Weekend Passport: Japanese Artists Participate In Cultural Exchange

From left to right: Jerome McDonnell, Nari Safavi, Hiroshi Mehata, Tsutomu Hanaki, Tatsu Aoki
From left to right: Jerome McDonnell, Nari Safavi, Hiroshi Mehata, Tsutomu Hanaki, Tatsu Aoki Jenny Friedland / WBEZ
From left to right: Jerome McDonnell, Nari Safavi, Hiroshi Mehata, Tsutomu Hanaki, Tatsu Aoki
From left to right: Jerome McDonnell, Nari Safavi, Hiroshi Mehata, Tsutomu Hanaki, Tatsu Aoki Jenny Friedland / WBEZ

Weekend Passport: Japanese Artists Participate In Cultural Exchange

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Every Friday, our Global Citizen Nari Safavi stops by for Weekend Passport, when he shows us how to travel the world without ever leaving Chicago. Today’s installment takes us to Hokkaido in northern Japan. Asian Improv Arts Midwest, the Hairpin Arts Center and the NPO Tokachi International Cultural Exchange Center in Hokkaido, Japan are all collaborating to bring a set of artists from Hokkaido to Chicago for three weeks of cultural events exploring what one of America’s northernmost major cities has in common with northern Japan. As part of this exchange, renowned Chicago-based musician Tatsu Aoki is hosting a show at Elastic Arts this Friday and Saturday, when his New Japan Ensemble will unite experimental musicians and sound artists from Chicago and Tokyo. Tatsu joins today’s show to talk more about the project and tonight’s show, alongside Tokyo-based sound artist Hiroshi Mehata and Tsutomu Hanaki, the founder of the NPO Tokachi International Cultural Exchange Center in Hokkaido.