JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is pleased to announce the “BAKERU: Transforming Spirits” exhibition extension, due to its popularity since the world debut on July 17, until October 20.
The complimentary interactive exhibition, inviting visitors to step into the supernatural world of Japanese folk traditions from the northern region of Tohoku, Japan, through the use of motion capture technology, is one of the most popular exhibits at JAPAN HOUSE welcoming a wide range of visitors throughout the summer.
New related programs coinciding with the extended exhibition period – including a gastronomy event and mask-making workshops – will offer an immersive cultural experience showcasing the Tohoku region.
The BAKERU exhibition is participatory where guests bakeru (transform) into projected characters wearing special masks with sensor stickers made in Japan, and become a part of several festival scenes reimagined and created by WOW, a preeminent Japanese creative art and visual design studio. The creators hope to enhance the understanding of regional cultures, particularly those from Tohoku, which place strong emphasis on the transformative power of nature upon which people’s lives depend. Conceived and created after the devastation of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami – which accelerated depopulation and fragmentation of local communities, threatening the continuation of festival traditions – the BAKERU exhibition harnesses interactive digital technology to provide broader access to local culture to audiences beyond the region, including younger, digital-native generations.
The space also showcases the connection between the long-lasting folk traditions and the fast-advancing digital technology, between the northern region in Japan and the world, and between the everyday space and the space of festivities.
Related fall programs
Japanese Food Lab Presents Tohoku Izakaya Night
Date: October 6
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Venue: JAPAN HOUSE Salon, Level 5
Fee: $65
BAKERU Mask Making Workshop
Date: Daily, while supplies last
Time: 12:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Venue: JAPAN HOUSE Sub-Gallery, Level 2
Fee: $5
Through October 20, consumers can post a museum selfie using the hashtags #JapanHouseLA and #BAKERU to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter for a chance to win their own personal Bakeru mask. For more information, follow JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
BAKERU: Transforming Spirits is made possible in collaboration with the following:
Presented and organized by JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles. Sponsored by ANA (All Nippon Airways) and Panasonic. In cooperation with Gyouzanryu Maikawa Shishiodori, Tokyo Shishiodori, Oga City, Baba no Taue Odori Preservation Society, FabLab Sendai FLAT, Fukunaga Print Co., Ltd., cap LLC. and Ito Yutaka. Art direction by WOW. Curatorial support provided by tateito-yokoito LLC. and Tohoku Standard. Special thanks to Hollywood & Highland.
