The Japanese verb kiku has various meanings. It can denote to perceive a sound or voice through the ear, to accept, to ask, and to listen. Another meaning is to distinguish and identify something using senses not limited to the aural. All of these forms of kiku share the concept of perceiving and receiving information. And when we try to find out more about this information, “hearing” evolves into “listening.” That marks the start of inquiry, and is a sign of how the relationship between the sender and receiver of information increasingly deepens.

This project focuses on artistic practices that emerge from inquiries departing from the idea of hearing/listening, and explores their approaches and potential.

The exhibition opens with a section related to Things We Wear: Ideas and Practices for Clothing, Sound, and Environment, a joint research effort by the artist and fashion designer Yoshinari Nishio, sound culture scholar and sound artist Eisuke Yanagisawa, and the exhibition curator, broadly interpreting the concept of clothing and communication, and framing analysis through the relationship between sound and environments. In addition to Nishio and Yanagisawa’s work based on the research theme, there are exhibits of the research process, including actions and studies by Kyoto City University of Arts and Tokyo University of the Arts students, and an experimentation area where anyone can participate in the research.

As examples of academic artistic practices overseas related to hearing/listening, the exhibition features the recent work of the Netherlands-based Femke Herregraven, who completed a new doctorate supporting artist research called Creator Doctus. Herregraven’s exhibit deals with the complex interplay of voice, prediction, AI, illness, community, and death. The exhibition also includes a series by the Hong Kong–based artist Zeng Bo, created in collaboration with two scientists who specialize in biodiversity, soil ecology, and the environmental adaptation of plants. During the exhibition, a series of talks that Zheng Bo gave in Kyoto in March 2023 will be made available online.

These meetings of inquiries attempting to pioneer new knowledge with artistic practices will result in a place for deepening our understanding of hearing and listening.

(Translated by William Andrews)