Banana Trial

【Climinal Law Article 877】- that was a penalty given by human to animals

Banana Trial, a theatrical performance is the third collaborative production between JIJO and sukimaki animation. Interests held by two people who have been cultivating creativities in their respective fields, animation and puppet show, must have been connected under the ground as mycelium are connected. They have been exploring ideas of self-contradictions, the endless distance between nature and humans without being constrained by a conventional boundary put in front by gender. The Banana Trial begins with the folklore of animals leading a life of humans. Animals appearing in the play walk on two feet or play like humans but they don’t have “language”. In this regard, this is not something we are familiar as fantasy stories. The theme of this production is not a perfect world where humans and animals form a friendship or overcome challenges together by sharing “common” or “unspoken” language. It is rather to observe gaps and differences standing in between them. It aims to discover unseen wisdom and joy of life by highlighting the discomfort or origins of overlooked customs you encounter in life. Moster will play an important role in this production as a neutral existence between humans and animals. While Monsters play a role of trick-star to connect humans and animals, they are also challenged by the self-contradiction. The idea of “Monster” is drawn from the inspiration of JIJO’s puppet show and their fate must be care that humans can’t avoid having towards the others. Lastly, the world of animals which are free from what is right or wrong seems similar to the primitive world where humans once lived before religion became part of their lives. Religious is deeply related to rules which govern politics and laws in life but it also causes conflict between humans and takes them apart from time to time. In “Banana Trial” also, when the boundaries between humans, monsters and animals start to disappear, it produces sediments. However, if every party can try to find some humour with each other – then we may be able to find happiness.
Kohei Matsumura