Monozukuri vol. 2: Engeki Quest – Sounds of Meias

 

“To all adventurers: What you will find is up to you, we wish you good luck!”

INFORMATION

Easy Japanese

Exhibition title: Monozukuri vol.2: Engeki Quest – Sounds of Meias
Place: Art Museum & Library, Ota
Time: July 12 – September 15, 2025
Closed on Mondays (except July 21, August 11 and September 15) as well as on July 22 & 29, and on August 12 & 26
Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (Entry until 17:30)
Admission: 500 yen (400 yen), includes 1 copy of “Book of Adventures”
[Admission in parentheses is for groups of 20 or more, as well as for holders of a membership card of the Art Museum & Library,Ota, or a Furatto Ryomo Tobu Free Pass. Admission is free for children below high school age and seniors aged 65 or above, as well as for holders of a physical or mental/intellectual disability certificate, including one accompanying person each. On Ota Family Day (every 1st Sunday of the month), admission is free for families with one or more children up to junior high school age.]

Organizer: Ota City, Ota City Culture & Sports Promotion Foundation
Support: NOMURA FOUNDATION
Special cooperation: Asahi Knit Industrial Co., Ltd., Inoue Co., Ltd., Terauchi Co., Ltd.,  Mountain Deer, i-planning
Cooperation: AI Lab Ota, Akatsuki Co., Ltd.

Exhibition Outline

“Engeki Quest – Sounds of Meias” by orangcosong (Minori Sumiyoshiyama + Chikara Fujiwara), takes place in the Gallery spaces of the Art Museum & Library, Ota, and in the surrounding streets of Ota.
“Engeki Quest” is an art project in which each visitor becomes an adventurer who explores the city, equipped with the game-book format “Adventure Book,” and taking clues from the text fragments and choices it contains. As part of the project, 27 individual editions have been realized in a total of 15 cities in Asia, Europe and Africa since 2014.
On the museum’s request, orangcosong stayed in Ota for an extended period of time to conduct research related to the development of the meriyasu (Meias) knitting industry in Ota after World War II. The members roamed the streets observing the sceneries and human activities in Ota City, and listening to the residents’ stories, and as a result, completed the 28th edition of “Engeki Quest, titled “Sounds of Meias.”
On display here are previous works from the “Engeki Quest” archive, as well as video footage and documents the artists discovered during their research for this project. We hope their exhibition will be an opportunity for you that inspires a new encounter with this city.  
“To all adventurers: What you will find is up to you, we wish you good luck!”

“Engeki Quest” is a flaneur-style walking project in which participants explore places of their choice in the city, following instructions in a “Adventure Book.”

Things to see and do at the exhibition
There are displays at the museum’s three galleries (G1, G2, G3).
G1: “Engeki Quest” and other projects by orancosong
G2: Materials related to Ota Meias (knitting)
G3: “Monozukuri vol. 2: Engeki Quest – Sounds of Meias”: Here you can pick up your “Adventure Book,” and continue to roam the surrounding streets as an adventurer.
(Playing “Engeki Quest – Sounds of Meias” will take approximately 180-210 minutes, but skipping some of the parts will cut the duration down to about 90 minutes.)

Route
You may either start your adventure slowly by working your way from G1 to G3, or plunge right in from G3, and return to the museum/library to view the displays at G1 and G2 later.
Please note that valid tickets for the day are required for entering the exhibition venues.
Adventures outside the museum may be interrupted/resumed at any point.

Considering recent temperatures, we advise that you take your time, and make sure to rest frequently and stay hydrated especially during your outdoor adventure.  

Featured artists

orangcosong (Minori Sumiyoshiyama + Chikara Fujiwara) 
Formed in 2019. Based in Yokohama, their activities are based on both members’ experience in the field of performing arts, mainly in the form of art projects at places other than theater halls. For their name, the duo combined the Indonesian words “orang” (human, person) and “kosong” (empty), and have been operating as an artist collective with additional associate members since 2024.

Chikara Fujiwara
Born 1977 in Kochi. Conceived “Engeki Quest” in 2014 as a project that revolves around two central themes: the “invisible wall” between people that emerges as a result of discrimination and prejudice, and “mobility/gravity” related to international travel and local attachment. Saison Fellow, The Saison Foundation (2017-20); East Asian Culture Ambassador for the Agency for Cultural Affairs (2017); part-time lecturer at Kanagawa University (2023-).

Minori Sumiyoshiyama
Born 1986 in Osaka. After studying architecture and urban history, she commenced her activities as a dancer and interdisciplinary artist. “Hitsudankai – From now/here, Silence,” a piece performed in complete silence, has been traveling around the world. She has been involved in the developent of “Engeki Quest” since 2017.

 

Engeki Quest – Liebende in Düsseldorf, 2016 Photo: Christian Herrmann	Engeki Quest – Agents of the Fog in Milano, 2024 Photo: Lorenza Daverio

 

Engeki Quest – Les voix des fontaines de Lausanne, 2021　 Photo: orangcosong	Engeki Quest – Takatsuki Art Time “inter-lude”, 2022 Photo: Yoshikazu Inoue

 

Conducting research at Ota　Photo: orangcosong	Conducting research at Ota　Photo: orangcosong

 

Conducting research at Ota　Photo: orangcosong	Conducting research at Ota　Photo: orangcosong

Related Events

1.Artists’ Talk Session
(reservation required)
The two members of orangcosong, this time’s featured artists, talk about the works in their exhibition.  
Time: July 12, 13:00-14:00 (doors open at 12:30)
Guests: orangcosong (Minori Sumiyoshiyama + Chikara Fujiwara)
Place: Gallery
Limited to 20 visitors
Admission free (exhibition ticket required)

2.Talk Session “Body in the Streets”
(reservation required by 8/9)
The two members of orangcosong and special guest Asa Ito, an expert in aesthetics and contemporary art who has been conducting research related to the human body and its perception of the outside world, share their thoughts on “what happens between the city and ‘adventurers’ who roam the streets as part of their ‘Engeki Quest’ experience.”   
Talk guests: Asa Ito (professor at the Institute of Science Tokyo), orangcosong (Minori Sumiyoshiyama + Chikara Fujiwara)
Time: August 17, 16:00-17:30 (doors open at 15:30)
Place: Audiovisual Hall, 3F
Limited to 50 visitors
Admission free

3.Enjoy the Museum with Infants
(reservation required by 8/3)
This is an event for parents with babies to enjoy a relaxed tour around the exhibition.
Time: August 24, 13:30-14:30 (doors open at 13:20)
Place: Gallery
Limited to five groups of infants aged 3-12 month + up to two accompanying persons (one infant per group)
Admission free for infants, exhibition tickets required for accompanying persons

4.Curator’s Gallery Talk
(no reservation required)
The curator in charge explains the exhibits.
Time: July 19, 11:00 (duration appr. 40 min.)
Place: Gallery
Limited to 10 visitors
Admission free (exhibition ticket required)

5.Art Walk for Kids
(no reservation required)
Participating children can enjoy a casual walk around the exhibition while talking with the curator.
Time: August 10, 11:00 (duration appr. 40 min.)
Place: Gallery
Limited to 10 visitors (elementary school students)
Admission free for children, exhibition tickets required for accompanying persons

For programs 1 – 3:
Reservations can be made from April 22, 10:00, via a reservation form on the museum’s website. If the number of reservations exceeds capacity for the respective event, participants will be determined by lottery. Results will be announced no later than two weeks prior to the day of the event.
To make your reservation, please fill out and send the forms below.

1.“Artists’ Talk Session” reservation form
2.“Body in the Streets” talk session reservation form
3.“Enjoy the Museum with Infants” reservation form

After completing your reservation, you will receive a notification by email from the museum.
Please set your email settings to receive messages from “artmuseumlibraryota.jp.”

For programs 4 & 5:
Please come to the Information Desk by 10:55 on the day of the event (first come, first-served)