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 What is Virtual Studio?

When I perform in theaters, I can assume that the audience members want to be there and they are relatively healthy and willing. But that is not so when I take an initiative and reach people directly by sending videos when they are confined at home. One person might not feel well, and the other person might be overwhelmed by responsibilities and/or grief.  With hesitation, after I re-edited two short pieces in the first two weeks of the residency, I wrote personal emails to 20 or so friends with a link to the videos. The responses were affirming. Reading them, I learned more about my friends, their aesthetic, logic, needs, styles of writing, and their references. But because their reflections were so sincerely crafted, I realized I did not want to impose myself more than once. Nor do I want to reach out to strangers. The pandemic has grown too fast and close to us. This week is radically different from the last week. Much has happened between yesterday and today.

So I decided I will create a virtual space where I can share my work for those who want to see, when they want to see. I will be available to receive your visit now or later. Please generously offer your eyes, minds, and voices when you can and feel like it. I have always worked toward performance dates when I can physically be with my audience members. The web does not replace the beautiful tension of live performance, but I will share what I can in this format for the time being. My intention is that the contents I create will not merely remain virtual but will become components of future installations and performances. I look forward to being with you at specific time and space with physical proximity. Until then…

— Eiko Otake (April 8, 2020)