Hagoromo
THE AMPLIFIED ELEPHANTS /// RYOKO AOKI
A Japanese Noh Play Reimagined for the 21st Century. Presented by Slow Label Japan, RMIT University, Ritsumeikan University, JOLT Arts & Hullick Studios.
AN ANGEL FROM THE MOON
Having toured to Japan on many occasions, The Amplified Elephants were delighted to be invited by Director Yoshie Kriss of Japanese production company, Slow Label, to work on a new live-streaming project with internationally acclaimed Noh singer Ryoko Aoki.
In 2021, Aoki and The Amplified Elephants performed a 15 minute live-streamed work exploring the Japanese Noh play Hagoromo. The performance was a resounding success, and inspired all of the collaborators involved to develop the project into a full length interactive audio visual production.
The story Hagoromo tells of an angel from the moon who loses her cloak of invisibility. A key feature in our telling of this mythical story is the use of Disruptive Critters (Duckworth/Hullick/Eldridge): an interactive touch screen interface, which is then digitally mapped through the performance space by Ritsumeikan University researcher Shigenori Mochizuki.
Although isolated by COVID-19 and separated by the vast distance between Australia and Japan, this remarkable project brings together the timeless beauty of Ryoko Aoki – Noh singer – and the electronic sonic wonderland of The Amplified Elephants. Through a process of sophisticated online streaming, the Melbourne-based Elephants and Japan’s Aoki will translate the music of the Noh play “羽衣 -HAGOROMO-” into a cross-cultural expression of creative solidarity. The project features the Disruptive Critters interface created by Jonathan Duckworth, James Hullick and Ross Eldridge at RMIT University.
Funders: The Toyota Foundation, Interactive Arts and Disability: Creative Rehabilitation and Activity for Individuals with a Disability (Representative: Shigenori Mochizuki); Australia Japan Foundation. The development of a 15 minute version of this work was assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. The development of a 15 minute version of this work was supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.
Singer: Ryoko Aoki (Noh singer)
Performers: The Amplified Elephants (electronics & the Disruptive Critters Interface)
Media Artists: Jonathan Duckworth (Interactive designer/Associate Prof. from RMIT Uni.), Shigenori Mochizuki (Media Artist/Associate Prof. from Ritsumeikan Uni.)
