The 16th Japan Media Arts Festival

The government's Agency for Cultural Affairs has been running this annual fest since 1997, and it's notable for putting serious artwork on an equal footing with anime, manga and 'entertainment' (which includes video games, music videos, toys and what-have-you). There were a record 3,503 works submitted for this year's festival, the best of which will be put on display in a free exhibition at the National Art Center, Tokyo this month, with additional screenings and events at Cinem@rt Roppongi, SuperDeluxe and Tokyo Midtown; see the official website for details. One of the highlights is likely to be Cod.Act's Grand Prize-winning 'Pendulum Choir' (pictured), a bizarre fusion of a cappella voices and pneumatic jacks that will be getting its Asian premiere at Tokyo Midtown on February 13 and 14.