‘The Theme from Under Neon Loneliness ‘
Mark James Works | Cian Ciarán
A 16 minute audio visual piece directed by Mark James. Filmed in one take on location in Golden Gai, Shinjuku, Tokyo. The audio sound-scape features field recordings from Shinjuku at night. Expertly mixed by long term collaborator Cian Ciarán.
The sound-scape was used to accompany James’ large scale public art installation in 2024.
'Under Neon Loneliness' A monolithic audio/visual immersive experience.
Contained inside a vertical matte black 20ft shipping container were a series of light box and neon signs, with the reflections bouncing off the black mirrored walls to create the illusion of the signs rising up infinitely. Inspired by many a lonely night in Tokyo, the concept was to recreate a feeling of being alone in a totally foreign environment. The sense of being surrounded by people, traffic and hundreds of neon signs in one of the busiest, most exciting cities in the world, whilst also experiencing the feeling of undeniable loneliness.
The title is taken from the classic Manic Street Preachers single from 1992, ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’, and also the Patrick Jones poem of the same name.
‘Under Neon Loneliness’ was on display in Central Square, Cardiff from 12th of October through to 3rd November 2024 as part of the Cardiff Music City Festival, and attracted over 16,500 visitors over three weeks.
