2026-2027 Artist-in-Residence Grant Program
Ken Ueno
"Resonant Yokohama: Listening, Eating, and Collective Presence"
The Edeiken International Arts Foundation (EIAF) announces that internationally acclaimed composer and performer Ken Ueno has been named the 2026–2027 Artist-in-Residence at 7artscafe in Yokohama, Japan. Following a competitive international review process, Ueno’s proposal, Resonant Yokohama: Listening, Eating, and Collective Presence, was chosen for its exceptional alignment with the vision of the EIAF Artist-in-Residence program. Based at 7artscafe, the program invites internationally recognized artists to develop new work in direct dialogue with the city’s cultural environment.
Resonant Yokohama is a site-responsive sound and performance project conceived specifically for 7artscafe. The work integrates experimental music, environmental sound, participatory performance, and food culture to explore how listening and eating unfold as parallel time-based practices that create temporary communities. Through listening walks, workshops, open rehearsals, and a culminating public event, the project will activate Yokohama’s sonic and culinary environments as parallel forms of cultural memory.
As one of Japan’s historic international port cities, Yokohama has long served as a gateway where cultures, cuisines, and artistic traditions intersect. Ueno’s project draws directly from this history, exploring how everyday acts, preparing food, sharing meals, and listening to the city reflect broader patterns of migration, exchange, and collective presence. 7artscafe, markets, kitchens, waterfronts, and neighborhood streets will serve both as sources of sound and as catalysts for artistic reflection.
The residency will include a series of public-facing activities:
• Listening walks and sonic fieldwork exploring Yokohama’s everyday soundscape
• Workshops at 7artscafe exploring relationships between sound, food, and memory
• Open rehearsals and collaborative sessions with local participants and musicians
• A culminating performance-meal that transforms the cafe into a shared sonic and culinary environment.
In the final event, environmental recordings from across Yokohama will interact with live performance and amplified eating gestures, inviting audiences to participate through listening, voice, and shared food. The result will be a hybrid experience: part concert, part installation, and part communal meal that reflects Ueno’s ongoing exploration of sound, embodiment, and social ritual.
Ueno’s artistic practice spans composition, performance, and interdisciplinary collaboration. His work frequently investigates thresholds between sound and meaning, often focusing on subtle physical gestures such as breath, resonance, and the sonic dimensions of everyday actions. In recent works involving amplified food and communal eating, he has explored how culinary practices can function both as musical material and as a framework for collective experience.
A graduate of Harvard University, where he earned his Ph.D. in music composition, Ueno is currently Professor of Music at the University of California, Berkeley. His works have been performed internationally by leading ensembles and presented at major festivals across North America, Europe, and Asia. As both a composer and vocalist known for pioneering extended vocal techniques, Ueno is widely recognized as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary experimental music.
The EIAF Artist-in-Residence program supports artists whose work demonstrates exceptional artistic vision, international engagement, and the capacity to create meaningful dialogue between global contemporary practice and local cultural context. Ueno’s proposal was selected for its intellectual depth, conceptual clarity, and its exceptional alignment with the unique character of 7artscafe as a cultural space where music, food, and social gathering converge. Through this residency, the Edeiken International Arts Foundation and 7artscafe reaffirm their commitment to international artistic exchange and to supporting ambitious contemporary work that bridges disciplines, cultures, and communities.
See Ken Ueno's Project Proposal
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2026-2027 AiR Program Information
The Edeiken International Arts Foundation Announces 2026–2027 Artist-in-Residence Program at 7artscafe, Yokohama
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN — The Edeiken International Arts Foundation (EIAF) is proud to announce the open call for its 2026–2027 Artist-in-Residence (AiR) Grant Program, hosted at 7artscafe, a premier multidisciplinary cultural hub in Yokohama. Now entering its second year following a highly successful inaugural cycle, the program provides vital support for professional international musicians, composers, sound artists, and interdisciplinary creators.
The program awards a $10,000 USD grant to one selected artist or ensemble (up to four members). This comprehensive funding supports a one-month residency in Yokohama, covering travel, housing, living expenses, and project development. The initiative is designed to foster artistic innovation, cross-cultural dialogue, and community engagement through the exploration of contemporary sound and experimental performance.
During the residency, the selected artist will engage with Yokohama’s creative community through a series of public events, including workshops, open rehearsals, lecture-demonstrations, and collaborative sessions. The residency will culminate in a final public concert or sound installation at 7artscafe, further enriching Yokohama’s vibrant cultural landscape.
Eligibility & Timeline: The program is open to professional musicians and sound-based creators aged 25 or older who reside outside of Japan. Applicants must have a minimum of five years of professional experience and demonstrate active artistic practice within the last 24 months. Please note that this cycle is dedicated exclusively to music and sound; visual artists are not eligible for the 2026–2027 program.
Application Process
This is now closed.