- Metaverse
- Online participation
Transform into an animal and frolic inside the whimsical, toy-like Soultopia.
Saeborg is an artist who creates and performs in her self-made latex bodysuits that serve as an extension of her skin. Driven by a strong desire to transcend the human body and fixed identities such as gender, she dons toy-like costumes of sow and vermin to create worlds where livestock live cheerfully at the bottom of the food chain. Her overwhelming attachment to her characters and her artistry in making them have been highly regarded, earning her the Tokyo Contemporary Art Award (TCAA) 2022-2024, among other accolades.
In this new work commissioned by Theater Commons Tokyo and Theater der Welt, Saeborg produces a metaverse space in which her signature animals live in symbiosis. The “Soultopia” is a play space accessible from anywhere in the world, where the rules of the human world do not apply: everyone is free to transform into animals and frolic together. Participants are invited to play as livestock, communicating beyond the bounds of gender, age, and language, and so enjoying new forms of encounter and interaction that transcend physical contact.
Profile
Saeborg
Born 1981 in Toyama. Based in Tokyo (Japan).
Saeborg, the imperfect cyborg, is half human, half toy.
Saeborg creates latex body suits as extensions of her own skin, deploying them in performances.
Motivated by her strong desire to transcend fixed identities (such as gender) and even the human body itself, she dons bodysuits that caricature sows or insects as toy-like figures, creating playful dystopias composed of the ecosystem’s basest creatures.
Recent exhibitions/performances include “Cycle of L” at the Museum of the Art, Kochi (2020), and “House of L” at Aichi Triennale (2019). She has additionally participated in “DARK MOFO” at Mona Museum, Australia (2019), and The 6th Athens Biennale “ANTI” (2018). All of her pieces to present have been shown in international exhibitions and museums in both Japan and abroad, following premieres at the Tokyo fetish party Department-H.
Dates
Online participation | February 23rd [Thu]-March 5th [Sun]
18:00/20:00
Demonstration at the venue | March 2nd [Thu] -5th [Sun]
14:00–19:00
Performance times
Approx. 60 min.
Venue
Online (VR Chat)
Demonstration | Goethe-Institut Tokyo, Foyer
7-5-56 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052
How to participate
Online participation | Booking essential.
*Reservations are required for both Commons Pass and Online Pass holders. To make a reservation, please access the URL on the dedicated page sent to your email upon purchasing your pass.
Demonstration at the venue | No reservation is required. Show general admission pass on entry.
*You can experience a part of the Metaverse with the VR headsets provided at the venue.
Also, you can move freely within the Metaverse space, but please be aware that this is a demonstration version and the experience will be different from the actual work.
Please note:
・This work is experienced through a PC, PC VR, or Oculus Quest 2.
・Registration for an account on VR Chat is required to participate.
・This work may not be accessible if your system is not compatible with the program, VR Chat. The minimum/recommended computer configurations for using VR Chat are as follows. (If you do not meet the requirements below or do not have the appropriate equipment, please visit Goethe-Institut Tokyo to experience the demonstration version). Please make sure that your PC and software environment are compatible with VR Chat’s minimum/recommended one before you reserve the slot.
Minimum Requirements
OS Windows 8.1, Windows 10
CPU Intel i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 equivalent or greater
Memory 4GB or more
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 970 / AMD Radeon R9 290 equivalent or greater
Recommended Requirements
OS Windows 10
CPU Intel i5-6500 / AMD Ryzen 5 1600 equivalent or greater
Memory 8GB or more
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 580 equivalent or greater
*Please note that you cannot experience the work on MacOS.
Language
Japanese and English
Credit
Concept and Design | Saeborg
Dramaturg | Sebastian Breu
Metaverse Production | Rhino Studios
Venue Support | Goethe-Institut Tokyo