Startbahn Co-Organizes “Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa”, a New Art Festival for Shimokitazawa’s Community from September 10th to 25th

In line with traditional Japanese celebrations of the Moon, a new art festival will premiere giant public art installations, an NFT stamp rally with popular “Mettani” avatar, and much more.

Startbahn, Inc. (Head office: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President: Taihei Shii; hereinafter "Startbahn"), in cooperation with Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (Head office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Koji Hoshino; hereinafter "Odakyu") and the Shimokitazawa Merchants Association, will hold the first Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa art festival under the theme of the Moon, from Saturday, September 10th to Sunday, September 25th, 2022 in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo. We are pleased to announce the unveiling of multiple installations from international and Japanese artists, including Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon and Amanda Parer’s Intrude public art sculptures. The festival also includes an NFT stamp rally of digital artworks and an array of limited menus served by local stores and facilities.



Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa will feature several installations, including ones by international artists who will exhibit in Japan for the first time. A total of 56 local stores and facilities will participate in the festival, offering originally-designed stamp rallies and limited menu items created in collaboration with "Metaani," a popular 3D Japanese avatar. The festival is made to enhance Shimokitazawa’s as a hub of creativity and community engagement, through co-creation and collaborations between artists and local businesses. Visitors will be able to rediscover the charm of Shimokitazawa’s area by touring the neighborhood through exhibitions and giant public art installations, and participate in a special stamp rally of digital artworks and NFTs that can only be obtained on-site at the festival.

■ A large moon installation will light up "Shimokita Line Road Street," and several other exhibitions will open to the public

Luke Jerram, Museum of the Moon at TecArt, Rotterdam, 2017.

Artworks under the theme of the Moon will decorate the streets of Shimokitazawa. Museum of the Moon, a 7-meter-diameter installation by British artist Luke Jerram, based on NASA's moon photo, and Australian artist Amanda Parer’s Intrude (2014), an installation featuring large-scale rabbits, will appear throughout Shimokita Line Road Street, which features a large outdoor space. Parer’s Intrude installation will be displayed in the precincts of Kitazawa Hachiman-jinja Shrine, creating a fantastic projection for appreciating the works. Both works will appear before dusk and at night, and the works themselves will be lit up at night, so audiences can enjoy different atmospheres at different times of the day.


Amanda Parer, Intrude, 2014. ©AXAS News

Shimokitazawa Arts, an art gallery known for exhibiting artworks in line with Shimokitazawa’s natural style, will exhibit paintings by artist and illustrator Yoshiko Hada. At “BONUS TRACK,” a shopping district with an abundance of outdoor space and unique stores, a video work under the theme of "Otsukimi", translated as “moon-viewing”, created by Kazuki Takakura will be projected outdoors. Visitors are invited to enjoy “BONUS TRACK”’s stores’ specialties while appreciating the artist’s work projected on the wall.

In Startbahn’s SRR Project Space, we are pleased to announce two concurrent exhibitions under the theme of the Moon. In SRR Project Space’s main gallery, we are presenting perfect circle (2016), a sound and multimedia installation by Yoichi Kamimura, which was previously exhibited at Aomori Contemporary Art Centre. Kamimura recorded sea sounds during full moon and new moon wave tides at various locations throughout the world, and through his immersive sound and photography installation, visitors will be able to feel closer to the calming forces of nature under the moonlight. At SRR Project Space’s window gallery, we are presenting Counting Sheep, a video projection work by artist, illustrator, performer, and author Masanao Hirayama. His simplistic yet suggestive lines will sing in dialogue with the moonlight, providing a moment of contemplation for visitors. The window projection will only be opened on sunset evenings of sunny days.

In addition, the first SRR Artist Talk, part of our SRR Project Space’s public programs, will be held at Shimokita College with artist Amanda Parer.

We are pleased to present the first SRR Artist Talk with Amanda Parer, on September 11th, from 5pm to 6pm at Shimokita College, located in front of SRR Project Space. All are welcome to attend this talk, with prior reservations required (see details below). The talk will introduce her Intrude installation and speak about the importance of natural elements in urban life. The talk will be conducted in English, and Japanese bilingual staff will be available for support.


Amanda Parer, Courtesy of Parer Studio

■ A total of 56 local stores and facilities will participate in Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa, offering an NFT stamp rally and limited menu items

As a new autumn tradition created together with the local community, Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa will actively involve the thriving Shimokitazawa’s stores, businesses, and facilities at a total of 56 locations, offering an NFT stamp rally of digital works and collaborative limited menus based on the festival’s theme.

The NFT stamp rally is a project to collect digital artworks at a total of 48 facilities and stores that represent Shimokitazawa’s culture and history, including “Honda Theatre” and “The Suzunari,” which have led the theater culture in the area, and “mona records,” a live music house known for representing independent music. By scanning QR codes posted at the stores and facilities, visitors will be led to the "FUN FAN NFT" web application, newly released by Startbahn and Art Beat. They will be able to acquire digital works with their attached NFTs for free. The digital artworks will vary but retain an original design that uses "Metaani," a popular Japanese 3D avatar, popular both in Japan and abroad, crossing and interacting with each participating store’s logo. The first 300 visitors who meet the requirements, including those who acquire five or more artworks through the Shimokitazawa neighborhood walk, will receive a limited-edition NFT videos by “Metaani.”


Digital artwork by Metaani (image sample)

Other stores and facilities in the area will also present moon-themed products and projects, which will result in a variety of goods and performances, such as gourmet food, stationery, theater plays, and movies. For example, the manufacturing space "Shimokita FAB Co-saku Room" will hold a workshop to create original moon-shaped accessories by combining glass and ceramic pieces. In addition, Shimokitazawa Hospital, a center that supports foot health in the community, will hold a photo contest showcasing body parts with "月（moon)" in the kanji Chinese character (e.g., 膝（knee）, 大腿（thigh）, etc.), and winners will receive products. The collected photos will be used to create a mosaic artwork to be displayed at the main entrance of the hospital. The mosaic artwork will be displayed after September 22nd.

■ Outline of Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa

[Name] Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa
[Dates] September 10, 2022 (Sat) - September 25, 2022 (Sun)
The outdoor exhibition will be held in case of light rain, but cancelled in case of rain or strong wind. Any exhibition cancellation will be announced on Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa’s website and official Instagram page.
[Venue] Shimokita Line Road Street, Kitazawa Hachiman-jinja Shrine, facilities and stores in Shimokita area, etc.
[Organized by] Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd., Shimokitazawa Merchants Association
[Co-organized and produced by] Startbahn, Inc.
[Co-organized and cooperation] Samposha Corporation, Kitazawa Hachiman-jinja Shrine, GREENING co.,ltd.
[Art direction] Masashi Murakami ［㎡｜emuni］
[Construction] FUJI ART, INC.
[Sponsor] Arts Council Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture【Life with Art Grant】
[Website] http://moonartnightfes.com/
The information in this press release is current as of the date of publication. Please check the website for the latest detailed information.

■ SRR Artist Talk with Amanda Parer

[Name] SRR Artist Talk: Amanda Parer
[Panelists] Amanda Parer, moderated by Sophie Mayuko Arni (editor and curator)
[Date and Time] September 11, 2022 (Sun), 17:00 - 18:00
[Venue] Shimokita College, 5 Chome-20-16 Daita, 155-0033, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo.
[Organized by] Startbahn, Inc.
[RSVP Reservation Email] If you would like to attend, please email pr@startbahn.jp or sophie@startbahn.jp to confirm your spot. Seating can accommodate up to 30 guests.
[Language] English. Japanese questions can be accommodated during the audience Q&A.

【 Summary of festival 】


② Participating Stores in the NFT Stamp Rally (48 Stores in Total)
(In no particular order)
"Geki" Sho-gekijo／BONUS TRACK／K2／mona records／OFF･OFF Theatre／SHIMOKITA COLLEGE／COUNTER CLUB／The Suzunari／Theatre 711／Shimokita Ekiue／Shimokita Engei／MUSTARD HOTEL SHIMOKITAZAWA／reload／Ekimae Gekijo／Shimokitasenrogai Akichi／Shimokitazawa Chikamatsu／Chikadika／Shimokitazawa MOSAiC／Shimokitazawa SHELTER／Shimokitazawa WAVER／Shimokitazawa Shangri-La／Shimokitazawa THREE／Shimokitazawa BASEMENTBAR／Sho-gekijo Rakuen／Sho-gekijo B1／Horahora／Honda Gekijo

For more information on the NFT stamp rally's activations at the participating stores and facilities, please refer to the Japanese version of this press release.

【 Press Event 】
Odakyu Corporation and Startbahn will hold a press event on September 9th, 2022, a day ahead of the opening of Moon Art Night Festival Shimokitazawa. If you are a press representative interested in covering the event, please submit your request by 18:00 on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.

[Date and time] Friday, September 9, 18:30-21:00
Explanation of the purpose of the project and an overview of the contents will be given by 19:40.

[Venue] Akichi in Shimokita Line Street (Location: 2-33-12 Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo)

• Registration will begin at 18:00 (location details are provided in the reference material of this invitation).
  
  [Schedule]
  (18:30-19:40) Overview of this project, introduction of artworks
  Overview / Q&A
  Takashi Hashimoto, Manager, Area Business Creation Department, City Planning Division, Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
  Taihei Shii, CEO, Startbahn, Inc.
  Masayasu Kashiwa, President, Shimokitazawa Merchants Association
  Amanda Parer, artist of the rabbit balloon art "Intrude"
  Photography session of artworks and public art installations
  Demonstration for NFT stamp rally with digital art at The Suzunari
  
  (20:00-21:00) Viewing of Intrude, by Amanda Parer, rabbit balloon art @ Kitazawa Hachiman-jinja Shrine
  Walk from The Suzunari to Kitazawa Hachiman-jinja Shrine (approx. 12 min, 900 m)
  
  [Requests]
  Please take your temperature and disinfect your skin at the reception desk, and wear a mask when conducting interviews.
  No parking is available. Please come by public transportation.
  In case of inclement weather, we will inform you of the cancellation by noon on the day of the event.
  
  Inquiries regarding the press event should be directed to:
  Ikeda, Taniuchi. Public Relations and Environment Department, Odakyu Corporation
  Phone: 03-3349-2290 Same-day emergency: 090-2560-4471 / 080-8779-5881