MEDICHA | MUSIC FOR MEDITATION

2019 | TOKYO, JAPAN

“We are constantly surrounded by expectations, pretentiousness and distraction in modern society. Taking time to "do nothing" can be humbling but also deeply rewarding.

At Medicha, we provide you with a unique 4-step approach to infuse your five senses with a mindful awakening to create a space within your inner-self.

Do nothing, and discover what is important to you.
Do nothing, and cultivate the power to select your thoughts and actions as simply as you would pick your favorite clothes every day.

Steep in immersive light and sound installations, enveloping guided meditation and a soothing tea experience. Enjoy the sweetness of doing nothing.”

-from the Medicha website

In our modern society, taking time to be, to do nothing has become a novelty and lost practice. Born out of this deep need for quiet space within an urban context, Medicha is a new meditation art and quiet space in the heart of Tokyo. Designed to jolt you out of your glazed, smartphone-centric-digital life and bring you back into the present, Medicha reconnects you with your physical senses. The etymology of Medicha is derived from combining Medi-tation and cha, (the Japanese word for tea) and as it’s name suggests, Medicha combines various forms of meditation beginning with immersive light and sound installations, guided meditation, and a contemporary take on traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Built from the ground up, Medicha consists of 4 distinct steps that unfold over the course of 80 minutes in 4 separate rooms, each space serving a specific purpose. Fuller composed 10+ long-form multichannel compositions and designed sounds for each room including the corridors and spaces between spaces. Additionally, Fuller was commissioned to work closely with the team of architects, acoustic engineers, meditation experts and tea masters as a creative partner throughout the entire process.

Room 1

Room 1 is designed to induce a detox effect by awakening and stimulating your senses, bringing to the surface our suppressed emotions and thoughts. To this end, Room 1 consists of blinding, refracted lights that at first appear white but upon closer immersion are revealed to subtly shift within a defined spectrum. The room itself is designed with rounded corners which create spatial disorientation. Sound localization is also oblique. The multichannel sound system consists of a stereo pair, a subwoofer, and 6 super-directional speakers angled so as to create targeted sound reflections. The effect is one that simply must be experienced as sounds seem to emanate from different positions and surfaces within the room. The composition consists of a multiple layers of asynchronous loops gradually shifting out of phase over time, creating a sound environment that never tires or repeats.

Room 2

In contrast to Room 1, Room 2 is dark and subdued. A myriad lights suspended from the ceiling and slowly fading in and out are reflected infinitely throughout the space by way of black mirrored walls creating an infinity effect. Visitors are encouraged to lie down or recline on one of the many cushions distributed throughout the room. Whereas Room 1 was designed to bring senses, both pleasant and unpleasant, to the surface, Room 2 encourages one to let go, to surrender and to just be. The sound environment consists of an immersive 8-channel speaker array enveloping you in sounds and compositions that change depending on the time of day. The composition consists of a multiple layers of asynchronous loops gradually shifting out of phase over time, creating a sound environment that never tires or repeats.

Room 3

After traversing freely between Room 1 and 2 over the course of 30 minutes, you are guided to Room 3 for a 30 minute guided mediation course. Visitors are able to choose from 10 themes available in both Japanese and English prior to arrival. In harmony with the womb and dome-like architectural design, Room 3 consists of a 8.1 multichannel speaker array which further envelops one in waves of warm, breath like sounds guided by meditation practices created by Prof. Jeremy Hunter.

Following the guided mediation course, visitors are ushered into the final tea room to select a tea cup before sitting down to a private tea ceremony. The warm scent of incense fills the air as you rest while your tea steeps. Located in the center of the room is a custom-made Suikinkutsu designed into a table. Visitors are encouraged to calmly sip tea while meditating upon the gentle drops of the Suikinkutsu and preceding mediation experience.

CREDITS:

Creators: Ayaka Nagashima + Kazue Yamawaki

Architecture + Design: Nomura Kogeisha | Lighting Design: Yutaka Endo, Luftzug | Client: Mitsubishi Jisho | Speaker Design + Planning: Hikari Mutaguchi, Whitelight

Sound Design + Music Composition: Corey Fuller

AWARDS:

Good Design Award 2020

The Winner for Holistic Spa of the Year for Japan

Shortlisted for 日本空間デザイン賞2020

TokyoWeekender BEST HEALTH OR WELLNESS FACILITY