An Article on the Hindu “Expo of Japanese origin artist in Auroville”
“Expo of Japanese origin artist in Auroville” Japanese-origin Aurovilian Jyoti Naoki Eri becomes a metaphysical explorer of the concept of time as he prepares a contemplative space in which viewers encounter unseen dimensions of reality at an exhibition that began at the Centre d’ Art in Auroville. “Still Here”, is part of the multidisciplinary artist’s ongoing series, “A Time Trilogy” that explores and visualises layered perceptions of time. Rooted in Eastern philosophy and informed by modern science, the works seek a meeting point between spirituality and contemporary thought. “In my artistic practice, time functions as a fundamental medium, shaping conception, process, and creation. Establishing a conscious relationship with time is essential to transforming inspiration into form,” said Mr. Eri. Time, in the physical world, is one of the few universally shared dimensions — beyond ownership or control. Spiritually, however, he experiences time as neither linear nor fixed, but as multidimensional and all-encompassing. The works which draw from Eastern landscape traditions such as “Sansui” blur the boundary between subject and background. Nature dominates the frame, while human presence is minimal or symbolic, accentuating the inner state and a spiritual dimension. For the artist, these landscapes reflect his inner states and invite the viewer into the work, rather than positioning them as a distant observer. This approach is central to Archaeology of Transcending Light (A.O.T.L.), in which he reimagines landscape through contemporary abstraction, inspired by introspection and an inward process of concentration. In this sense, the act of discovering the self feels like an archaeological excavation — as if uncovering ancient treasures, “where past and future appear fluid and, ultimately, interchangeable”. The Japanese concept of “Ma”, or the space between, deeply informs the artistic engagement. “I understand Ma as a realm where duality comes to rest, where silence, space, and subtle perception allow meaning to emerge. In Tibet, the intermediate state between life and death is called Bardo — a realm in which different forms of life force are encountered and engaged. I find these cultural connections deeply resonant,” said Mr. Eri. In his upcoming exhibition, Jyoti plans to showcase around 30 – 40 pieces of his recent paintings alongside recent ceramic works, several sound art installations featuring handcrafted speakers he designed and built. These sound installations focus on atmosphere, frequency, and silence rather than structure, inviting deep listening and introspection. The exhibition will also include related events, such as a sound bath experience, a Japanese tea ceremony, and an artist’s talk with a slideshow. The expo is on till March 11 (Tuesday to Friday 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.).
(日本語訳)
「オーロヴィルで日本出身アーティストの展覧会」
日本出身のオーロヴィリアンであるジョティ・ナオキ・エリは、オーロヴィルのセンター・ド・アートで始まった展覧会において、鑑賞者が現実の見えない次元に出会うための瞑想的空間を用意し、「時間」という概念を探求する形而上学的な探検者となっている。
「Still Here」は、このマルチディシプリナリー・アーティストによる継続的シリーズ「A Time Trilogy（時間三部作）」の一環であり、時間に対する多層的な知覚を探求し視覚化する試みである。東洋哲学に根ざしつつ現代科学の知見にも影響を受けた本作は、精神性と現代的思考の接点を模索している。
「私の芸術実践において、時間は構想、プロセス、そして創造を形づくる根本的な媒体として機能しています。時間と意識的な関係を築くことは、インスピレーションを形へと変容させるために不可欠です」と江里氏は語る。
物理的世界において、時間は所有や制御を超えた、数少ない普遍的に共有された次元のひとつである。しかし精神的には、彼は時間を直線的でも固定的でもない、多次元的で全体的なものとして体験している。
作品は「山水」に代表される東洋の風景表現の伝統を参照し、主題と背景の境界を曖昧にする。画面では自然が主役となり、人の存在は最小限あるいは象徴的に扱われ、内面的状態や精神的次元が強調される。これらの風景は作家自身の内面の反映であり、鑑賞者を遠い観察者としてではなく、作品の中へと招き入れる。
このアプローチは「Archaeology of Transcending Light（A.O.T.L.）」の中心的理念でもあり、内省と内向的な集中のプロセスに触発され、現代的抽象表現を通して風景を再構想している。この意味において、内なる自己の発見という行為はまるで考古学的発掘のようであり、「過去と未来が流動的に現れ、最終的には相互に入れ替わり得る」かのように感じられるという。
また、日本の概念「間（Ma）」—すなわち“あいだの空間”—が制作に深く影響している。「私にとって間とは、二元性が静まる領域であり、沈黙、空間、そして微細な知覚の中から意味が立ち現れる場所です。チベットでは、生と死のあいだの中間状態をバルドと呼び、そこではさまざまな生命の力と出会い関わるとされています。こうした文化的つながりに深い共鳴を覚えます」と江里氏は述べている。
今回の展覧会では、最新の絵画作品約30〜40点に加え、近作の彫刻、陶芸作品、そして自身が設計・制作した手作りのスピーカーによるサウンド・アート・インスタレーションも展示される。これらの音の作品は構造よりも雰囲気や周波数、沈黙に焦点を当て、深い聴取と内省へと誘う。
また関連イベントとして、サウンドバス体験、日本の茶会、スライド上映を伴うアーティストトークも予定されている。
会期は3月11日まで。開館時間は火曜日から金曜日が午後2時〜5時30分、土曜日が午前10時〜12時30分および午後2時〜5時30分。
Kozhikode hosts unique ambient music event, Listening State: Vol 1
“A bunch of ambient music artistes from different parts of the world will gather in Kozhikode today for the debut edition of Listening State, an ambient music festival showcasing a new acoustic experience in Kerala.
Founded by electronic musician and experimental music enthusiast Wasim Kozhikode, whose ambient electronic music project Sacred Seeds, has performed at renowned festivals such as Magnetic Fields, Hilltop Festival, and Bloom in Green, Listening State opens the doors to an alternative sound culture.
It is being presented in collaboration with Utopian Dystopia, a pioneering art and music platform known for bridging creative disciplines and cultivating independent cultural movements across Kerala.
A niche genre, ambient music makers create an environmental soundscape, layering textures of sound to offer a deep listening experience. Conceived as a platform for experimental and exploratory music, the idea is to build a community that listens deeply, says Nisham Husain, founder of Utopian Dystopia. “The event brings together talented ambient musicians, who have been creating deeply inspiring soundverses and an informed audience that has been following ambient music,” Nisham adds.
A community-driven initiative, each volume of Listening State would present live electronic acts, sound artists, and improvisers who approach music as cultural exploration. The project exists to build a thoughtful audience for exploratory sound and to nurture collaboration across disciplines of art, technology, and design.
Apart from Wasim of Sacred Seeds, whose music blends synthesis, field recordings, and experimental sound design, the event features Atomic Phantom, founded by Japanese artist, designer and composer Jyoti Naoki Eri, based in Auroville. He has nine ambient albums to his credit and founded his own music label, Nādāsana, in 2022. Bufogaudi, an electronic music project of Oman-based artist Zeyad, co-founder of After 12 Collective, a key group in Oman’s experimental music scene, whose sound bridges ambient atmospheres with intricate rhythmic work.”
[Continue]
La Revue d’Auroville – An Interview (French)
Kyodo News (1/1/2024)
Yahoo News 4/3/2024
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/e2caf4b1dbfe68cba65d54bf303aae26741a6c8e
Music Plus+ Article [India]
An Article on AV Art Service [India]
A compilation album of 11 artists curated by Jyoti Naoki Eri
Literary concepts are extraordinarily difficult to translate into visual art, let alone music. Expounding on a verbal concept with more words at least gives the writer some room to move, even if this space is arguably imaginary; but transplanting said space to a different medium suddenly makes one’s frame of reference extraordinarily small- how to narrate without speaking?
Science-fiction has helped to bridge the gap before (some of Phillip K. Dick’s or Burroughs’ alternate realities now tend to seem hocked together from everything humanity has tried to forget), and it continues to help push artistic boundaries in unexpected ways, as evidenced by Japanese Aurovilian artist and label-founder Jyoti Naoki Eri’s new compilation ‘Inter-Galactic Sonar Probe Vol. 1’. Featuring contributions from worldwide artists such as Psychopanda and Matt Black, the album is centred around the fictional concept of music being used as a form of sonic communication on a joyride to Andromeda eighty years in the future. Using a minimal range of textures, the result is something akin to music you can read, the unspoken words abstractly comforting… Something you might try and beam out to other life forms just for general reassurance.
“No worries, just passing through…”
This is consequently not the sort of music that can be easily written about analytically.
Track 1- Looking for Something // Strangebird~Sounds [BEL]
[Stangebird~Sounds is a Belgian, Antwerp-based sound artist and musician]
Abstract comfort is the keyword here. Building up from the void, the only recognizable melody comes in the form of a narrow tonal centre that steamrollers steadily on until it takes over the space a written melody might occupy. Blips and bleeps that sound like a kid’s synth routed through a ring modulator and sequencer, something oddly disquieting about the familiarity of these sounds, the slightly fuzzed-out bells that ring in your inner ear.
Can something be truly harsh yet comforting?
Image of a NASA skyscraper drifting sleepily past Neptune, lights in the windows winking off and on… Sonic invitations to the Waldorf-Astoria. Strange bird indeed.
Listen to the track here: https://nadasana.bandcamp.com/track/looking-for-something-strangebird-sounds-bel
Submitted by Dhani Muniz
Article: MixMag Asia [HK]
Nādāsana is a new record label out of Auroville — the government-free township started by yogis and spiritual gurus Mirra Alfassa and Sri Aurobindo, and which is located partly in the state of Tamil Nadu and partly in the Union Territory of Pondicherry in India.
The label’s first release, ‘Inter-Galactic Sonor Communication Probe Vol.1’ is a conceptual output curated by label founder Jyoti Naoki Eri, and features ambient and experimental works from around the world.
The concept follows NASA’s Voyager project led by Carl Sagan on a sonic space probe mission to Messier 31, the Andromeda Galaxy, which is approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. Jyoti’s goal is to use this ambient curation “to establish contact with sensory conscious beings in outer space through sounds created on planet Earth.”
The release title resonates with the interstellar beliefs of Auroville residents and followers, who reside around the giant golden geodesic dome known as the “Matrimandir. It’s an awe-inspiring structure that exudes a cosmic presence, almost like a golden UFO waiting to take off. Essentially, it’s just a yoga hall, but in line with Nādāsana’s first release, we can pretend for a moment otherwise.
