Musubi vol. 3
How can rope return to the body as something older, wider, and tender.
This Friday (May 29th) we will celebrate the third edition of Musubi.
Musubi began as a simple but difficult question:
How can rope return to the body as something older, wider, and tender?
In Japan, rope is much more than rope. It has a strong symbolic and ritualistic meaning. It appears in many cultural and artistic expressions, from Shimenawa to Sekimori stones, from Yamabushi practices to wedding ceremonies.
Musubi is a research project to investigate such roots, a gathering to exchange common experiences and knowledge, and (soon enough!) a publication where we will share what we find.
We started at the beginning of the year with the publication of our manifest, and we have celebrated two gatherings since then. At each event, we have a talk show where we discuss our latest trip, followed by a performance from a guest artist. In the venue we have a selection of pop-up stands where friends and members of our community share their work, products, services, and art pieces, all made with tremendous passion and dedication. We can also enjoy a combination of Tea Ceremony with Takao Omori, and Rope Ceremony, our special interpretation of how rope can be brought back to our bodies in a way that connects directly with a tender and spiritual tradition of connection.
We are interested in rope as a boundary. Rope as care. Rope as attention. Rope as ritual. Rope as a way of meeting the body, the land, and each other.
The hope is not to define rope once and for all. The hope is to create a space where rope can become mysterious again. Inviting again. Sacred again. Simple again. A line between worlds. A bridge between bodies. A reminder that nothing exists alone.
In the third edition of Musubi we will open a space to connect more deeply with both body and mind.
This time, we are honored to welcome the wonderful Butoh dancer Kaoru Okumura, born in Japan and based in Seattle. She will present a special musubi performance in collaboration with Sayako Shiratori.
Music will be performed by the musician collective Jashumon
(Katsuhiko Makino, Dave Kawamura, Toshiaki Komori, and Akaciq).
Combining rare ancient instruments usually seen only in museums, massive analog synthesizers, and digital synthesizers capable of producing strange and intricate sounds, they will create a mysterious and richly individual soundscape.
We will begin the event with a conversation between Ai Aida, Sayako Shiratori, and myself. We will speak about our recent adventure in the Fuji Tainai caves and our research around Yamabushi techniques.
As a special guest, we will welcome Myrsini, who will speak with me about the experience of being tied at Aida Method Studio.
For this edition’s pop-ups, we will welcome two guests.
Edoardo Sferrella will introduce his therapeutic practice, and together we will explore the connection between holistic medicine and rope.
Myrsini will share her latest work, combining artisanal paper-making and digital works, exploring the intersection of memory and dreams.
The venue will be decorated with new textile creations by Ai Aida Textiles. Come and see what Ai has been working on over the last few weeks.
In the lounge, the talented musician Sinister Dexter will create a dreamy landscape accompany the journey. And we will have the privilege to enjoy a superb meal by Pav, whose energy goes beyond food and will definitely cheer you up.
This month flyer was done in collaboration with Yuta Omori, a ceramist artist based in Iga, tying with hemp one of his most recent pieces.
I hope to see you there.
Pablo Aida
Information
Venue: Cube (Azabudai)
Time: Friday 18:00 - 23:00
Entrance (at the door): ¥3.500 (includes a consumption)
If you want to know more about Musubi, you may enjoy reading our Manifesto:
We released the MUSUBI Manifesto in Harukaze
From Jōmon dogū figures and shimenawa, to the ropes of yamabushi ascetics, wedding knots, and koshihimo worn with kimono.