PARIS ¨C Japanese photographer/artist Hiroshi Sugimoto is inescapable in Paris just now, with posters all over the Metro for his ¡°Accelerated Buddha¡± exhibition at the Fondation Pierre Berg¨¦-Yves Saint Laurent and ¡°Sugimoto Bunraku: Sonezaki Shinju¡± (¡°The Love Suicides at Sonezaki¡°) at the Th¨¦?tre de la Ville de Paris ¡ª both part of the city¡¯s Festival d¡¯automne.
Since its launch in 1972, this artistic festival has aimed to present experimental ¡°works of reference¡± ¡ª but how experimental can traditional Japanese puppets performing an 18th-century drama by Chikamatsu Monzaemon actually be? In the hands of Sugimoto, 65, the answer is: Extremely.
Taking this play first staged in June 1703 in Osaka ¡ª just a month after the events that inspired it took place there ¡ª Sugimoto, as its producer/artistic director, has added lyrical and musical accompaniment by the living national treasure, Seiji Tsurusawa, together with video by artist Tabaimo and costumes created from Herm¨¨s silks.
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