On Another Ground Zero: "Hiroshima"
NEW YORK: 1Future, ARTrepeneurship × The Vanderbilt Republic present Hiroshima: a sprawling immersive curatorial experience, performance series, facilitated knowledge/awareness exchange, and pop-up chashitsu ("tea room"). This multifaceted encounter with the lasting consequences of atomic warfare happens 29 April–12 May 2019 at The Bellewether (222 E. 46th Street 10017), an 8,000ft2 project space in Midtown Manhattan dedicated to site-specific installation/performance immersions and photo/film production.
1Future directors Cannon Hersey & Taku Nishimae, ARTrepeneurship co-founders Alexis & Franklyn Mena, and Vanderbilt Republic creative director × executive producer George Del Barrio will lead an international cohort of artists and collaborators to weave a tapestry of resilience and hope.
This gathering and forum on the necessity of continued social innovation is designed to engage the NYC community (inclusive of urban professionals, young people, artists, students, educators & business/policy leaders) with the interconnected global concerns of our times through the emotional flashpoint that is the August 1945 catastrophe in Hiroshima, Japan.
Participating visual/installation artists include Ken-ichi Asano, Peter Bill + Junchen Huang, Patrick Dougher, Akira Fujimoto, Cannon Hersey, Yugen Hirofumi, Mari Ishiko, and Alexis Mena; performance artists include Junko Ichikawa, Kazuya Kato, and Jill B-lovin + Scott Zoid.
Group & dyadic workshops facilitated by Alexis Mena & Taku Nishimae will foster dialogues designed to offer toolkits for positive change. The chashitsu will operate daily as a site-specific pop-up at the ClearLight Cafe with operations by Brooklyn's own Cassandre Davilmar (founder, Lakou Cafe) and Mari Ishiko (founder, Hiroshima's legendary art space and cafe Gallery Intersection 611).
Curation & lighting/projection design for this suite of interconnected experiences is by George Del Barrio.
1Future media director Taku Nishimae shared, "Ever since I saw an image of shadow people - those who were evaporated by the heat of atomic bombing - etched on the stones in Hiroshima, my journey to uncover these untold stories began. My partner Cannon Hersey and I founded 1Future to create a common ground of dialogue and awareness for our world's most pressing challenges, including nuclear proliferation from a human rights and environmentalism perspective. We encourage people to learn, create, share, and act together, and with these thoughtful artists from Japan and the USA, this is an opportunity to do exactly that."
ARTrepeneurship co-founder Franklyn Mena concurs: "As the shadow people of Hiroshima remind us, it's important to continue the fight against injustice - especially when dealing with human rights and environmental issues. It is time for us to organize and stand together as injustice in any place leads to injustice in all places. A global movement is upon us."
Hiroshima opens 30 April 2019 from 5-10p with solo concerto by Junko Ichikawa at 8p. Tickets are limited and available now: https://hiroshima-opening.eventbrite.com/
The immersive installation and pop-up tea house will be open to the public daily 29 April-12 May 2019 from 10a-6p daily, with a series of performance experiences and facilitated discourses programmed throughout the exhibition's run.
