the discussion before the realization

"It was one of the first projects I started after the COVID lockdown.
Do you remember those days?
We were still wearing masks and had to keep our distance and remain silent. At least in Japan, it was like that.
The COVID had literally shut us up, on multiple levels. I mean this phenomenon was affecting me and probably a lot of you physically. I was also feeling that it was creating and reinforcing a certain metaphysical condition that actually has been there for a very long time
but I became ...more… aware of…our...VOICELESS-NESS
So I thought this is the moment to realise one of my long time wishes as an attempt to raise A VOICE. it was more of a survival instinct rather than a resistance, there was not much politics that pushed me to do this project or a prayer or a wish or an encouragement or a message, to simply put, to this world that I felt becoming more distanced from..."

an excerpt from NEVER BE NO VOICE - a reflection on a collective voice, 2023"

NEVER BE NO VOICE is a practice based research project, on collectivity and voice. The idea is to gather a group people, preferably with various backgrounds, with open mind and ears. The group would be working together during the given period; sharing thoughts, reflecting together about “collectivity”, “voice” and “collective voice”, making exercises to realize a collective voice that would possibly last very long.
The result of the sessions are fully open. Even what the “voice” is can be redefined, something other than the sound produced from our vocal cords, our inner thoughts or sign language for example. Depending on the size and type of group, the numbers of the sessions and what comes up during the sessions, it can vary itself conceptually, physically, politically, artistically, musically and in other directions. It is a thinking through listening and voicing, or a non-conventional approach or an improvisation of a search for a unique depth of sonic materiality of voices. Therefore, the focus of the project is not on the quality of the composition nor the level of musicality of the outcome in the straight forward sense the most; however, the project aims to experiment on what could possibly be sonically understood when being vibrated with-in the result of all that would be shared among the group by listening and raising a collective voice.

This session was consisted of workshop, self study materials for listening, tutorial video for breathing, discussion, rehearsal, performance/recording session.

voices of session 01: mamoru, Ryota Hirayama, Kirara Takeda, Miu Hatanaka, Haru Hosoe, Naoko Matsuda, Ayaka Kudoh, Syu Fukuta, Yoshiki Wada, Nao Miyamukai, Ryunosuke Hayakawa, Kira Nakamura, Ryota Otake, Dotto Marco, Ryoga Seko, Shogo Yamamoto
curator: Maki Nishida
production: Nagoya University of Arts Art and Design Center (Takeshi Ichikawa, Moe Ichihara, Mayaka Yamamoto, Junko Isobe)
organization: Nagoya University of Arts Art Division
filmed: Ryohei Tomita, Kohki Ohno
recorded: Ryohei Tomita, Kohki Ohno, mamoru
edited:Ryohei Tomita, mamoru

ACT1: NEVER BE NO VOICE, 13.09.2023
(performance/filming session, 2021)
documentation, 15'13": https://youtu.be/7yv0vsl29QA

The instruction for the ACT1.
[bring your voices]
do your breathing and tuning and find your voice of the day.
concentrate strongly on your voice
bring your voice to the venue
keep concentrating on your voice
do not talk to anyone until you reach the venue and the performance starts

[raise your voice but very gently]
after the sign, all of you would start humming your own voices
loud enough for yourself to listen to
then gradually raise the volume a little by little

note: the voices will meet, probably make conflicts, be merged, or a voice may dominate and gather other voices etc observe the movement carefully and keep raising your voice

[listen to each other and make a voice/can a song be born?]
after the sign, all of you would start listening to each other intensely
change your intention from "my voice" to "our voice"
follow the movement if you hear it
keep raising your voice

note:maybe some of you may get inspired and start dancing their voices
one may join afterwards as well
make movements if you hear them
several groups of voices may also be formed

[give your voices back to the silence]
after the sign, make your voice as loud as you would feel ok to
then with the next sign, cut the voice
listen to the resonance as it would disappear
listen very carefully to how your voices go back to their own silence

ACT2:TO THE EAST, CARRY YOUR VOICE, 13.09.2023
(performance/filming session, 2021)
documentation, 18'52": https://youtu.be/ecgUIM84z9g

The instruction for the ACT2.
discuss how to carry the voice to the east
decide the route
carry it out

note: raise your voice inside the gallery in the west-campus
walk to the gallery in the east-campus
when the signal is given after everyone arriving the gallery in the east-campus
each one would hold their voices as long as possible
all the breath would run out, and then it is finished.

NEVER BE NO VOICE - a reflection on a collective voice
(stereo sound, 14'55", 2023)
listening link on Youtube

this audio work(monologue mixed with soundscapes) was made for LISTENING BIENNIAL 2023.

(c) 2023 a few notes production