Signs in Darkness

Planetarium two-man show with ptf featuring “MEGASTAR”

A special two-man concert held with the progressive band ptf, using the planetarium projector “MEGASTAR” developed by Takayuki Ohira. The concept: “Stars we don’t usually see, and music we don’t usually hear.”

Afterword

This concert was held once again at Kita Topia, the same venue as our four season tour “Art Your Life – spring –.” As the planetarium system there had been suspended due to aging, we sought the cooperation of planetarium creator Takayuki Ohira (Ohira Tech Co., Ltd.) to install the MEGASTAR system.

The story behind the event, as shown in the short documentary on the special site, began when Takashima—ptf’s leader and AYANO’s support violinist—approached us with the idea of “doing something interesting outside of a live house.” In fact, we had already met Mr. Ohira at a MEGASTAR experience event and had long hoped to one day use the system in a live performance.

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The MEGASTAR projects countless stars invisible to the naked eye. Likewise, AYANO and ptf play genres—post-rock and progressive rock—that are rarely heard in mainstream settings. We found a shared theme in this: “things that exist, yet are seldom experienced,” and built the concept of the event around that idea.

We also collaborated with KIGEKI Inc., a smartphone app developer we had been in touch with, to create an official teaser app for the event under the supervision of Ohira Tech.

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For this event, both bands alternated between using live visuals and planetarium projection depending on the song. AYANO’s VJ Souda Uso also directed ptf’s visual works. Despite the large number of people involved, we were able to realize our ideal form—and the show was completely SOLD OUT.

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