What is Yugen
What does it mean?
Yugen is a Japanese term that means beauty that isn't seen directly. We used the term Yugen in reference to the 1950s Japanese film, Rashomon. The film is known for the "Rashomon Effect," which we use in our project. The Rashomon Effect is where different parties will report on the same event in different and contradictory ways.
What is the project?
Our project is an exhibition of short films that tell the story of 4 friends who started a company together, reminisce about the night that they met. Each character has a different view of how that night went down. We want our viewers to try to piece together the story by watching the vignettes to find out what events unfolded.
How does it relate to culture?
Each characters' vignette is a different genre of film which was influenced by our group members' favorite genre of music. Music is something that inspires creativity and brings people together. Films can encourage people to think about the world in different ways and encourage discourse. In these ways, music and film can work together to shape our culture, whether it's a movie's critique on society, or a song that allows listeners to express themselves.