The Opera City show -- the plastic foods, the videos and the Web site -- are, as Rirkrit Tiravanija puts it, "an appetizer" to the community-oriented projects the artist is doing in Sumida Ward.
For the main course, Tiravanija will be hosting "Sumida River Mode -- Untitled 2002 (demo station no. 3)" June 14 to July 14. This series of events is the third installment of "Asahi Art Collaboration," a program sponsored by the Asahi Beer Arts Foundation and Sumida Ward. Tiravanija is setting up a stage where he will talk about his work (June 14, 5 p.m.) and have a discussion with artist Michihiro Shimabukuro (June 15, 2 p.m.; reservations required).
One of the main purposes of the "demo station," however, is to create opportunities for extensive interaction among the public. Members of the community will give talks about local culture and give tours of the shitamachi area, with "The public baths along the Sumida River" (June 16) and "Exploring the Tattoo Culture of Downtown Tokyo" (June 18) among those slated. There will also be a magic show, storytelling, live music and an "Iron Chef"-style cooking battle between artists Makoto Aida and Hiroyuki Matsukage (June 29).