Introducing Original Cultures

Since leaving Japan last year I’ve been working on a project to try and bridge the gap between the art scenes in Japan and Europe. At first I was looking at the music scene, as this is the area I’ve spent the most time working on for the last 7 odd years. The project started taking shape when I was in Italy, it evolved and now it is officially launched. I am very proud and happy to introduce to you Original Cultures: a non-profit project that aims to facilitate and promote cultural exchange between Japan and European countries through the medium of modern performing arts.

The countries currently involved in the project are the UK, Italy and Japan, and the performing arts fields are music and visual arts (painting, street art etc…). The project will hold its first event, our pilot, in the first week of June in Bologna, Italy, from June 3 to 6. Six artists will take part in the pilot, representing each country and taking part in a variety of activities including workshops, seminars, a live showcase and an art installation at the Bologna Music Museum. The artists are: Will Barras (UK), Ericailcane (IT), DEM (IT), 2tall / Om Unit (UK), Tayone (IT), and Tatsuki (JP).

You can view a trailer for the pilot below:

For full details of the project, pilot and more visit the website, www.originalcultures.org and check the links below:
An introduction to Original Cultures
Original Cultures pilot information
Original Cultures activities
Artists bios and info

Any support you can give this would be greatly appreciated – spread it on the internet, tell your friends, tell their friends etc… Become a fan on Facebook, friend us on Myspace, follow us on Twitter, holla on Flickr, view us on Youtube or Vimeo.

Any press/promotional/sponsor related queries can be sent to me. Contact details are on the site or contact me via the blog. You can download a press release for the pilot here.