Special Exhibition “Jomon: 10,000 Years of Prehistoric Art in Japan”
“Jomon: 10,000 Years of Prehistoric Art in Japan” — commonly known as the “Jomon Exhibition” — is a large-scale special exhibition on the Jomon period held at the Tokyo National Museum from July 4 to September 2, 2018.
Official site here → http://jomon-kodo.jp/
With their endearing designs and richly emotional flavor, the works make us eagerly anticipate the exhibition.
The promotional campaigns for this “Jomon Exhibition” have been wildly bold, causing quite a stir online. Having seen them ourselves, we’re impressed by just how out-there they are.
This time, we’re supporting the “Jomon Exhibition” while also introducing some of these bold campaigns.
The Jomon Exhibition’s “Five” Wildly Bold Campaigns!
[1] Excavation-Site Essential Item
Related to the exhibited works, the staff have taken the keyword “excavation” and turned it into an “essential item for the field,” with a very deliberate gutsy pose — you can just picture the team’s satisfied fist-pump. When, where, or how it would ever be used are not questions to be asked; we would rather just applaud the initiative. This is a limited item sold in a set with admission tickets.
The surreal illustration…w. The wonderfully deadpan, matter-of-fact text — with no attempt to court laughs — is refreshing.
Adding to the impression, they even tweeted a “usage image” featuring a TNM researcher for good measure — you can tell the team’s work is meticulous.
[2] Dogu Penlight
Next up is the “Dogu Penlight.” This too is a limited item sold in a set with admission tickets.
While the excavation-site essential item at least suggests an obvious association, the connection between the dogu clay figurine and a penlight leaves you scratching your head for a moment. You might imagine, “Is there some special mechanism when you hold up the penlight inside the exhibition room?” — but we’ve concluded this is probably a “reasonless-madness item.” It’s a boldly aggressive item.
We couldn’t help but imagine what kind of discussion took place in the planning meeting. Were there other candidate items on the list besides the penlight? We’re curious…
[3] Dogu × VR
“DOGU: The Beginning of Beauty,” a program you enjoy for a separate 500-yen fee on top of admission.
The five National Treasure dogu introduced in the VR work are also on display within the venue, with the catchphrase: “You can appreciate both the real object and the VR work.”
The question, “If the real thing is right there, do we really need to see it in VR!?” is forbidden. What matters is that dogu are collaborating with a VR piece that channels the very pinnacle of modern technology.
[4] Video Letters
“Video Letters” is a project delivering messages of support via YouTube videos from custodians across Japan. Various videos are updated on an ongoing basis.
Sticking with the term “video letter” instead of just “video” shows real sensibility. The content of the video letters also has a strong Showa-era flavor. Even elementary school students are participating gamely in the performances. Impressively polished — bravo!
[5] My Dogu
A daringly bold campaign that goes ahead and colors uncolored “dogu” — the “My Dogu” campaign. It’s a project intended to stir up the SNS crowd with a linked SNS-posting campaign.
Setting aside whether it’s OK to add color to dogu, let’s dye the dogu in our own colors with lots of hues!
Summary
The “Jomon Exhibition” is pushing forward with challenging campaigns.
Of course, the exhibition’s true stars are the works themselves. As shown by the photos posted on this page, every single work is deeply moving!
The exhibition runs from July 3 to September 2, 2018 at the Tokyo National Museum.
*Urgent Campaign! Ticket Giveaway
We received invitation tickets to this exhibition from the Tokyo National Museum. Follow and retweet the art on Twitter account to enter. The deadline is Sunday, July 8, 2018. Please enter enthusiastically!
*Applications have closed.
Overview
“Jomon: 10,000 Years of Prehistoric Art in Japan” (Jomon Exhibition)
Venue: Tokyo National Museum
Dates: 2018 7.3(TUE)-9.2(SUN)
Hours: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
*Fridays and Saturdays until 9:00 PM; Sundays and July 16 (Mon/Holiday) until 6:00 PM
*Last admission is 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Mondays (except July 16 [Mon/Holiday] and August 13 [Mon], when it will be open), and July 17 (Tue)
