ArtGuest UserApril 04, 2021japanese, subculture, original, culture, karaoke, torii, art, installtion

Karaoke Torii by Benoît Maubrey [2017]: Best of Both Worlds

ArtGuest UserApril 04, 2021japanese, subculture, original, culture, karaoke, torii, art, installtion

Karaoke is deeply woven into Japanese culture and the famous Torii gates can be seen on many postcards or souvenirs.

karaoke-torii-by-benot-maubrey-2017-best-of-both-worlds-subculture-culture-japanese-art

However, those two things could not be any more different - but not for Benoît Maubrey, who brought the best of two worlds together to create the Karaoke Torii.

The Karaoke Torii is a recycling product in two ways. Firstly, it is built from 300 recycled speakers that can be connected with a Bluetooth connection by everyone with a mobile device. Secondly, it originally was part of another of Maubreys sculptures: The shrine, a project for Kobe Biennale in 2014. But with the help of the members of Green Valley Kamiyama Artist Residence, the Karaoke Torii was taken apart and permanently built up again in Kamiyama.

The interactive sculpture that also features a microphone jack and low-level white noise, can be used by anyone. You just need to connect your phone via Bluetooth to play your favourite songs.
It is to no one's surprise that the Karaoke Torii became a tourist attraction with people coming from all over the country. Unfortunately Karaoke Torii was torn down by a typhoon in 2019.

Benoît Maubrey is a sculpture and performance artist born in Washington. After graduating from Georgetown University, he moved to Berlin, Germany. He won multiple awards and had exhibitions around the world. He now resides in Beitz, Brandenburg.