増山士郎「流しソーメン(5日目) 」 / Shiro MASUYAMA “Nagashi Somen (5th day)"
English translation below
清水町にある柿田川湧水群は日本最大の湧水地である。周囲には豊かな水を利用した、様々な地場産業が存在する。柿田川公園にはきれいでおいしい湧水が無限に湧き出る蛇口があり、多くの市民が飲み水として利用するために、汲みにやってくる。レジデンス到着後翌日の9月20日(金)に西島さんが清水町の見どころを紹介してくれた後、しばらく自分がこの町で何ができるか考えていたが、やはりここの地の豊かな水を使って何かできないか考えるに至った。
今年の日本は各地で記録的な猛暑で、9月も下旬になるのに、清水町も未だ真夏日並みの気温が続いていた。日本人は、暑い夏によくソーメンを食べるが、柿田川公園の湧水の蛇口のところに竹を設置し、無限に放出されるきれいな湧水を利用して、「流しソーメン」のイベントをやったら面白いのではないかと西島さんに提案した。アイデアはすぐに気に入られ、西島さんは、私有地である柿田川公園のオーナーに連絡をとってくれることになった。それでも最終的に、湧水の蛇口の専用許可をする場合には、事前告知看板等の準備が必要とのことで、6泊7日という自分の滞在期間には、十分な準備の期間もなく、自分の清水町滞在中に自分の理想的な形で流しソーメンのイベントを実現することは不可能だった。
The Kakita River in Shimizu-machi has the largest spring in Japan. Various local industries are located in the surrounding area that make use of rich water source. There is a tap in Kakita River Park where clean and delicious spring water gushes out endlessly. Many residents come to collect it for their drinking water. On Friday 20 September, the day after I arrived to start residency, Nishijima-san introduced me to the sights of Shimizu-machi and I spent some time thinking about what I could do with rich water source in this area.
This year, Japan has been experiencing record-breaking heat waves in many parts of the country, and even though it was late September, it was still mid-summer temperature in Shimizu-machi. Japanese people often eat Somen noodle in the hot summer, and I suggested to Nishijima-san that it would be interesting to set up a bamboo structure at the spring tap in Kakidagawa Park and hold a ‘Nagashi Somen*’ event using the clean spring water that would be released endlessly. The idea was immediately liked and Nishijima-san agreed to contact the owner of the privately owned Kakidagawa Park, but in the end, he was told that if we wanted to grant permission for the exclusive use of the spring water tap, we would need to prepare advance notice signs and other preparations, which I did not have enough time to do during my seven-day, six-night stay. It was impossible to realise a Nagashi Somen event in my ideal form during my stay in Shimizu Town.
*Nagashi Somen - which literally means “flowing noodles.” It is a fun way to eat noodles where you have to catch them. The noodles in long bamboo shoots filled with running water where strings of noodles are dropped in to flow down towards people like a small river. What you catch using your chopsticks is what you eat.
西島さんの代替案は、湧水を柿田川公園の湧水の蛇口から採取汲した後、柿田川公園の広場に移動してその水を使って、身内だけで実験的に流しソーメンをやろうという妥協案だった。アーティストとしての自分の本音を言うと、西島さんの案は満足できるものではなかった。柿田川公園の湧水地の蛇口に直接、流しソーメンのための竹を直接設置して公開イベントを開催することこそが、ソーシャリー・エンゲイジド・アーティストの自分が、みちびき出した、清水町での行うべき社会介入の一つの解答だったからだ。ビジュアル的にもインパクトがある、魅力的なサイトスペシフィック・インスタレーションのアートになりうるだろうし、アートとして終わらず、市民が喜ぶ楽しいイベントになる確信もあった。
自分が清水町を去る25日(水)までに、日にちも残されていないのと、22日(日)は雨天予報。24日(火)はお昼にラジオの取材があるので、実質的に、流しソーメンをやれるのは、23日(月・祝)の昼間のワンチャンスのみだった。 23日(月)に流しソーメンの実験をしなければ、結局なんの成果も出せずに東京に戻ることになるので、自分に西島さんの提案を呑む以外の選択肢はなかった。西島さんには、「柿田川の湧水地で「流しソーメン」のイベントが自分が提案通り、湧水の蛇口に竹を設置して実現するのは、自分の望むかたちなので、自分が去った後で市民主導で(竹の加工なんかも地元の大工さんがやったら、尚更かっこよくなると思います)、今後開催される可能性があったら教えて下さい」と伝えた。「そういうイベントが清水町の毎年の夏のお祭りのような形で定着することも、自分の望むところです。そもそも、そういう提案をするためにアーティストである、自分がこの清水町に呼ばれていると思いますので・・・」
Nishijima-san suggested that after collecting spring water from the tap at the Kakita River Park spring, we move to the Kakita River Park square and use the water to experimentally make Nagashi Somen with just our own people, which was compromise plan. To tell the truth about myself as an artist, I was not satisfied with Nishijima-san's proposal. The event should be held at a spring in the Kakita River Park, with a bamboo shoots for Nagashi Somen directly installed at the tap, as a socially-engaged artist, I was able to find my answer for social intervention in Shimizu Town. I was convinced that it would be an attractive site-specific installation with visual impact, and that it would not end up as just art, but would become an enjoyable event that the public would enjoy.
There were only a few days left before I had to leave Shimizu on 25th (Wed), on Sunday 22nd, rain was forecast and, I had a radio interview on 24th (Tue) at noon, so I only had one chance to do Nagashi Somen on 23rd (Mon, Bank Holiday), a daytime. However, if I did not conduct the Nagashi Somen experiment on Monday 23rd, I would have had no choice but to accept Mr Nishijima's proposal, otherwise I would have had to return to Tokyo without achieving any results in the end. I told Mr Nishijima that it would be very happy if the citizen realise a ‘Nagashi Somen’ event at the Kakita River spring area by installing bamboo at the spring's outlet as I wanted, so even after I left. (and it would be even cooler if the bamboo work was done by a local carpenter or someone like that). I told him, ‘Please let me know if there is any possibility of such an event being held in the future. 'It is also my hope that such an event will take root as an annual summer festival in Shimizu Town. I believe that I, as an artist, have been invited to Shimizu Town in order to make such a proposal.’
自分は、そもそも流しソーメンというものを生まれてから一度もやったことがなかったように、実際のところ、公園で小規模で行った流しソーメンの実験は予想以上に楽しいものとなった。
As I had never done Nagashi Somen since I was born, actually the small-scale Nagashi Somen experiment in the park turned out to be more enjoyable than I had expected.