Art Festival 2022: Discussion on Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and Setouchi Triennale

PLAZA, a place for dialogue and exchange with you, by channel.
In this first installment of PLAZA's art festival project, which focuses on art festivals in Japan and abroad, we shared our knowledge of the actual conditions and contents of these festivals and discussed them from a variety of perspectives.

Now, we bring you a report on the discussions based on the three topics that took place after the presentations! Please take a moment to feel the diverse opinions expressed by people from various perspectives.
Speakers are listed by their position and initials.

Topic 1: "Two Sides of the Arts Festival."

The art director, Mr. Kitagawa Fram and his wife, Mrs. Kitagawa Fram
The underlying element of both art festivals is the desire of art director Fram Kitagawa and producer Soichiro Fukutake to "start an art festival in order to present a different way of life and a different way of society in a society that is focused on efficiency and money (capitalist economic society). The two festivals share a common element: the desire of art director Fram Kitagawa and producer Soichiro Fukutake to start an art festival in order to present a different way of life and society (capitalism, economy, and society). However, just as art festivals have become art tourism, especially in the case of Setogei, the incorporation of art into the current social context has led to an aspect of modern tourism that is linked to consumer behavior. In the course of our research, we (the collective's management members) sensed that these two sides of the same coin were emerging. So, we decided to deal with this topic and ask the participants for their opinions...!
We are going to ask for your opinions on this topic...!

Art Director 　Mr. H

Kitagawa-san is a person who raises aggressive issues, but also has a pragmatic and political mindset. Even before he started working on art festivals, he was involved in gallery work, public art, and curation. In the industry, it is sometimes said that curating artworks and selling artworks are in different positions, and that it is not appropriate to do both.
Therefore, I think he always had a double-sided nature to begin with.
Also, you often say things that are easy to convince the majority of people, such as that there are both advantages and disadvantages to having a stronger tourism aspect, but it is much better than building a strange road than any project.

Then there is the fact that the field has increased since Mr. Kitagawa started the regional art festival.
More than half of the young and mid-career people working hard in the art industry and more than half of the new graduates are working in fields such as art festivals and AFG.
There are a few who cross both, but there are some. For directors, there is Mr. Nanjo (Fumio Nanjo, founder of Yokohama Triennale, etc.), and for Setogei, there is Mr. Ohmaki (Shinji Ohmaki, artist). There are an increasing number of such people, and although they are few and far between, I think they are valuable.

▶I see. That is a good reference.
So, what do you think will happen to regional art festivals and art festivals in the future?

I don't think there will be many people who can do the same kind of work as Mr. Fram Kitagawa, and I think we will have to adopt a different approach in the current era.
Currently, for one thing, there is a large amount of public funding, and Kagawa Prefecture has quite a bit of budget for tourism within that.
Tourism is easy to explain in the Setouchi area. Okayama Prefecture is also trying to launch an art festival, though.

Rather than a director who can create a site, perhaps the job of a producer is the same, but a cultural administration producer who is skilled in how to connect the limited cultural budget, how to get outside funding. How about exploring the possibilities of a job that is not normally mentioned by name?

As you can see if you do some research, there are quite a few policy plans and visions of what the government is going to do in the future.
The government is also aware of the issues and is working while thinking about how to connect to the real field.
I think that important positions will change as well.

Topic 2: "Labor Issues."

In the arts, we often hear of "labor exploitation.
We often hear about "labor exploitation" in the field of art. In this presentation, the same issue came up first in both Daichi and Setogei.
We were honored to have someone who has been involved in both art festivals come to our booth to give us a first-hand account of what it's like to be involved in the field.

▷Mr. G, who has been committed to Setogei for many years as a veteran Koebitai member while working as a Prefectural employee

I don't think the main body of the operation, such as the secretariat, is concerned about this issue. I think it's just that people come, so it's fine. That is their stance.
I think it would be better to fix it, but I don't think this stance will change.
But I am sure that people will not come.
Up until now it has been good because people from overseas were coming, but I think the labor shortage will continue.
Of course, money is not everything, and it would be nice if we could take care of people in other areas, but I don't think that will change.

While these opinions were expressed, those who had positive opinions about being involved in the art festival as volunteers were
▷Ms. Y, a university student studying tourism

I was approached by a university student who said, "There is this kind of volunteer work, what do you think? I joined Setogei after being approached by someone from my university. I decided to go to Koebi not because of the art, but because I could see the actual site of tourism.
Also, the spring session of Setogei is held during GW, so I had an impure motive of having a reason not to go home for GW, so I even put in all the weekends during the session.
I didn't need to be paid at all; I could go to an island I had never been to, see artworks, and talk with many people for free. I don't need money, I don't need that kind of thing.

During the fall exhibition, I was hired to work part-time as a ranger (i.e., management staff).
I ended up getting paid for it, but I think I would have still gone even if I had not been offered the ranger position at the fall meeting.
But I don't think there are many people like me. Everyone around me was like, "I'll go once. There were no other Koebis of my generation, and I was the youngest person in my generation everywhere I went.

Also, during the summer session, other local university students would come to the festival and give me credits if I volunteered one time.
At that time, I thought that it was hard for me because our values were so different.
It would be very difficult to have people who came because they liked it and people who came for the credits and were willing to just sit there for a day.
But if we narrow the door, we won't be able to solve the manpower shortage....

▷Veteran Koebi Ms. G

It's good when you have the stimulus in the beginning, the stimulus to learn, and the stimulus to connect, but when it's gone, people stop coming.
In the early days of Daichi, there were a lot of people coming. However, as the years go by, the number of visitors gradually decreases as they become more and more commonplace.
The veteran members of Setogei were highly motivated in the early days, but the lack of young people is a fatal problem.

▷Art Producer Mr.H

I believe that not only in the field of art, but in any field, the way of thinking about volunteer work and labor is changing.
My generation was in college when the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale started, and people of my generation were forced to give explanations of artworks at such places, or were sent to meet artists at airports just because they could speak English, etc. I never felt like I was forced to do such things, and many people actually do them for work.
But that kind of thing is disappearing.

On the other hand, if you want to defend artists, it is very complicated to say that artists are also workers.
I wonder if it is possible to be involved as a volunteer, or if volunteering is just one of the options.
Mr. Kitagawa also says that because there is such a system, it becomes a place for exchange, and that is the most valuable thing about it.

However, differences in temperature do emerge in the field, I understand that.
But perhaps it is also an experience of learning about a society where such temperature differences also exist.

▷Ms. M, a person involved in the Setogei

There are people with many different values, and the definition of volunteerism differs from person to person.
In such a situation, I always wonder what is the best thing to do.
Sometimes it is not about money, and I think it is impossible to make everyone happy, but what should we do? What form would be satisfactory is defined differently for each person, and I am trying to figure out how to go about it in a constructive way.

Topc3: What is your favorite points and bad points about Art Fes,and What do you think how to improve these days situation?

We have discussed various aspects of both art festivals.
So far, we have discussed various aspects of both art festivals, and now we have asked them frankly what they like about them, as well as what they would like to see improved and what they think about the future.
We asked them what they liked about the festival and what they thought could be improved.

Mr. M, who has experienced ▷Koebi and is learning about community development

My favorite part is that I live in Yokohama, and I have also lived in Osaka, so I like that it gives me the opportunity to visit the countryside.
When I lived in Osaka, I thought it would be nice to hold the festival in a rural area because I could feel as if I were visiting there for the first time on a solo trip.

I have only been exposed to art in museums, so I personally like the sense of adventure of touring the islands and taking a boat ride.

As for improvements, when I participated in the Koebitai, I distributed newspapers about Teshima. We went into the original island where the art was not exhibited and delivered the newspapers to the islanders, but I felt that there were many people living in the areas that were not part of the Art Festival, and I felt that this was a distinct area.
I felt that the island was distinguished in that respect. On the same island, Ogijima, I felt that there were places where people lived when I toured the island.
What is the true nature of an island? I wondered. I would like to think about it, including whether it is a place that needs to be improved.

Mr. H, who participated in ▷Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale as a staff member and artwork creator

The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale is inconvenient to get around, but I liked the fact that when I went to see the artworks, I could learn about the local area, such as the existence of this restaurant or this hot spring.
However, when I was working part-time, there was no manual and sometimes I could not respond to unforeseen situations, so I think this is an area for improvement.

Mr. I, who worked part-time at ▷Daichi creating artworks and at Setogei building facilities on Teshima

Since I live in the city, it was a good opportunity for me to get the warmth of people's connections by interacting with local people and communicating with foreigners by gesturing with my hands since I could not communicate with them in their language. It was a place where I could feel the connection between people.

▷Mr. A, who was involved as a member of the Koebitai who participated from Taiwan this time

I like the fact that I can talk and connect with local people.
However, with the population declining and aging, I am concerned about whether the art festival will be able to be held in 3 or 6 years.

Question Corner

In addition to the discussion, questions were raised mainly about Setogei.
The questions were answered by CHISATO, the collective member in charge of the Setogei presentation.

Question 1
How do the islanders in Setogei think about the art festival?

First of all, it was easy to do on Setogei because of the success of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale.
Also, it is difficult to make simple comparisons because each island has a completely different culture and character. Even neighboring islands are so different! It is surprising how different they are even on neighboring islands.
For example, Megijima, where I was, is relatively quiet and docile, with few people who are open to outsiders. On the other hand, the neighboring island of Ogijima tends to be more open and proactive in accepting newcomers.
From the outside, Megijima, for example, appears to be full of tourist resources, with its proximity to Takamatsu and flat terrain that makes camping and other activities easy.
However, in reality, the islanders are aging and are not actively seeking new changes. I felt that the expectations and perspectives of the outside world do not always match the needs of the people inside the island.

Question 1

Question 2
During your presentation at Setogei, you mentioned that there are times when you feel accepted by the local people and other times when you feel boundaries.

During the spring session, after the information was announced that a visitor to Megijima had contracted corona, the words spoken by the islanders changed from "good morning" to "is everything okay with the corona?" I felt that because it was a small community, it was easy for the boundaries to become clear.

On the other hand
In response to this, a questioner commented that although depopulation and aging of the population are progressing, he had thought that such problems were shared, but he found it strange that some people were not willing to accept newcomers.

Summary of PLAZA 4th "Art Festival 2022: Considering the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and Setouchi International Art Festival

The event was attended by many people, including those involved in both art festivals, those who have never been to either festival but are curious about regional art festivals, and those who just happened to be free.
Due to the time, the number of participants, and the online environment, it was difficult to make it an open forum, and we were not able to hear everyone's opinions (we will reflect on this and improve upon it), but the opinions raised were discussed from a variety of perspectives and provided an opportunity to review art festivals from a variety of perspectives. The opinions raised were discussed from various perspectives and provided an opportunity to review the Art Festival from diverse perspectives.

Although these two art festivals are prominent in Japan, I am concerned about the future of art festivals in conjunction with the issue of an increasingly aging population.
It may be difficult to make a major change in society through art, but I believe that there is still something that can only be opened through art, a relationship that cannot be spun.
Local art festivals, in particular, involve a diverse range of people, including the local people, government, and sponsors.
The director, Mr. Kitagawa, often says that collaboration with people in different positions is what makes it meaningful. He says that art should not be confined to the field of art, but should open up to society and form relationships with it. I think both festivals show that this is possible through the medium of an art festival.

In his book, "From Naoshima to Setouchi International Art Festival: How Art Changed the Region," Kitagawa says, "Art shows us the gap between our current society and civilization and our physiology.
Art festivals are about
discovery, negotiation, exchange, collaboration, and communication
discovery, negotiation, exchange, collaboration, and communication.

Because many different people are involved and large sums of money are involved, there are people with both positive and negative opinions about holding a contemporary art festival in a rural area, and problems arise.
It has been about 20 years since the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale began and about 12 years since the Setouchi Triennale began, but the nature of future art festivals is expected to change in accordance with social conditions. At the same time, there are issues such as who will lead both art festivals, which have been conducted in a top-down manner, and how they will be managed.

It is also necessary to consider how the art festivals will deal with the current situation of depopulation in rural areas due to population decline, and what kind of benefits they can bring to the society. What are the future plans for art festivals?

In the future, PLAZA will continue to promote the arts in Japan and abroad through its activities.
Through PLAZA, we will continue to share information about art festivals in Japan and around the world, and create a place where everyone can exchange their opinions!
We also plan to open other PLAZAs that deal with a wide range of topics, from art-related matters to social issues.
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