Umi Ishihara: Nocturnal Melody

esea contemporary presents Nocturnal Melody, a solo exhibition by Umi Ishihara, touring from Gasworks, London. About Inviting us to enter a world of nocturnal animals, the exhibition unfolds within the transformative space of the night, where women come to life after dark: eyes glowing, claws extended, climbing high. Upon entering the space, strange, dissonant animal calls reverberate through the room interwoven with distorted fragments of club music. Moving into the main gallery, the film Nocturnal Melody follows the experiences of Eri and Catalina, two dancers based in Tokyo whose lives are fuelled by music, nightlife and desire. They share their stories of childhood, growing up, dreams and politics as we join them in dressing rooms, dancing on stage and in the club, all under a cloak of darkness. In this world, orthodox rules and societal expectations loosen their hold; performance, labour, intimacy and sociality become intertwined in everyday life. As the film shifts amongst different registers, including documentary footage, interviews-to-camera, night vision shots and saturated glimpses of Tokyo at night, we're offered fleeting insight into the complexity of their lives and the roles they occupy. Read more Toggle Installation Film / Video