conceptualized and recorded remotely in California and Minnesota during the pandemic, yana-imi and Micah Chibana's "imi ru yataru | just a dream" EP consists of one original song from each artist and a collaborative cover of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion." both original songs draw influence from the artists' shared cultural heritage and incorporate a traditional Ryลซkyลซan/Okinawan instrument called sanshin.
watch the full short film
preorder the digital audio EP
From the dense rainforest of memory, strange images and sounds present themselves. Our uyafaafuji (ancestors in Okinawan language) appear to intervene in our daily lives. They refuse to let us forget, refuse to let us compromise and refuse to let us live restrained by the laws of the nations that seek to claim us. This video offering combines uta-sanshin, spoken word and elemental images to invoke a dialogue with our uyafaafuji, known and unknown. We inhabit this place in hopes of better understanding our responsibilities and to increase our capacity to choose relationships that are grounded in mutual reciprocity and respect.
shล yamagushiku and yana-imi are a spoken word/uta-sanshin duo based on the lands of the WSANEC/Lekwungen and Tongva Peoples respectively. Their work prioritizes the creation of immersive sonic soundscapes accompanied by visual media to convey stories that weave a lifeline to their island roots. Together, they call on their ancestorsโ guidance to tell stories of yearning, loss and recovery from a shimanchu (Ryลซkyลซan) perspective.