The thousand-year capital, Kyoto—an ancient city ruled by a host of gods where countless Buddhas have bequeathed teachings, its rich narratives woven from infinite threads of elegant aristocratic picture scrolls, the rise and fall of the samurai, and humble prayers of the townsfolk.
These narratives have played out on the stages of Kyoto’s temples and shrines, and now SOUND TRIP unfurls at some of the most famed—Sanzen-in Temple, Mibu-dera Temple, and Kifune-jinja Shrine. When you visit any of these three locations, seat yourself in a specially provided booth, slip on headphones and shut out the world around you. Turn your ear to the sound washing through you. You feel giddy and little by little your senses blur. Reality slowly merges with images and memories stored within you, and you begin to hear the music with your mind’s eye. Could this be some sort of enlightenment? Could that sound you hear through the headphones, ringing so very quietly deep down inside, be your own voice? SOUND TRIP is about creating music with a story. You’re on a pilgrimage to your soul, and this is the soundtrack. 

1. Seat yourself in the special-purpose SOUND TRIP booth at a participating temple or shrine.
2. Drop a donation in the designated box (300 yen)
3. Slip on the headphones and press play
4. Trip on the sound and the scenery before you

 

One gets the sense that Mibu-dera Temple is a place to ponder life. After all, the monk Kaiken built it as a memorial to his mother and installed Jizo-Bosatsu (the guardian deity of children) as the principal object of worship. The temple also has a stupa that enshrines a collection of one thousand Buddhas from the Muromachi era (1336-1573), among them Amida Buddha and Jizo-Bosatsu.

The name Mibu was originally written using the characters for “water” and “born”. The area was formerly a wetland used for agriculture and known for producing Kyoto varieties of vegetables such as mibuna.

Inspired by the origins of the name Mibu, Kyoka incorporates water from around the temple in her composition inks. The sounds of a pond at Mibu burial ground where the patriots rest, water poured on a jizo statue, a spring spouting water, and rain falling from heaven to earth are layered with the timbre of the orchestra that accompanies Mibu Kyogen. The piece conjures images of ripples emanating gently from a drop of water in the darkness.

Water is giver of life to all living things, and a sacred nurturer of life in a mother who is with child. Seat yourself in the booth before the Amida triumvirate statue and slip on the headphones. As the music starts, feel steeped in soul-quenching comfort, as if awash with life-giving water. The sound you hear might be being played by life itself.

Berlin-based Kyoka is the first solo female artist to record with Raster-Noton, the dominant label in modern experimental electronic music. Popular for her captivating live performances, she has created installations, and a world-wide advertising campaign for Apple. She was on Shure and Mixcloud’s list of twenty-four global creators pushing the limits of contemporary audio culture, and chosen as one of the top artists by popular vote.

• Sound Trip【Act One】Sanzen-in Temple
• Sound Trip【Act Three】Kifune-jinja Shrine