The city is surrounded by fog.
On the memorial day of its foundation,
during a ceremony, a stranger wanders in.
He has come from somewhere through the fog.
This city, Kiri-no-machi, is a floating, moving city,
a world without the notion of sound,
where language is body.
A unique culture has developed,
and everything is designed
for the city's residents’ convenience.
Kiri-no-machi draws near to The Other City as years pass,
but they are separated by a thick wall of fog
and remain unaware of each other.
The man from The Other City
is fascinated by the ceremony in Kiri-no-machi,
as well as its Music.
He gets to know three residents
and begins to live in this city.
Two years pass, and he invites
the three to The Other City or
Hyakusou; One Hundred Layers
an ultra-high-rise megacity
resulting from urban centralization.
Their culture is based on sound,
and people use voice.
On the other hand, due to overpopulation,
noise has become a serious issue,
and extreme silence is required.
He guides the three around the city.
Through encounters with various residents of Hyakusou,
they are called upon to collaborate in a concert...
We are pleased to announce that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture will present three art projects, “TOKYO FORWARD 2025 Cultural Programs”, when Tokyo will host the World Athletics Championships and the Deaflympics.
One of them is “Breathe Move Don't Be Silent”, a stage production in which Deaf and hearing people encounter each other, aiming at “social recognition of the Deaf community and Deaf culture” as well as fostering “mutual understanding between Deaf and hearing people”. The piece, co-created with Tokyo University of the Arts, will be performed on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at the Main Hall of Tokyo Bunka Kaikan.
This will be the world premiere of a completely new work with an original story performed in Japanese Sign Language and Japanese. Deaf people and hearing people, with different cultures and languages, will meet on stage to explore their own “music” for each.
We sometimes become silent because we think we cannot communicate, or we stop moving because we think things will never change. The opportunity to meet each other and create with our hands leads to the unraveling of such stagnation. The world situation and people's perceptions are ceaselessly shifting from moment to moment. What is created when the breathing rhythms of different languages and cultures come together?
We will keep sharing the creative process, discussions and discoveries on our website. Please follow our steps.
This will be the world premiere of a completely new work with an original story performed in Japanese Sign Language and Japanese. Deaf people and hearing people, with different cultures and languages, will meet on stage to explore their own “music” for each.
We sometimes become silent because we think we cannot communicate, or we stop moving because we think things will never change. The opportunity to meet each other and create with our hands leads to the unraveling of such stagnation. The world situation and people's perceptions are ceaselessly shifting from moment to moment. What is created when the breathing rhythms of different languages and cultures come together?
We will keep sharing the creative process, discussions and discoveries on our website. Please follow our steps.
