Tomomi Adachi: Music of sound poetry
Read my interview with Japanese contemporary art music composer Tomomi Adachi. He describes himself as a performer and a composer primarily, but also as a sound poet, because many of his works are connected with the sound of language as well as visual arts. Adachi believes that music is an opportunity to create a whole new universe and he is not afraid to explore many different possibilities to find a new perspective to look at the world. He received the Award of Distinction from Ars Electronica 2019. He composed the world’s first opera which adopted a libretto written by artificial intelligence, for which he won the Keizo Saji Prize in 2022. Tex version of interview is created by Armands Stefans Sargsuns.
How would you define a good musical composition?
There really isn’t any particular criteria. What I’m interested in, when going to a museum, is seeing a possibility of another world or an universe. I want to see a new perspective of what happened in the past and what might happen in the future to see the opportunity of going to a new realm.
I don’t find many interesting things that are happening in the world, but I do remember seeing a performance that transferred me to a different world. The composition used intense sounds that were repeated throughout the piece and, to my mind, it felt like they were coming from outer space. I could understand some parts of the composition, but I struggled to follow some of it too. The experience was something that I would say was beyond my taste, but that’s also what inspires me to keep listening to music and to creating music as well.
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Do you identify yourself more as an intermedia, rather than a multimedia composer?
I’m doing a lot of things and I use many different media and I don’t even need to use sound in my process. My aim is to see the full potential of art and the world, so I’m always trying to find new approaches to creating music as well as new perspectives to see the universe.
I do identify as an intermedia composer. For instance, I can create a scene where I use a video image as music and it’s possible to go the other way around too where music is a part of visual art. Essentially it’s about showing that one media has many different aspects to it and I’m very curious to explore all of those different possibilities.
How did you come to the point of performing your own pieces?
It’s something that usually happens by chance. If someone asks me to perform by myself, then I’ll do it that way. Other people perform my pieces especially if there’s a commision, so it’s a completely different thing then. I believe the main reason why I perform by myself is that it’s easier to express my own emotions and to put intensity in the piece, rather than telling another performer how I would like them to act on the stage. There are times when it takes many tries before I get the form of expression right.
The integration of different media in my work also makes me go back to performing, because it made me think of conventional ways of composing. Over time I’ve realised that voice is the best instrument, because everyone has a voice. I wasn’t necessarily interested in the singing aspect, so this realisation sparked my interest to explore traditional sound poetry to see the connections between speech and music and the visual component of my compositions has a relation to characters or letters from literature. It started as an experiment, but it’s now an extension to my pieces where I can showcase interesting dreams and disciplines in my work.
What inspired you to integrate various forms of media in your compositions?
The most important aspect of my pieces is a concept of sound poetry which is a sound oriented text. The text itself may contain many meanings, but it’s not the main part of the composition. It’s more about the delivery of the text and the experience that the audience receives, so the message is open-ended and it may differ for each person in the room. If you listen to a foreign language that you don’t understand at all, you will still find something you understand, so the use of different media allows me to communicate with the audience to transmit a feeling or an experience.
Why did you start implementing the act of speech in your work?
The fascination began when I started to treat the voice as a medium, because I can explain the musical aspects of my pieces and tell the history of experimental music as it is an important topic I like to talk about. Composers, such as John Cage, were thinking that music is something anyone can create and that’s something I fully agree with. I think voice is the easiest medium, because it’s essentially music and there are many possibilities ranging from singing to speech. If you don’t play music, you can still use speech and this was the idea that developed into a common theme in my work.
How does the process of composing change when you use different kinds of media?
Actually I don’t deny that there’s a possibility of just one conventional way to create things, but that’s just not enough for me. Even if I use a conventional Western notation system, I still have to look at the big picture, because everything is somehow connected. The process doesn’t really change, I just try to shift my focus from one thing to another.
For example, I’m using a sensor system and when I’m talking it captures my movement, so it becomes an extension of my speech. If you don’t try to find any meanings, you’ll still look at the visual image. When I use this technique I can extend the idea and clarify what’s presenting itself at that moment, especially when you can’t really understand whether it’s a part of a dance or music, so I’m very curious to explore the moment when it’s hard to distinguish what is happening exactly.
What is your perspective on concept music?
A lot of my work is an embodied experience. The human body has its limitations, but as much as I’d like to defy the connection between music and the human body, it’s impossible, although the relation may not be very clear. It’s an intellectual way of finding more about the world, but I feel that it’s not enough.
Another part of my work which is actually a complete opposite to conceptual art is site specific music which takes place at a specific time, place and involves specific people, therefore I need to tie all of those aspects to the concept itself. Many of my site specific pieces are made with particular people in mind who have a connection and history to the place and I try to put that into the composition. It doesn’t matter how large the audience or the group of performers is, but the piece loses the abstract nature it may have.
Whenever I try to categorise music, the sole purpose of it is conventionality, but I actually don’t try to distinguish different forms of art. For example, I made a project with Jennifer Walsh and we worked with telepathy and we were trying to improvise with it. We didn’t hear each other, but we made a recording of each session and we’d discuss our performance. In a way you could call this conceptual music, but at the same time the practice and improvisation aspects are important as well. I believe that different styles overlap at some point and they may even be contradictory from time to time.
What are the musical ideas that you like to explore in your compositions?
I have several paths or patterns that I go through while composing. One of the reasons for that might be the fact that I don’t have any professional musical education, but I can still compose and understand harmony, etc. I’m very curious to explore various musical ideas and I try to develop them at once, shifting my focus from one to another over the years.
Have surroundings and upbringing been an influence in your work?
I see the influences in my work, but it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what they are, because I can only live one life at a time. Living in Berlin has been great, but I’ve had the challenge of dealing with the German bureaucracy, because art has a high position in society. It’s a stark difference from Japan where art exists outside of society. I think I’m better as an outsider in Germany, because I’ve had an experience in both of these worlds and now I’ve seen the interaction where art is an object for society and culture. My experience in Tokyo was very different, because my focus was on the underground culture, so having more exposure is quite a shift from the experience in Germany.
Would your music be different if you were a female?
I’m not sure many people would agree, but it doesn’t change that much. As I mentioned before, art exists outside of society in Japan. Misogyny is a big issue in Japanese society, so maybe it’s a good thing that it’s not that popular. Actually I have a name that is more commonly given to girls and that inspired me to tackle the gender issue at the beginning of my career. But if I were born a female, my experience would probably be quite similar.
What is your way of composing?
Commission usually comes first. Then I read books and I try searching for different sources of information, because each piece has some context and getting to know more about it helps me build the composition. It’s not necessarily reading about music, but about many topics, depending on the specifics of each piece.
Generally speaking, I don’t have any audible image or a sound image, the beginning of each piece starts with a tiny idea or a small concept that I develop. Sometimes I make some rules or guidelines that help me go through the process, but if it doesn’t feel right, I will change the approach. In short terms, there’s a research stage, then I move on to the music and visual materials come later on. The latest step would be actually performing the piece or giving the material to musicians.
How has your music changed?
Moving to Berlin did change a lot of things, because I felt very isolated when I lived in Japan which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. When I moved to Berlin, I got a grant from an artist building agency program, so I was lucky to be given an opportunity to meet many people working in the field. The people I met had a very open perception of music and they didn’t try to distinguish different approaches to composing, so it felt like a safe space where I could discuss many different topics with them and also play music with them and that was an amazing experience. The environment helped me develop friendships and I could ask for feedback on the ideas and finding them was a push to keep going, so I believe it made me braver.
What technology do you use for composing?
I’ve been using sensors, but I’ve also taken a lot of interest in implementing AI into my creative process. There was a team that helped with creating it, because I couldn’t do it myself. I do know how to code on various platforms, for example, Arduino and others as well, so I’m quite involved in the technological aspects of my pieces, but I do collaborate with others when the technology exceeds my level of expertise.
How has technology impacted your work?
Japan is a great place in terms of technological developments, because they’re cheaper, more accessible and there’s a huge variety of them, so I tried buying everything there in order to create a gadget or a sensor system. I have to say that the news about science and technology are much more interesting to read, compared to what happens in the art world, because there aren’t many changes or new inventions. Unfortunately, art is getting weaker in that sense and I realise I need to change it.
In general, I must say that the development of technology is astonishing and there are more and more inventions to explore for the creation of music. I’ve used AI in some of my work, but computers are now an integral part of my work and they have made my creative process much easier than before. Everything that happens in the field of technology impacts both the world and society as well, so I see it as a source of inspiration actually.
What do you fear as a composer?
I do have a lot of fear about many things in life, but, surprisingly, none of them concern composing. Creating music kind of feels like a safe space, because I know I will be able to manage whatever comes my way. Performing and composing makes me less afraid to take risks, so I feel a sense of belonging there as well.
Why do you still compose?
I feel that it’s necessary for both myself and the world. Looking at the world, I see a void, a part that’s missing and I’m wondering if I could do something to fill it. It’s like a mission and it feels like someone, not necessarily God, is sending me a message to keep going, although that may not be my intention at times.
How has music and the audience changed in Japan?
also maybe it’s Inc include me because
many people studied I didn’t study it in Europe just I was active in Europe but
it’s actually many young composers studied in Europe it’s somehow quite a
new I said and a lot of people brought it’s the same thing from Europe and
actually even now Europe is a European art music thing is quite open I have to
say because for example I cannot say it was open in 1960s for example it’s the
same Focus only one thing one or two things you know cluster or whatever tone
system and total City and but it’s now it’s many things are out and
this is a quite big change after 2000
because it’s a lot of things it’s it’s been quite open it’s quite become quite
open but also I cannot talk about what other people
thinking because uh actually you know I don’t
know so much about the last 10 years because I was not here uh and because for example it’s a con
financially it’s still extremely difficult it’s not like Germany it’s uh
I have no idea how classical Contemporary Art composer can survive as
a composer maybe nobody can do it and the decision is the same but it’s um
I think I feel some more interesting more different things and diversities
such as quite a bit quite good yeah but what do you think about diversities what do you mean it
you said diversity increase right yeah yeah exactly but in what way right I
don’t know because it is different yeah different techniques or
different influences yes yes because it’s more like uh if I
remember those contemporary classical music in 1990 1990s it’s more like her left over is
very woke the copy of taking its I listen to such kind of music many
times but still it exists but it’s more now it’s more open
more open okay open yes yes to more open to different influences to technology
yes exactly exactly different cultures it’s become more bigger mixture and more
more individual individualities less schools yeah exactly yes and and how
audience change is that audience here
audience right maybe only all musicians is the only audience yeah it’s it’s it’s really
difficult to choose I cannot say so much about how old is is here
because it’s very limited and you know for example okay okay
talk about Bahrain for example is the bearing okay people say it’s always the
same people but it’s if you were there three years there’s a lot of many
different people coming and many people left and it’s always changing and that
kind of Dynamics so for example Tokyo doesn’t have it unfortunately because
it’s border is really closed okay because the last three years because of
covet but for the future you know it’s a
immigrants already Japanese government to reject immigrations and this is a one
reason okay it’s always the same people and and of course these younger people
coming and actually it’s it’s true some foreigners
foreign students they studied in Japanese conservatories and but I’m not
so sure how it is changing and how this change I have no idea
Who is the audience for classical and contemporary art music?
It’s hard to say, because it feels like I know so many of them. Usually the people that attend concerts where classical and contemporary art is played are composers and music students. Surely, there are some music lovers that don’t fall into either of these categories, but enjoy this kind of music.
What is the direction for contemporary art music?
I don’t think I can really talk about the trends, because I’m way more of an outsider, rather than a representative of Japanese contemporary art music and also most of my activity happens outside of Japan. I work with improvisers a lot and they are an integral part of contemporary art music, but they aren’t really seen. For example, there was a festival in Japan I was involved in that focused on visual art, so it wasn’t in the context of music. I wish the festival included artists from the improvised music scene, because it’s very rich and high-quality. The main goal for me is to improve the communication between the artists and festival organisers, so this style of music can finally reach an audience. But generally speaking it’s very difficult to predict what’ll happen next.
What is the role of contemporary art music in society?
Music is a form of art and it can’t be distinguished from others, for example, visual arts. It’s an important thing that helps us see the world from a new perspective, so it should have a role. My wish would be to establish a connection between art that has been created in different parts of the world, such as Europe and Asia. The new generation of composers have studied music in Europe, so I hope we can build a bridge to make something new together.
Selection of music created by Tomomi Adachi:
Photo:
