A Space That Breathes: Discotheques, Display and Environment in 1960s Japanese Expanded Cinema

Discotheques became a prominent feature for night-time entertainment in the Japanese cultural and social landscape of the late 1960s. As the experimental film community expanded and sought different screens and settings to present their work, discotheques also became one of the primary locations to accommodate their activities. This chapter addresses how experimental film and discotheques overlapped in 1960s Japan: firstly, through the artists involved in both; and secondly, through the spatial turn in contemporary art and commercial design that were critically discussed through the terms “intermedia,” “environment” and “display” that shared characteristics. By analyzing the discotheques MUGEN, Angura Pop and Killer Joe’s, this chapter aims to make a case for paying attention to the close alliance between experimental film, spatial and interior design and night culture to attain a fuller appreciation of the influences that shaped and propelled the development of 1960s Japanese experimental film.