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.