An Encounter with Bamboo

 

 

During a tour of Japan in 2019, I had the opportunity to perform with Japanese musicians, some of whom played traditional instruments: Setsuhi Shiraishi (Japanese calligraphy), Oshun Tsukagoshi (ikebana), Rieko Fujitaka (biwa), Naoto Yamagishi (percussion), and Senshi Matsunami (shamisen).

 

During that trip, I was invited by the artist Aya Necomura to play the cello at a family ceremony in the inner courtyard of low-rise houses in the suburbs of Tokyo. We performed with two Japanese artists—dancers and shinobue (transverse bamboo flute) players— I was immediately captivated by the sound of these instruments—their depth and lightness, the sense of both closeness and distance, and the presence and devotion that the artists and the audience brought to the performance—a blend of solemnity and simplicity in this semi-public space, where occasionally a neighbor or the mail carrier would walk through the courtyard.

 

 

On the advice of my hosts in Tokyo, I was able to acquire one of these flutes; my first breath into the bamboo—or at least the first time it resonated—was a defining moment for me. Some time later, thanks to my encounter with Peter Putz in Berlin, I began playing the shakuhachi (a vertical bamboo flute), Each hesitant note surprised me, like something blossoming; then the range of bamboo’s acoustic properties—which I continue to explore—resonated with my research into sound and electroacoustics.

In South Korea, I later discovered the danso, another vertical bamboo flute smaller than the shakuhachi, with its own delightful timbres.

 

 

Practice

 

I was then able to develop this practice, both through artistic encounters and collaborations, as well as through a daily personal practice grounded in deep breathing and sound exploration. Although it is not played traditionally by Zen Buddhist monks, as is the case in Japan with the shakuhachi, its practice is linked to meditation.

 

 

 

Now

 

Outdoors,

Well-suited for outdoor performances—whether in nature, as in our duet with Yurika Saito, “Listening to the Trees,” or in public spaces—these flutes align with my approach, which seeks to move beyond the studio or concert hall and open music up to external sounds, as well as to diverse and unexpected audiences.

 

Reduction & Movement,

In my work with dance, movement becomes possible, blurring the line between dancers and musicians.

 

Air, Lightness, Environment,

The fact that these flutes allow us to do without personal vehicles brings a sense of lightness that is particularly timely given current environmental concerns.