Japan in Dreams

Japan House São Paulo presents, from February 18 to April 26, the “Japan in dreams” exhibit, an immersive experience in an installation made with large-scale video mapping projections accompanied by a special soundtrack to offer visitor a dream trip through iconic images of Japan.

The installation – on the ground floor of the cultural center – features a sequence of images and sounds that highlights striking Japanese elements, from the ephemeral beauty of the cherry blossom and the famous lantern festival (Tsunan Yuki Matsuri) to a mysterious forest inhabited by spirits of Japanese folklore. The immersion is a journey through symbolic figures of Japan and is inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e prints, a Japanese artistic movement started in the 17th century that won over Europe in the 19th century, when commercial relations between the West and Japan were opened.

Created by the Danny Rose Studio, the work, which last year was on display at Atelier des Lumieres, in Paris, offers a glimpse of the great diversity, richness, and modernity of ukiyo-e. “Japan in dreams it is one of those unforgettable experiences, in which you enter this fantastic, dreamlike universe and are surrounded by an explosion of Japanese images and references. A few are immediately associated with the collective imagination, while so many other discoveries we could only experience and feel if we were actually in Japan,” notes Japan House São Paulo Cultural Director Natasha Barzaghi Geenen.

The creative work brings emblematic Japan to life through projections and a soundtrack. Blossoming cherry trees appear in fans, occupying the space with sakura petals. A forest inhabited by Japanese spirits is taken over by The Great Wave of Kanagawa, by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849, a Japanese ukiyo-e artist) taking the visitor to the bottom of the sea to find a great diversity of fish and marine animals.

Designed for all ages, the installation promises to marvel visitors with the diversity of images perfectly combined with an expressive soundtrack, featuring tracks by contemporary Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, as well as incredibly fast and expressive rhythms of Japanese drums, providing a magical and complete sensory experience.

"Japan in Dreams” Exhibition
Date: February 18 to April 26, 2020
Place: Japan House São Paulo, ground floor
Address Avenida Paulista, 52
Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday: 10am to 8pm
Sundays and public holidays: 10am to 6pm
Free admission
Check out the program at www.facebook.com/JapanHouseSP/ and @japanhousesp