Traveling through the time-space of the library, where knowledge meets sensibility

 
Both based in Canada, Adam Kinner and Christopher Willes have been creating interdisciplinary works that focus on sound and participation in public space. Their collaboration, MANUAL, is an intimate performance that takes place in libraries across the world, in which one performer stages the piece for a single audience member. The venue for this iteration is the Ito Memorial Library at Kyoto City University of Arts, relocated to the east side of Kyoto Station in 2023. Created in collaboration with artists based in the Kansai region, MANUAL gives rise to a singular time and space that can only be encountered here.
The audience member meets with a performer (guide) at a designated location, and together they quietly explore the premises, looking at and reading books, listening to sounds on headphones. The more we focus, the sharper our senses grow and the greater our feeling of immersiveness expands. This series of thrilling experiences occurs covertly, intermingling with the daily life of the facility, which turns a library into a space of heightened awareness.

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Opening times for each date:
0:00 p.m./0:20 p.m./0:40 p.m./1:00 p.m./1:20 p.m./1:40 p.m./2:00 p.m./2:20 p.m.*Performance in English/3:40 p.m./4:00 p.m./4:20 p.m./4:40 p.m./5:00 p.m./5:20 p.m./5:40 p.m./6:00 p.m./6:20 p.m./6:40 p.m./7:00 p.m.
Duration: 45 min

*This performance is for one person each time. No admission allowed for age 14 or under.
Please note that the admission is not allowed when failing to arrive at meeting time (10 minutes before the start of performance). In such case, no change of booking or refund can be made. This performance asks the participant to walk and wear earphones during the performance. There are also scenes in which the participant will be asked to read some texts. The performance will happen in proximity.
If you have difficulty in walking up and down stairs, or wish to cancel your participation, please contact the Kyoto Experiment Ticket Center beforehand.

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Adam Kinner and Christopher Willes

Adam Kinner and Christopher Willes create performances that explore unusual states of sensory awareness. Their work is often staged in public spaces, and informed by an interest in immersive sound, listening, audience perspective, and the possibilities of participatory art. They created MANUAL in collaboration with Montreal based dance artist Hanna Sybille Müller.
 
Photos by Kazuki Yoshimoto