Posted November 2, 2018 by Jonelle Patrick3 Comments Awesome Stuff To Do

Smart Illumination Yokohama 2018: ALL THE YES

Woo hoo, it’s time for the annual art-as-entertainment Yokohama Smart Illumination 2018! This year, for some reason it took a giant leap in quality, and although the artspeak “explaining” each piece is equally opaque in Japanese and English, you don’t need to know what the artist was trying to say in order to have a hella good time wandering around and ogling them.

Okay, first of all, the feet. They’re so big, you can go inside. And the colors constantly change, to a soundtrack of footsteps and waves:

This wireframe wonderland sort of makes you feel like you’re in The Matrix (if The Matrix had stuffed bears biting trout and antlers on the walls, that is.) “View Tracing” by Takayuki Mori

The illuminated suit man (Junichi Kusaka) made his annual appearance, and I spotted him making music at another art installation where you can play air drums & guitar. (“Star Jam Street” by Tetsujin Audio-Visual)

I stopped in front of this one for a long time, totally captivated by the ever-changing laser show

Here’s a little hypno-video, so you can see why:

(If anyone knows the name of the artist who made this, please tell me! I can’t find it on the website)

This is a very cool “light graffiti” installation, where you can draw with a light pen. The cool thing about the pens is that they work just like real tagger spray paint – the closer you hold the pen to the wall, the sharper the line, but if you pull away, it gets airbrushy. (“Luminous Graffiti” by Nakagawa Chemical)

But by far my favorite thing at the Smart Illuminations was this piece of killer projection art called “The Wave” (made by the excellently named group, Fukopoly)

I first encountered it as it flowed across the wide lawn that’s divided by low stone walls…

But from the knoll atop the cafe, you can watch it ebb and flow and pour through the gap in the walls in an ever-changing sea of dreams

Here it is in motion, from down on the ground and from up above:

This unexpectedly entertaining floating ball piece is inside the cafe – the balls move mysteriously through the air, and only by looking very hard can you see the twin tracks of filament they’re rolling on (“Ascending and Descending -reflection-” by Rintaro Hara)

I did miss the artist who projected living faces on this building in past years – this year, it changed colors according to sounds captured on the plaza (“Otoiro Rendezvous” by Kyoto Takahashi)

The artworks in the plaza are an easy-to spot beacon from the street, so it’s not hard to find the site, once you get close.

If you haven’t already guessed what I’m going to say in conclusion, here it is: if you’re in Tokyo right now, GO SEE THIS. It’s seriously worth the trek, and also seriously FREE. It’s on through Sunday, November 4, 2018.

Smart Illumination Yokohama 2018

Dates: October 31 – November 4, 2018

Where: Zo-no-hana Park, Yokohama (closest train station is Nihon Odori)

Hours: 17:30 – 21:30

Admission: FREE

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For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, altering the lives of all who possess it…*read more*

“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly newsletter Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

Jonelle Patrick View All

Writing mystery books set in Tokyo is mostly what I do, but I also blog about the odd stuff I see every day in Japan. I'm a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, and a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. When I'm not in Tokyo, I live in San Francisco. I also host a travel site called The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had, so if you're headed to Japan and want to check out the places I take my friends when they're in town, take a look!

3 thoughts on “Smart Illumination Yokohama 2018: ALL THE YES” Leave a comment ›

Content Catnip says:

November 8, 2018 at 12:49 pm

Wow looks mind-blowing! I love your blog Jonelle. My bf and I are planning an exodus out of New Zealand to go there and live, your blog gives me lots more reasons why it’s a good idea.

- Jonelle Patrick says:
  
  November 8, 2018 at 3:12 pm
  
  Yay, I hope you guys make it here! It’s an eye-popping place to live, every single day. And I would love to meet up with you if you do – the best part about writing books set in Japan and blogging about it is meeting other readers who like the same quirky stuff I do. Hit me up if you have questions about making a go of it here! (I don’t post my personal email publicly, but if you really have questions, go to my facebook author page (jonellepatrickauthor) and message me there, and I’ll give it to you!) Wishing you all the luck in the world!
  
  - Content Catnip says:
    
    November 12, 2018 at 3:53 pm
    
    Yes its so nice to make contact with people who like quirky stuff….Japan is the place to be if you love weird stuff. Ill see who your following as Im sure they are also equally interesting