August 5, 2021
Bureau of Citizens and Cultural Affairs
Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture

Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13
The Constant Gardeners
First robotic art installation by UK’s Jason Bruges Studio presented in Japan

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture will unveil The Constant Gardeners as part of the Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13.
This installation features industrial robot arms, which act as “the gardeners”, that incorporate the movements of athletes in various sports events into representative patterns on the large-scale gravel canvas.
Enjoy this innovative work that combines robotics, Japanese Zen garden culture and sports, which is the first by the UK’s Jason Bruges Studio to be presented in Japan.

Overview

• Dates
  Wednesday, July 28, 2021 - Sunday, September 5, 2021
• Opening hours
  11:00 - 18:00
• Venue
  Fountain Square, Ueno Onshi Park (3 chome, Ikenohata, Uenokoen, Taito-ku, Tokyo)
• Admission
  Free of charge, no advance reservations required   *Please come directly to venue
• Organizers
  Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture
• Production and Planning
  Jason Bruges Studio
• Support
  British Council
• Website (External link)

* Program contents may be subject to change due to the effects of COVID-19.

Overview of The Constant Gardeners

The Constant Gardeners is the first robotic art installation by the UK’s Jason Bruges Studio to be displayed in Japan.
The installation will produce dynamic patterns representing the performances of athletes on a Zen garden-like canvas, which consists of 18 tons of crushed black basalt and silver-grey granite, using four industrial robot arms that act as “the gardeners”.
Around 150 unique patterns will be created in a series of daily performances throughout the duration of the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Enjoy the history of Japanese culture and art shown in the Japanese Zen garden, which has been reconstructed from a global perspective using robotics.

* The installation will implement various COVID-19 measures. In addition, we ask visitors to cooperate with the measures in place. Please read and comply with the information released on the official website.

About Jason Bruges Studio

Jason Bruges Studio is active internationally as a pioneer in the fields of art, architecture, technology and interactive design, with an experienced London-based team of architects, industrial designers, engineers, visualizers and programmers.

Message from Jason Bruges, Creative Director and Founder of Jason Bruges Studio

We are very proud to present The Constant Gardeners at the Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13. By developing new paradigms in robotics and performative arts, we hope to show how innovative technologies can be used in storytelling. We would like to take this unique opportunity to provide a meaningful experience for everyone in Japan to enjoy.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities. It has been active in Japan since 1953, and conducts activities such as providing English language training for educational institutions and companies, providing information on studying abroad in the UK, and supporting international exchanges in higher education and the arts and culture.
The Constant Gardeners is one of the main programs of UK in Japan, a year of exchange between the British Embassy in Tokyo and the British Council launched in 2019.

About Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL

The Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL is an initiative that will see a variety of cultural programs unfold and promote Tokyo’s appeal as a city of arts and culture in order to liven up the host city of the Olympic and Paralympic Games from a cultural perspective.

• The official website (External link) for details about Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAl.

About Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture) sought a wide range of innovative and creative ideas, as well as ideas in which as many people as possible can participate, that would become the core of the Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL.
 The 13 projects from a total of 2,436 submitted from within Japan and overseas will be collectively implemented under the name “Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13”.

• The official website (External link) for Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13

This project is a part of the "Host City Tokyo Project".
 Category: Appeal communication Project Name: Expansion and promotion of Tokyo cultural programs

*This press release is also available in other languages. (日本語／中文／한국어)

Inquiries

Planning and Coordination Section, Cultural Promotion Division, Bureau of Citizens and Cultural Affairs, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Phone: 03-5320-7735 Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture) Phone: 03-6256-8432