usaginingen is an artist group formed in Berlin, Germany, in 2011. Their performances, featuring self-made visual devices and musical instruments, fuse analog and digital elements into a uniquely original form of expression that has earned them high acclaim. In 2014, they won the Grand Prix at the Reykjavik Visual-Music Festival in Iceland and appeared in an Apple Japan advertisement in 2021. To date, they have performed in 28 countries worldwide. The group consists of three family members: Shinichi Hirai, who leads the music, installation production, and community-building initiatives; Emi Hirai, who is in charge of conceptual development, film/video, and painting; and their son, Kaina Hirai, who joined the performances in 2024.

In 2016, usaginingen moved their base to Teshima, a small island of about 700 residents in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. Once known for illegal industrial waste dumping, Teshima has since transformed into an “art island” that attracts international attention. There, the group established “Usaginingen Theater,” combining the live performance style they had developed in Berlin with the island’s culture. Guided by the principle that “everyday life itself can be made into art,” they have launched a variety of projects, ranging from semi self-sufficient living to redesigning living spaces through DIY methods.

One of their most symbolic endeavors is the creation of a park on previously abandoned farmland. By crafting playground equipment from bamboo and driftwood, and incorporating a kiln and vegetable plots, they have built a place where visitors can experience farming and food-related processes. Of particular significance is their social approach, which aims to challenge the deeply rooted male-dominated culture by actively incorporating the perspectives of children and mothers, striving to establish a “creative hub for children and women.” In addition, they explore ways to merge technology and local resources, including experimenting with IoT-enabled smart farming.

In 2023, the group repurposed a former nursery facility into “ShinAiKan,” a three-story cultural space that hosts a wide range of programs—performances, workshops, exhibitions, and pop-up restaurants—on a regular basis. From late 2024, with support from Tokyo University of the Arts and Kagawa University, they began exploring a unique “festival made by our own hands” on Teshima, and in February 2025, organized their first self-driven event with families from a local preschool and collaborators from neighboring islands. This project has served as a model for connecting art and local communities, resulting in the creation of a new celebratory environment.

On the performance side, the addition of their son Kaina in 2024—providing narration and shadow-play—further expands this smallest social unit of a family and intensifies the reach of their activities. That same year, they produced their first outdoor installation at the request of Setouchi City in Okayama Prefecture, while Emi continued to develop her painting practice, leading to multiple exhibitions and the publication of her first picture book in 2024. This dynamic interplay—from family to community—is central to usaginingen’s artistic vision. Building on the fusion of visuals and sound honed in Berlin, they integrate DIY ethics, technology, education, and the revitalization of local culture into what could be called a “mobile cultural movement.”

In their realm—where everyday life in the Setouchi region itself becomes art—one is immediately immersed in the fundamental energy of creation and a tangible sense of grounded craftsmanship. This stands as a clear testament to usaginingen’s commitment to the idea that “everyday life itself is art.”