Event
Whenever Wherever Festival 2026
alter ‘narrative’ & living space(s)
January 28th (Wed), 2026 – February 8th (Sun), 2026
Right eye, crossed delicacy, blue flame ball, bone and straight line (do)
Date: January 28th (Wed) – 31st (Sat), 2026 [5 performances over 4 days]
Co-organized by: Keio University Art Center (KUAC)
Supported by: The Saison Foundation
Address: 2-15-45 Mita, Minato-ku, Keio University Mita Campus South Building 3F Roof Terrace
Roller Skating de DANCE DANCE DANCE! Season 2
Date: January 31st (Sat), 2026
Address: 4-6-7 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
living space(s)
Date: February 7th (Sat) – 8th (Sun) 2026 [2 days]
Address: 3-15-4 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Staff
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Curators: Aokid, Satsuki Mei, Nishimura Mina, Yamazaki Kota
Production: Iwanaka Kanako, Hayashi Keiichi
Sound (2/7-8): Saito Umeo
Scenography (2/7-8): Okoma Go
Festival jingle: Tsuchiya Satsuki
Documentary photography and video: Maezawa Hideto, Kato Kazuya
Graphic design: Matsumoto Naoki
Website: Nakamura Yasuyuki
Cooperation: Take
Organized by: Body Arts Laboratory
Supported by: The Minato City Sports, Interaction, Culture and Health Foundation (the Kiss Port Foundation), Arts Council Tokyo (Creation Grant [Single Year] Creative activities), Saison Foundation (Yamazaki Kota New Play and Dance Performance)
Contact
Email: wheneverwherever.2020@gmail.com
Artist
The Ex-Noguchi Room
Performance: Ishikawa Asahi, Nat Frederickson, Nishimura Mina, Motegi Miyu
Azabu Kids to Teens Hall
Special guest DJ: Nishizawa Kento
Instructors: Anayama Kana, Nakayashiki Minami, Nishimoto Kengo, Matsumoto Nanako
SHIBAURA HOUSE
Concept
alter ‘narrative’ & living space(s)
Living spaces arise from the simultaneous sharing of multiple events in this present place
Whenever Wherever Festival (WWFes) is an experimental dance and performance festival run by an artist collective primarily consisting of dancers and choreographers. The 12th edition, WWFes2026, will be held at public spaces, community spaces, and municipal facilities in Minato Ward, Tokyo, under the theme of ” alter ‘narrative’ & living space(s).”
WWFes2026 will focus on alternative perspectives on narrative, “alter ‘narrative’ ” and the implementation of art projects as “living space(s).” Stories have the power to unite local communities, but the techniques and ways of telling stories (narratives) play a major role in their propagation and creation. In contrast to inclusive, powerful, and so-called strong narratives, this project focuses on the plurality of marginalized narratives. The resulting situation is one in which different individual narratives and fragments of various times, reflecting and gently intersecting. The subtle changes generated by the relationships of influence between the place itself and events are considered alternative “narratives,” and by bringing them to the forefront through the project, this theme seeks to explore urban spaces and collaborative forms of existence.
For the two-day “living space(s)” event at SHIBAURA HOUSE, the organizers will jointly plan programs for participants selected from the public and artists, with multiple workshops, lectures, performances, and more occurring simultaneously. The event transcends the boundaries of audience and non-audience, professional and amateur, and involves people from diverse backgrounds unconsciously infiltrating and influencing each other, attempting to create a space in which multiple events coexist on an equal footing.
Notes for living space(s)
“living space(s)” arise from the simultaneous sharing of multiple events in this place. In this market-like space, various sounds intermingle with the gentle background music and radio broadcasts. The subtlest emotions, fragments of thoughts, and even the scent of traces slip into you in irregular rhythms. No one can grasp everything here, nor does they need to. In one corner, many people might be exchanging many words, while next to it, there might be a place where nothing seems to be happening (or perhaps these places are the ones where “unplanned events” accumulate…?!). Things you missed, moments you left halfway through, conversations you didn’t hear, movements you didn’t join in. Including these, it becomes an experience of listening to the various reverberations occurring in this place right now.
Each person might be hearing a different musical “jack,” but the situation where our bodies somehow end up moving together is a little strange, yet quite enjoyable. The sound that flows through it isn’t music with the irregular undulations of Ornette Coleman, powerfully bound together by an alternative narrative. Rather, it’s something as unfounded and ethereal as the humming of a neighbor that catches your eye the first time you hear it. It seeps into the crevices of your body, striking you with a start, only to disappear before you can share it with anyone.
But it also makes you relax a little, and you find yourself unconsciously humming a mysterious tune, which in turn strikes someone else’s attention… I think it would be wonderful if, after this living space(s), there remained an unidentifiable humming that everyone unconsciously hummed along to. Perhaps it’s okay to call it an alternative “narrative.” Is that okay? Probably. That’s about right. For now, it’s probably just right.
What is WWFes?
Launched in Tokyo in 2009, WWFes is a physical arts festival run by a collective of dance artists. Its programs, which question the very environment in which artists create, emphasize the creative process and cutting-edge thinking. The curatorial system also brings together numerous artists, and the festival will celebrate its 12th anniversary in February 2026.
Since 2021, WWFes has been held at multiple venues in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, including theaters, alternative spaces, and public spaces, with a broad theme of “place.” The festival’s focus on “Aroundness” is a keyword that refers to the unique environments that form around a place, accompanied by perceptions and memories, when the body traverses it. WWFes2026’s exploration of “alternative narratives and living space(s)” is an extension of this concept.