About us
“usaginingen” is a husband-and-wife performing arts unit that uses visual equipment and musical instruments are all hand made by them. In 2011, they began their performances in Berlin, Germany. In 2016, they relocated their base to Teshima, a remote island in the Seto Inland Sea, and opened a theater. Their performances, which uniquely blend analog and digital techniques, have garnered high praise internationally. Notably, they won the Grand Prize in the Live Cinema session at the Reykjavik Visual-Music Festival in Iceland in 2014. They were featured in Apple Japan’s advertising campaign “Beyond the Mac” in 2021. They have been invited to perform in 23 countries, including Europe, North America, Russia, and China. Their involvement spans a range of events, from art and music festivals to film festivals and educational programs. Recently, they’ve diversified their activities beyond just performances, they manage a studio that fuses art and technology and engage in social experiments, such as and cultivating community through a building DIY playground space and farming.
b.1980, Yokohama, Japan. After graduating from Joshi Art University, Emi had a successful career in Tokyo as both art director as well and graphic designer. She pushed her creativity further when she moved to Berlin, Germany in 2010, then became a visual artist. Emi is back in Japan where she lives and works on Teshima island.
b.1977, Kagawa, Japan. Shinichi worked as a radiography technician after graduating from Kitasato University. His career as a musician started while living in Brighton, England. He became a member of Usaginingen after moving to Berlin, Germany in 2010. Now back in Kagawa,Shinichi lives and works on Teshima island.
Live Performance 2022
Teshima usaginingen theater (Kagawa, Japan)
Nippon connection Film Festival (Frankfrut, Germany)
Mapping Festival (Geneva, Switzerland)Ito Garelly
(Sttutgart,Germany) Salon Batton（Kagawa、Japan）
Wako Kaikan（Ehime、Japan）
Ushimado Teremok（Okayama、Japan）
Naoshima hall（Kagawa、Japan）
Joshi art univercity（Kanagawa、Japan）
KANEYAMA RETREAT （Yamagata、Japan）
Niseko factry（Hokkaido、Japan）
Aoyagi Kaikan（Hokkaido、Japan）
Sentopua Higawakawa（Hokkaido、Japan）
Gluck kindergarten（Hokkaido、Japan）
Toyoura Kaikan（Hokkaido、Japan）
Tobiu art festival（Hokkaido、Japan）
moksha coffee （Kagawa、Japan）
14th Ebis Film Festival 2022 (Tokyo photographic art museum, Tokyo, Japan)
Live Performance 2021
Tobiu Art Festival 2021 (飛生コミュニティー, Hokkaido, Japan)
Japan tour 2021（Hokkaido〜Okinawa）38 shows
Cinema donuts（Okinawa）
Cafe umie（Kagawa）
Theater Takogura（Kochi）
Amua hall（Kagoshima）
Cinema Liberte（Oita）
Saiki Pandahouse（Oita）
Ifukumachi kindergarten（Fukuoka）
Itoshima SALT(Fukuoka)
Old Yame（Fukuoka）
Green’s Baby（Shimane）
Minagarten（Hiroshima）
Kissa River（Nagoya）
Shirasagi Bijutsu（Kanazawa）
Hotori Cinema（Toyama）
Kyoto International Film Festival（Kyoto）
Comsun（Osaka） Shioya heso.（Kobe）
Tachikawa Roba house（Tokyo）
Museum of Hajimari（Fukushima）
Yama bagle factory（Yamagata）
Ishinomaki IRORI（Miyagi）
Ninigi Cafe（Akita）
Studio Kaikon（Miyagi）
Tagajo Librally（Miyagi）
cotton boy（Hakodate）
Morimachi Haru（Hokkaido）
Arte piazza museum（Hokkaido）
Yanbaru Art Festival 2021-2022（大宜味村旧塩屋小学校, Okinawa, Japan）
Live Performance 2020
Kageoka usaginingen Theater (Tageoka, Tokyo, Japan)
20th Nippon Connection 2020 (Online, Frankfurt, Germany)
Yanbaru Art Festival 2020-2021（大宜味村旧塩屋小学校, Okinawa, Japan）
Live Performance 2019
Teshima usaginingen Theater (Teshima usaginingen Theater , Kgawa, Japan)
Live performance (Sacramento, Kaunas, Lithuania)
now Japan 2019 (St. Catherine's Church, Vilnius, Lithuania)
Punto y Raya Festival 2019 Junior (CeTA, Wroclaw, Poland)
松江水燈路(飛雲閣, Matsue, Japan)
Gozo-Japan Friendship Event 2019 (Citadel, Gozo island, Malta Republic)
万華鏡 (SHCAT, Shanghai, China)
Yanbaru Art Festival2019-2020（大宜味村旧塩屋小学校, Okinawa, Japan）
Live Performance 2018
Teshima usaginingen Theater (Teshima usaginingen Theater , Kgawa, Japan)
One Dream 2018（Hiroshima peace memoril park, Hiraoshima, Japan）
Yanbaru art festival2018-2019（大宜味村旧塩屋小学校, Okinawa, Japan）
Live Performance 2017
Teshima usaginingen Theater (Teshima usaginingen Theater, Kagawa, Japan)
OMOSIROI Award 3rd（Granfront Osaka, Osaka, Japan）
尾道乱反射（蔵, Hiraoshima, Japan）
Live Cinema Show（香川県善通寺第一高校, Kagawa, Japan）
Live Cinema Show（Yokohama Azamino Museum, Kanagawa, Japan）
Live Cinema Show（Naoshima-shimakoya, Kagawa, Japan）
Live Performance 2016
Teshima Usaginingen Teather (Teshima Usaginingen Theater, Teshima, Japan)
Live in Kitahama Umie (Umie, Kagawa, Japan)
Live Cinema Show (Chiba city museum, Chiba, Japan)
Inshadow Festival 2016 (Museu de oriente, Lisbon, Portugal)
Live Cinema Show (Stone theater, Taitung, Taiwan)
Performing Arts Selection (Aichi Arts Center, Aichi, Japan)
JUCO. 10th Anniversary (Tokyo, Japan)
Made in Japan 2016 (Vilnius and Kaunas, Lithuania)
Live Cinema Show (MMK, Frankfurt, Germany)
Fantoche Film Festival (Royal Baden, Baden, Switzerland)
Hidehiko Kuramoto Closing party (Sakaide city museum, Kagawa, Japan)
Live Cinema Show (Kinco., KAgawa, Japan)
Michiakari project (Kamaboko factory, Kagawa, Japan)
Michishirube project (Fukushima car parking, Kagawa, Japan)
Hei Tanaka presents (Vio, Aichi, Japan)
Tokai tour 2016 (Kawanoie, Gifu, Japan)
Barents Spektakel 2016 (Nikel Art School, Nikel, Russia)
Barents Spektakel 2016 (SnowHotel and Andresgrotta, Kirkenes, Norway)
Live Performance 2015
Tokai tour 2015 (Shikema Garelly, Aichi, Japan)
Tokai tour 2015 (STENPORT, Gifu, Japan)
NEoN Media Art Festival 2015 (Bonar Hall, Dundee, Scotland)
Antimatter Media Art (Gallery Deluge, Victoria BC, Canada)
Live Cinema (Cinema Nova, Brussels, Belgium)
BAM 2 Festival (Manège FONCK, Liège, Belgium)
Digital Big Screen 2015 (DDT, Trbovlje, Slovenia)
Rokko Meets Art 2015 (Rokko Musical box Museum, Kobe, Japan)
Kyushu tour 2015 (Fukushima nursery school, Kumamoto, Japan)
Kyushu tour 2015 (Hitoyoshi Mori no Hall, Kumamoto, Japan)
Kyushu tour 2015 (TAGSTA, Fukuoka, Japan)
Kyushu tour 2015 (Hita Liberte, Oita, Japan)
Kyushu tour 2015 (Kyusan University, Fukuoka, Japan)
JDZB Open House 2015 (Japanese -German Center, Berlin, Germnay)
15th Japanese Film Festival (Mousonturm, Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
Theater project “Anonymous Trip” (E-Werk, Freiburg, Germany)
LE HUBLOT 2015 (16 r ue de Roquebillière, Nice, France)
Flatpack Film Festival (Millennium Point, Birmingham, United Kingdom)
Live Cinema 2nd night (MKll, London, United Kingdom)
Live Cinema 1st night (I’klectik, London, United Kingdom)
Live Performance 2014
Audio-Visual concert (Neue Heimat, Berlin, Germany)
Christmas Concert (KONK, Berlin, Germany)
Shiny Toys A/V Festival#5 (Ringlokschuppen, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany)
30th interfilm Festival Berlin (Grüner Salon, Berlin, Germany)
Kasseler Dokfest#31 (Kassel, Germany) OFNI Festival (Poitiers, France)
30th interfilm Festival Berlin (Volksbühne, Berlin, Germany)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Roba house, Tokyo, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Roppongi Shinsekai, Tokyo, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Harajuku Vacant, Tokyo, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Abecut, Yamagata, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Kuahouse Goten, Yamagata, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Ishinha Yataimura, Osaka, Japan)
roBot Festival 07 (Palazzo Re Enzo, Bologna, Italy)
Digital Big Screen (Trbovlje, Slovenia)
Vision’R Festival (Cite des Science et de L’Industrie, Paris, France)
ラビ＆ピースTour (YCC, Yokohama, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Awakura Kaikan, Okayama, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Guggenheim, Kobe, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Takamatsu Umie, Kagawa, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Ciema, Saga, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (TAGSTA, Fukuoka, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Hitoyoshi Mori Hall, Kumamoto, Japan)
Fusion Festival 2014 (Lärz, Germany)
Kein Festival 2014 – Facade Projection only (ORWO haus, Berlin Germany)
Reykjavik Visiual Music Punto y Raya Festival 2014 (HARPA, Reykjavik, Iceland)
KONTAKT#2 (Alena Berlin, Berlin, Germany)
Live Performance 2013
Berliner Adventsmarkt mt kind (HIMBEER, Berlin, Germany)
YAMANAMI Art Festival 2013 (Sanuki Mannou Park, Kagawa, Japan)
Osaka Music Festival 2013 (Osaka Castle Music Hall, Osaka, Japan)
usaginingen 2013 mini tour in Japan (Umie, Kagawa, Japan)
usaginingen 2013 mini tour in Japan (TAGSTA, Fukuoka, Japan)
“Day forest is lost” Takuya Kamiike solo exhibiton opening party (Shionoe museum of art, Kagawa, Japan)
“Ichinomiya accross arts” (Ichinomiya, Kagawa, Japan)
“littlepopup at HIMBEER magazine” (HIMBEER, Berlin, Germany)
DMY International Design Festival Berlin 2013 (Flughafen Berlin Tempelhof, Berlin, Germany)
Moving Silence Athens 2013 supported by Goethe-Institut (Goethe-Institut hall, Athen, Greece)
The 9th Berlin International Directors Lounge (Naherholung Sternchen, Berlin, Germany)
Live cinema by usaginingen (feinkost, Leipzig, Germany)
Live Performance 2012
night cruising presents “Masayoshi Fujita Japan Tour 2012 in KYOTO” (Oil, Kyoto, Japan)
usaginingen 2012 Tokyo 2days (Aquvii, Tokyo, Japan) usaginingen 2012 Tokyo 2days (Gallery-ARATANIURANO, Tokyo, Japan)
usaginingen 2012 mini tour in Japan (NOUKA, Yamagata, Japan)
usaginingen 2012 mini tour in Japan (Abecut, Yamagata, Japan)
flau x HUTU presents: FOUNDLAND (VACANT, Tokyo, Japan)
Camera Japan Festival 2012 (LantarenVenster, Rotterdam, Netherlands)
Brucke presents Masayoshi Fujita + usaginingen (Prinzessinnengarten, Berlin, Germany)
Nacht der Kunst 2012 (Open air, Leipzig, Germany)
Live Cinema night by Pierre Hebert+usaginingen (Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany)
Taste Festival Berlin 2012 (Direktorenhaus, Berlin, Germany)
Masayoshi Fujita + usaginingen (Theater Kapelle, Berlin, Germany)
The 8th Berlin International Directors Lounge (Naherholung Sternchen, Berlin, Germany)
Johannes Marx + usaginingen (Schokoladen, Berlin, Germany)
Live Performance 2011
Sub-tle. + usaginingen (Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany)
Johannes Marx + usaginingen (Modulor, Berlin, Germany)
The first story (Garelie 4AM, Brno, Czech Republic)
間 (Japanese Embassy, Berlin, Germany)
Exhibition
Yanbaru Art Festival 2018-2019(旧塩屋小学校、Okinawa、Japan)
Artist in residence
2015 08.Nov-12.Nov キルケネス, ノルウェー
Lecture / Workshop
2016
Inshadow Festival 2016 (Museu de oriente, Lisbon, Portugal) mt tape (Ittousha, Wakayama, Japan)
2015
LE HUBLOT 2015 (16 r ue de Roquebillière, Nice, France)
Flatpack Film Festival (Millennium Point, Birmingham, United Kingdom)
2014
ラビ＆ピースTour (Ohori Elementary School, Yamagata, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Akakura Elementary School, Yamagata, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Mamurogawa Elementary School, Yamagata, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Takamatsu Industrial Arts High School, Kagawa, Japan)
ラビ＆ピースTour (Hakemiya Nursery School, Kumamoto, Japan)
Easter Workshop for Kids feat.littlepopup (Popup store, Berlin, Germany)
2013
Making movie, Setouchi triennale 2013 (Awashima, Kagawa, Japan)
Performance and discussion (Oita Hita-shi East Junior high school, Oita, Japan)
2012
Performance and discussion (Braunschweig University of Art, Braunschweig, Germany)
Report of Tohoku (Tokyo University, Tokyo, Japan)
Performance and discussion (Yamagata Mogami Ohori elementary school, Yamagata, Japan)
Performance and discussion (Yamagata Mogami Akahori elementary school, Yamagata, Japan)
Screening
2014
FunFunFun from the album “SPENCER” by Spencer on surPoemas underFilm (La Térmica, Malaga, Spain)
2013
UDON from the album “JAPANDORF” by Klaus Dinger + JAPANDORF on JAPAN DAY 2013 “Short Cuts To Japan” (Black Box Kino im Filmmuseumudon, Düsseldorf, Germany)
What we do??
We mainly work for live performance, create works and enjoy orgainc life in beautiful island Teshima in the Seto Inland Sea. Please check each activities.
Performance / Workshop / Exhibition
Teshima usaginingen theater
Theater park
usagi House (Airbnb)
Other works
News
SNS
