Calligraphic and Musical Performance

Rooted in the essential connection between the calligraphic gesture and breathing, Fukareta Kotoba makes breath the driving force of a hybrid performance blending music and visual arts. Within a unique scenic and dramaturgical setup, the audience is placed at the very center of the artistic interactions.

“From the very first moments of my brief initiation into Japanese calligraphy, I felt how deeply the calligraphic gesture is tied to breathing — in the impulse of the movement, its precision, the way it unfolds, the way it imprints, like music, a dense material or, on the contrary, something lively, delicate, airy, suspended, and the way it resolves.
On a psychological and symbolic level as well, the written word is the trace of breath.

It is on this essential connection that the calligraphic and musical performance Fukareta Kotoba is built. And on the joyful artistic and human correspondences born during my 2024 residency at Villa Kujoyama with my collaborators: master calligrapher Hiroshi Ueta, and conductor, percussionist, and composer Yannick Paget.

What leaves a trace within us? This question also shapes the scenic and dramaturgical device that places the audience at the heart of the artistic exchange and offers them a few delightful surprises.”
— Maguelone Vidal