Tokyo's Meguro River turned into a four-kilometre "instrument" for a nighttime sound installation

In Tokyo, the Meguro River is set to become the stage for an unusual art project blending urban space and sound art. Titled "Meguro River Night Ambience," the event runs from September 4 to 22, organized by the nonprofit Tokyo Sea Trip and co-produced by the company epigram.

At the center of the project is KAZE — body, a sound installation by Japanese artist Rei Kunimoto, born in 1991. Described as a "sound sculpture," the work consists of countless metal plates mounted on a boat that will travel roughly four kilometers of the river, from Tennōzu to the front of Hotel Gajoen Tokyo. Moved by the wind, the plates knock against one another to produce tones that make an otherwise invisible energy — the current of urban life — audible. The boat will sail each evening from 6 to 9 p.m. on September 4–6 and 18–22, with viewing spots set up along riverside paths, including the Gotanda waterfront plaza.

Kunimoto's practice has long examined the relationship between natural forces — wind, gravity, flowing water — and human perception of space, working across engineering, sculpture and spatial design. He has previously staged sound installations and live performances in Japan as well as in the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan and the United States.

The project extends beyond the boat itself: speakers mounted on streetlights at the Gotanda plaza will echo sounds synchronized with KAZE — body, while a documentary on the making of the work, co-created by Kunimoto and Kaori Yamane, will be projected onto the riverbank on opening night, September 4. On September 12, a one-day live performance will take place at Higashi-Shinagawa Seaside Park, featuring Kunimoto alongside Tatsuro Murakami & Shin Araki and Shöka feat. Kei Matsumaru, performing on a floating stage, with free admission.

By recasting an everyday urban waterway as a giant "instrument," the project invites audiences to experience sound not from a fixed vantage point but through walking — turning the act of following the river itself into part of the artwork.

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Written by the ADM desk based on 美術手帖. Read the original article for the full story.