Performances

BRAIN

• Photo: Hikaru Toda
• Visual image: Mitsuru Tokisato

Profile

• Formed 1983 in Osaka, Japan. Based in Osaka, Japan.

TAIHEN is a performance group founded by Kim Manri, in Osaka 1983. All of the members have physical disabilities. The group places value precisely on their bodies considered “deformed” and their crawling over the floor in a way deemed “ugly.” They have unswervingly continued to pursue the nature of bodies with disabilities. Their expression is an act of resistance to the outlook on beauty constructed by bodies that walk erect on two legs, and all the attendant social norms and biases. This has confronted audiences by making them question what “ugliness” and “beauty” are. Besides being staunchly supported by the late Ohno Kazuo, one of the legendary Butoh dancers, their incomparable physicality has had a significant influence on literature, philosophy, sociology, activism, and other aspects.
This new work by TAIHEN confronts the brain with the bodies of disabled people that do not follow its orders and are detached from its control. It is an attempt to depict the history of the twisted and tangled relationship between the body and the brain, in response to the present social situation, in which artificial intelligence is in the process of affecting every facet of our lives. BRAIN is a collaboration with Tokisato Mitsuru, who has a keen interest in bodies and creates installations and live performances applying AI technology. Through it, TAIHEN is taking up the challenge of a new work that looks at how our respect for our existence (life) can be preserved in contemporary society.

Selected Performances

2023

“We came from Africa,” ABC Hall (Osaka, Japan)

2022

“Song of White Petals,” AI HALL (Hyogo, Japan)

2021

“Wandering Love” (trilogy), Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting 2021 (Kanagawa, Japan)

2005

“The Legend of Maha-Laba Village,” Theater der Welt (Stuttgart, Germany)

1997

“DEPARTED SOUL,” 11. Berner Tanztage (Switzerland)