Ryuichi Sakamoto | seeing sound, hearing time

seeing sound, hearing time celebrates the legacy of composer, producer, and artist Ryuichi Sakamoto (Japanese, 1952–2023). Sakamoto is renowned for his award-winning film scores, wide-ranging collaborations, and exploratory spirit. His 2017 album, async, which he described as ‘some of the most personal music I have ever created’, forms the core of async–immersion (2023), a large-scale installation created in collaboration with artist Shiro Takatani (Japanese, born 1963). The work is part of a series of what they call ‘installation music’, in which the album is paired with a three-dimensional representation of the music in a gallery space. Shown as a site-specific installation in The Studio, the work features Takatani’s visual compositions of Sakamoto’s instruments, plants, books, and other objects in his studio, shown on a large LED screen. The images emerge from either side of the screen and dissolve, one pixel at a time, into abstract horizontal lines before regaining their original form. Takatani’s visual interventions are not synchronised with the sound but evolve continuously, creating a parallel time axis within the artwork. The music from async plays through multiple channels in a surround sound system via high-precision speakers, enveloping visitors in an immersive sonic experience.

The exhibition also features two moving image works created by artist Carsten Nicolai (German, born 1965) in 2024, ENDO EXO and PHOSPHENES, presented in the Grand Stair. Each piece is paired with music from Sakamoto’s final album, 12 (2023). A selection of Sakamoto-related film programmes will be screened at M+ Cinema throughout the exhibition period.