{"id":6779,"date":"2020-01-27T14:56:50","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T14:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/?p=6779"},"modified":"2020-01-28T10:36:54","modified_gmt":"2020-01-28T10:36:54","slug":"discover-the-contrasting-worlds-of-japans-urban-future-and-rural-traditions-at-wow-city-lights-and-woodland-shade-at-japan-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/2020\/01\/discover-the-contrasting-worlds-of-japans-urban-future-and-rural-traditions-at-wow-city-lights-and-woodland-shade-at-japan-house\/","title":{"rendered":"WOW: City Lights and Woodland Shade at Japan House"},"content":{"rendered":"

When deciding which exhibitions to take the kids to, I am always looking for a standout factor that I know will pique their interest, something they can engage with on a visceral level. WOW: City Lights and Woodland Shade at Japan House has definitely fulfilled this.<\/span><\/p>\n

This truly interactive exhibition features two digital installations by the multidisciplinary visual design studio, WOW. Visitors are invited to discover the\u00a0<\/span>contrasting worlds of Japan\u2019s urban future and rural traditions through mesmerising digital displays.<\/span><\/p>\n

WOW\u2019s \u2018Tokyo Light Odyssey\u2019 welcomes visitors to experience a mind-bending 360-degree journey through Japan\u2019s capital city by night.\u00a0 At once familiar \u2013 with neon lights emanating from train stations and convenience store logos floating in the darkness \u2013 the artists use omnidirectional motion graphics to contort the known world to present an entirely new interpretation of Tokyo\u2019s cityscape. Along the journey, visitors can ride the Yamanote Line, explore the skyscrapers and capsule hotels of the world\u2019s largest capital city and see the iconic Tokyo Tower seamlessly floating as a fragment of the night sky. The installation, which lasts five minutes and 25 seconds, promises to leave visitors with a lingering sense of having emerged from a dream.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Credit: Image by WOW<\/em><\/p>\n

While \u2018Tokyo Light Odyssey\u2019 focusses on scenes of the city, \u2018<\/span>POPPO<\/span><\/i>\u2019 is an excursion into the folk art of Japan\u2019s countryside. This digital display includes three different installations focusing on <\/span>kokeshi<\/span><\/i> \u2013 wooden dolls and <\/span>O-taka poppo<\/span><\/i> \u2013 carved wooden figures in the shape of hawks, both originating in the T\u014dhoku region of north-eastern Japan, highlighting WOW\u2019s roots in Sendai.<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon entering the exhibition visitors are greeted by the \u2018<\/span>POPPO<\/span><\/i> Woods\u2019 \u2013 an installation which welcomes visitors to attach magnetic tree segments to the Gallery walls to summon digital birds. Each bird is unique to the region of T\u014dhoku and is a talismanic symbol.<\/span><\/p>\n

Touch screens allow visitors to carve their own <\/span>kokeshi<\/span><\/i> doll or wooden toy and digitize them to become part of the exhibition, displayed on the walls of the Gallery.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Credit: Image by WOW<\/em><\/p>\n

In the final part of this installation, the faces of 130 citizens of Yamagata Prefecture are digitally projected on to unpainted wooden <\/span>kokeshi<\/span><\/i> dolls. The body of the dolls, which are imbued with auspicious meaning, are decorated using designs from a veteran Japanese <\/span>kokeshi<\/span><\/i> maker based in Zao Onsen. Photo technology also allows visitors to project their own faces on to the <\/span>kokeshi<\/span><\/i> to create their own unique doll.<\/span><\/p>\n

WOW: City Lights and Woodland Shade runs until 22 March 2020. The exhibition is suitable for all ages and is free to attend.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening Hours<\/b>
\n<\/b>Monday to Saturday 10.00 – 20.00<\/span>
\n<\/span>Sunday and Bank Holidays 12.00 – 18.00<\/span>
\n<\/span>*Opening hours may vary depending on events, so please check their website<\/a> on the day of your visit<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Address:<\/b>
\n<\/b>Japan House, 101-111 Kensington High Street, London W8 5SA<\/span><\/p>\n

More about Japan House<\/b>
\n<\/b>Japan House is the new cultural home of Japan in London.\u00a0 Presenting the very best of Japanese art, design, gastronomy, innovation, and technology.\u00a0 As well as featuring exhibitions they have a shop and a restaurant on site.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When deciding which exhibitions to take the kids to, I am always looking for a standout factor that I know will pique their interest, something they can engage with on a visceral level. WOW: City Lights and Woodland Shade at Japan House has definitely fulfilled this. This truly interactive exhibition features two digital installations by … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":6797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6779"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6779\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6814,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6779\/revisions\/6814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}