Towada Oirase Art Festival 2013: SURVIVE
September 21–November 24, 2013
Participating artists: Sen Ishida*, Tetsuya Umeda, Taro Okamoto, Masatsugu Ono, Ragnar Kjartansson, Marcus Coates, Erika Kobayashi*, contact Gonzo, Lieko Shiga, Nobuhiro Shimura, Kenji Shibata, Keijiro Suga*, Akira Takayama (Port B) ,Shimpei Takeda, Yoshitomo Nara (special thanks), Naoya Hatakeyama*, mamoru, Aiko Miyanaga, Shuji Yamamoto, and more
As of July 2013. *Participating artists for the festival’s anthology
Venues: Towada Art Center, Former Kasaishi Residence (Important Cultural Property), Fisheries rest house (Former Touji no yado Oirase), Oirase Information hakocco., Hoshino Resort Oirase Keiryu Hotel, Oirase Stream Museum, Towada Lake excursion boat (Yasumiya), etc.
In celebration of the 5th anniversary of the Towada Art Center, Towada city will stage the first Towada Oirase Art Festival in the city area (mainly around the Towada Art Center itself), Oirase, and Lake Towada. Held under the theme of “time,” this art festival will focus on three main pillars: exhibitions, the publication of the festival’s anthology, and seminars.
It can be said that the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, shook our sense of time. The sheer scale of this earthquake (which occurs only once every 1000 years) made a profound impact on the human world which has been developing over the past hundreds of years.
However, the flow of time is diverse. The Oirase and Lake Towada areas have a complex and diversified ecosystem created by the accumulation of an unimaginable amount of time.
This art festival aims to go beyond the existing concept of “time” and to expand many different ideas of time across Towada Oirase. Towada Oirase Art Festival hopes to propose the new possibility of our time and art to Japan and the rest of the world.
Concrete structure of contents
Exhibition
Through the art pieces exhibited at the Towada Art Center, many textures of “time” will be depicted. Exhibitions in the Oirase and Lake Towada areas, Towada Lake excursion boat, and former Touji no yado Oirase will regenerate spaces for experiences. Although these spaces are scattered, they will act as one whole stage. These spaces will stimulate the senses, especially sight, hearing, and smell. Visitors will find places where they can truly experience the floating atmospheres, changing lights, and stirring sounds in the zones.
Anthology
With Keijiro Suga as Editor, three up-and-coming writers will publish an anthology of short stories by gathering material from three places (lake, mountain streams and city) which define the geography and history of Towada Oirase. They will compare tens of thousands of years’ worth of natural phenomena with several decades’ worth of human life. This will also be accompanied by Naoya Hatakeyama’s photographic works of Towada Oirase.
Seminars
We will hold seminars to learn from nature and to find out more about ourselves. We hope to explore what our relationship with nature should be in the future. Please check the event’s home page for the latest information.
Organizers: Towada Oirase Art Festival 2013 Executive Committee
Contact: Towada Oirase Art Festival 2013 Press Office, press [at] artstowadaoirase.jp
