In the eyes of a Westerner, all those things that make the Japanese culture so intriguing -- the mastery of complex technologies, the embrace of natural elements and environmental sustainability, the obsession over all things "cute" -- are on display in interactive exhibits throughout the Kennedy Center in Japan! Culture + Hyperculture. Filling the inside halls and spilling over to the exterior grounds and even the parking garage, the exhibition gives us a taste of many art forms, from visual art exhibits and theater, to Manga reading rooms and collections of robot toys. Except for a few ticketed performances, the exhibit is otherwise free, running daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Feb. 17.
Japan! eases you in with a couple of interesting but tame exhibits on the Foyer Main Level. The Hall of States holds a few lacquer sculptures by Nobuyuki Tanaka. These orange bowl shapes, which shine so brilliantly they seem nearly to glow in the dark, are made by layering linen and lacquer over a wood form, which is later removed. Over in the Hall of Nations, the intricate textile work of Motoko Maio is showcased with her byobu, or folding screens.
Although the strange lighting on this exhibit is likely on purpose -- the screens are canvases for nature scenes that incorporate the highlights and shadows of the natural fibers -- it's done a bit too harshly, leaving much of her work in the dark. But what you can see is dramatic, with gorgeous pieces of lacquered paper, crushed shells, and even antique kimonos woven together on these screens that fold in both directions, changing the scope of the landscape.
The Hall of States also features part of Robotica Rising, with a beautiful Japanese "woman" (actually named Actroid DER2) in a kimono that answers questions posed by visitors with its "cutting-edge" voice recognition technology. Don't linger, as the best of the robots are upstairs, and this one seems to be a favorite with the kids -- during a visit over the weekend, a group of them dominated the microphone with ungrammatical questions the robot struggled to answer.
The Terrace Level is where all the real action is. Turn your geek on hyperdrive as you enter the Nations Gallery, where the rest of Robotica Rising is on display. Mitsubishi's "Wakamaru," a two and a half foot yellow robot that kind of looks like a giant Lego person, shakes hands and attempts to perform other easy movements if you can pronounce Japanese well enough from the cards provided. Just past Wakamaru, gape in awe at the collection of Jumbo Machinders behind glass, loaned to the exhibition by American Matt Alt, who began collecting the large robot toys when he was young and was, as a result, inexorably absorbed by Japanese culture (he now lives in Japan). The toys -- which include Voltron and Godzilla -- are characters from "kids shows about heroic humans who piloted giant robots."
Here you'll also find a Manga and Anime reading lounge (yes, many of the items are for sale) and tables set up for demonstrations of smaller robots that kick balls and do somersaults. Stick around the Nations Gallery for the 15 minute performance of Honda's ASIMO (pictured above) or Toyota's Partner Robot, who has lips so human-like it can play the trumpet. The shows are daily (and free) and performance times are listed on TV screens near the stage. Though our "what's awesome in reality" scale might be slightly twisted by seeing so much CGI in movies, watching the four foot tall ASIMO actually pick up his feet and run across the stage is still pretty amazing. Get there at least 20 minutes beforehand to get a good spot.
Now that Japan! has warmed you up to have your mind blown a little bit, step into Dots Obsession, a visual art installation by Yayoi Kusama. Abused as a child, Kusama embraced obsession-inspired work to keep her sanity. She worked for many years in the U.S., creating avant-garde visual and performance art, but now lives voluntarily in an institution in Tokyo, leaving only to create more work. The two rooms of Dots Obsession, one with black dots on yellow walls (Day), the other yellow on black (Night), are hidden at opposite ends of the Atrium Foyer, making some visitors pause at the intensity and consider if they might be losing their minds just a little bit, which is, of course, the best part. Kusama's text at the entrance says:
...I created this work with the wish that peace and love would continue to exist forever in the universe, which is filled with polka dot forms. The Earth is one, and so are the stars, the sun and the moon...I have stood between the pleasure and fear of filling the void of my heart with ever so infinite dots obsession and I feel elated all over my body.These exhibits comprise barely half the exhibition. Koi kites, costume displays, photography exhibits, and more fill the Kennedy Center, and during your wanderings, you may stumble across ancient Japanese drum performances, an impromptu robot demo, and who knows what else. Check out the events listing for more information, including ticketed shows.
Photo of Honda's ASIMO robot by Kyle Gustafson. Photo of interior of Dots Obsession -- Day by Techne.
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