QR code.
Inside the hall
If you have heard of Hokusai, you will probably find some of these digital landscapes familiar, as many if them are from his 36 views of Mount Fuji series.
The Japanese paper screens and ladies, are one of the exhibition themes, and the screens actually open and close. We were not allowed to take videos, so here are the photos in sequence instead!
Kabuki is another major theme in this digital exhibition. The music score that accompanies the scenes and movements are exciting and will make you feel like you are watching a play.
The underwater scenes will transport you to an underwater world where you feel like you are part of it as the fishes swim past your feet.
This was the Calligraphy scene, but I didn’t really understand it to be honest. I saw the brushstrokes and the words appearing and fading, and while it was nice, it just seemed like words. Sorry to those of you that know how to appreciate this!
And if you look closely at this Forest scene photo – you will see that the digital art covers the floor as well.
It had animals and characters darting from place to place, and appearing and fading. They were nice additions, but what I really enjoyed was how immersive the whole thing felt. I mean just look at the photo. 🙂
When this gorgeous sun came out, I turned, and saw everyone gazing at it. Unlike the other themes where the images shown on each wall or pillar differed a bit, it was just this one image of the sun. Everyone there was looking in the same direction. It was almost…poetic.
So if you are an art fan, curious about this old Japanese artform, or love new digital technology, this Spirit of Japan exhibition has something that will appeal to you.
Have fun everyone!
Star
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