Founded in 1984 by students from Kyoto City University of Arts, Dumb Type’s multifaceted installations and performances often deploy cyberpunk imagery in order to critique a highly “informatised” consumer society that is concurrently rendered passive or mute via the unceasing deluge of data and technological development: individuals who are “overwhelmed with information yet unaware of anything” (Teiji Furuhashi)[1]
Came upon Dumb Type when researching Ryoji Ikeda, who started as a part of the collective and often contributes the sound to these performances.
Both the sound and visuals are quite minimalistic yet very dramatic.
What I find particularly compelling about Dumb Type is the use of the human body and voice alongside very non-human sounds and visuals. Like a sort of glitch butoh.
There is something extremely satisfying in the way sound and light work in both Dumb Type’s and Ryoji Ikeda’ pieces. There is a sonifying effect, as if the sound heard is a direct product of the light beams seen (and vice-versa), intensifying the presence of both.
[1] https://hausderkunst.de/en/exhibitions/dumb-type