Awa Surfers: Riding the syncretic dynamics of sound art and traditional Japanese indigo

Abstract

Awa-ai is the indigo plant and dye made famous hundreds of years ago in Japan by the people living and working in the region now known as Tokushima Prefecture. This article explores the core concepts that link the aged traditions of indigo production, processing and dyeing with contemporary sound practice, and outlines the facets of a collaboration in which disparate fields not only coexisted, but used their technological and cultural differences to strengthen one another. Live field recordings, audio interviews and the sounds of Awa indigo production and practice were used in a large-scale, transcontinental installation which featured over 200 pieces of indigo-dyed cloth and multichannel, interactive sound. The collaborative nature of this project allowed the artists involved to understand and conceptualise their work in new ways, and can serve as an example for the ways in which syncretic exploration energises creative thinking and output.