Freespace presents Ryuichi Sakamoto feat. Shiro Takatani: dis·play - offering a Holistic Experience and an Inspiring Music Journey

Excitement builds for Sakamoto’s much-awaited return to Hong Kong
 

The wait for Ryuichi Sakamoto’s return to Hong Kong is nearly over. On 3 and 4 April 2020, Sakamoto will bring Ryuichi Sakamoto feat. Shiro Takatani: dis·play, his unique brand of electronic music performance, to Freespace in the West Kowloon Cultural District. By combining his electronic music with visual compositions from Visual Director Shiro Takatani, this legendary Japanese musician will provide Hong Kong fans with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience his one-of-a-kind audio-visual work at Freespace, Hong Kong’s new performing arts venue for acclaimed artists from across the globe.
 

Sakamoto’s performances will mark his first visit to Hong Kong in over a decade and will not only excite his many fans but also local artists across disciplines and genres who regularly site him as a source of inspiration. Widely recognised for his influence as an electronic pioneer, composer and pianist, Sakamoto fuses elements from his 2017 album async with captivating visual compositions from long-time collaborator Takatani to create dis·play, mesmerising audiences with an intriguing meditation on life in all its fluctuations, lustre and fragility.
 

To further illuminate and offer insight into the artist, Sakamoto’s performances will be complemented by a host of activities including free-to-attend film screenings and post-screening talk, giving audiences a holistic experience of his exceptional artistic attainments and an understanding of his inspiring music journey. The film screenings will comprise Taiwanese film Your Face, which features music composed by Sakamoto. The film by auteur Tsai Ming Liang offers quiet observation of the subtleties of human interaction, guiding the audience to reflect on human nature and the fragility of life. Providing a unique perspective in the post-screening talk, the host will bring the audience on a deep dive into the artistic side of Sakamoto for audiences to learn about his creative process and unique collaborations with other artists.
 

Alison M Friedman, Acting Executive Director, Performing Arts and Artistic Director, Performing Arts, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), said, ‘With artists like Sakamoto, Freespace is here to put Hong Kong on the map as Asia’s centre for contemporary performance. Our collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Shiro Takatani ensures local audiences have access to world class performances and local artists have direct connection with the global art world’s leading innovators. We will continue to push creative boundaries and expand artistic practice here in Hong Kong and beyond.’
 

Kung Chi Shing, Artistic Associate (Music), Performing Arts, WKCDA, said, ‘We are truly honoured to be presenting Ryuichi Sakamoto in his new solo performance, marking the return to Hong Kong after 14 years of one of the most important musicians of our time. Sakamoto’s dis·play is a meditative contemplation on tranquillity and chaos, dark and light, time and space. The performance features strikingly beautiful images by Sakamoto's long-time collaborator, multi-media artist Shiro Takatani, which both echo and create another dimension of this powerful and evocative musical work.’

Ryuichi Sakamoto feat. Shiro Takatani: dis·play
 

 Film Screening and Post-screening Talk

*Post-screening Talk is only available on 2 April 2020, after film screening.
 

Do not miss out on programme and ticketing details! Please visit here for more information.
 

Remarks
 

About Freespace
Freespace is Hong Kong’s new centre for contemporary performance in the heart of the Art Park in the West Kowloon Cultural District, presenting multi-genre performances and events. It produces boundary-pushing collaborations and promotes new ways of seeing and experiencing performance. Freespace houses The Box, one of the largest black box theatres in Hong Kong, a flexible space for cutting-edge performances. Two multi-purpose spaces - The Room and The Studio - are designed to be used for creative exchange and artistic collaborations. Lau Bak Livehouse is an intimate bar café presenting live music from Hong Kong and around the world. 
 

About the West Kowloon Cultural District
The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong on forty hectares of reclaimed land located alongside Victoria Harbour. With a varied mix of theatres, performance spaces and museums, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances and cultural events, providing twenty-three hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.