Monday 14 March 2011
4:00pm – 5:00pm

Seven Angels

ドリンクレセプション 6:00pm

Daiwa Foundation Japan House

the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation in association with The Opera Group and Ikon Gallery 主催

‘Seven Angels’ is a new opera by composer Luke Bedford and poet Glyn Maxwell. It explores the possibility of a new covenant between humans and the planet in an age of environmental decay, inspired by 17th Century poet John Milton’s epic work ‘Paradise Lost’. Tadasu Takamine, a Japanese artist who is renowned for his controversial and irreverent video displays and installations, has designed sets and costumes of the opera. He has incorporated his work into the fabric of the opera’s visual projections, using his interests in modern society and apocalyptic landscape, in collaboration with The Opera Group, Ikon Gallery and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group.

The opera will tour the UK in summer 2011 in conjunction with an exhibition of Takamine at Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery. Jonathan Watkins, Director of the gallery, joined by John Fulljames, Artistic Director of The Opera Group, discussed with Takamine his work and his interest in working in theatre, particularly on this, his first opera project. The production is supported by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation.

‘Seven Angels’ will premiere at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on Friday, 17 June 2011 and details can be found via the following link: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Information on performances of ‘Seven Angels’ at the Royal Opera House, 12-15 July 2011 can be found through this link: Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House.

コントリビューターについて

Tadasu Takamine

Tadasu Takamine was born in Kagoshima and graduated from Kyoto University of Arts and Music in 1990. His video installations frequently focus on sexuality, humanity and the body. The irreverent and daring nature of his content, particularly at his 2004 exhibition at the Yokohama Museum of Art, ‘Too Far to See’, regularly throws him to the front pages of the arts press. Takamine has hosted solo exhibitions in Osaka, Sapporo, Tokyo, Kyoto, Venice, Paris, Istanbul, Toronto, Birmingham and London.

Jonathan Watkins

Jonathan Watkins has been Director of Ikon Gallery since 1999. Previously he worked as Curator of the Serpentine Gallery and Director of Chisenhale Gallery. His tenure at the Chisenhale Gallery saw a rise in its international profile, with a number of its artists moving on to win the Turner Prize. He was Artistic Director of the Biennale of Sydney in 1998 and has worked internationally in Beijing, Venice, Turin, Milan, Shanghai, Sharjah and Palestine. He was also on the curatorial team for ‘Facts of Life: Contemporary Japanese Art’ (Hayward Gallery, London 2001). Watkins is a prolific writer on contemporary art, his recent essays focusing on the work of artists such as Giuseppe Penone, Martin Creed, Yang Zhenzhong, and Noguchi Rika. He was the author of the Phaidon monograph on Japanese artist On Kawara.

John Fulljames

John Fulljames is Artistic Director of The Opera Group where his recent productions include ‘Into the Little Hill’, ‘Street Scene’, ‘Blond Eckbert’, ‘The Nose’ and the world premieres of ‘Varjak Paw’, ‘The Shops’ and ‘The Birds’. Described by ‘The Telegraph’ as having become “a leading young director by treating every opera in a fresh way”, his interest was first kindled when he saw Simon Rattle conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. A Fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme, John worked extensively as Assistant Director at Glyndebourne, the Royal Opera, Opera North and Grand Theatre de Geneve.