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18/7/2014

Sapporo International Art Festival 2014

Different venues, Sapporo

Introduction

The global economic crisis and the triple earthquake-tsunami-nuclear disaster that struck Japan in March 2011 prompted many of us to reflect on our lives and realize we’re at a major crossroads that will bring changes to civilization. With this in mind, we Sapporo residents should be proud of our city, which is seen by many as one of Japan’s most attractive, and should work to pass on a better environment to future generations.
Sapporo declared itself a Creative City in 2006. It encourages locals to express their creativity in a manner that will spur related activities in daily life and in industrial, cultural and various other circles. The local government also works to promote the city’s widespread appeal globally.
The Sapporo International Art Festival 2014 (SIAF 2014) is being organized as part of the Creative City Sapporo initiative.
Preparations for SIAF 2014 are in progress under the stewardship of Guest Director Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Based on the theme of City and Nature, the event will provide opportunities for residents to envision the future and examine how cities can coexist with nature via a reassessment of history, culture, natural characteristics, urban functions, local economy/industry and even lifestyles in the context of art. In response to the city’s application for membership of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of media arts, Sapporo was designated as Asia’s first City of Media Arts in November 2013.
With the organization of SIAF 2014 and the application for membership to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, the Creative City Sapporo International Art Festival Executive Committee aims to achieve related synergies by simultaneously enhancing the regional power of culture based on local creativity, promoting media arts and helping Sapporo to advance as a Creative City. The Committee also aims to support the city’s advancement as an international center of culture and art based on a long-term vision.

Fumio Ueda
Chairman
Creative City Sapporo International Art Festival Executive Committee Mayor of Sapporo

What is the Sapporo International Art Festival?

SIAF 2014 – the city’s first international art festival – will be held as part of the Creative City Sapporo initiative over a period of 72 days from Saturday, July 19 to Sunday, September 28, 2014, under the stewardship of Guest Director and globally renowned artist Ryuichi Sakamoto. The theme of the event is City and Nature. Globally active contemporary artists will contribute to this international art festival, which will provide oppor- tunities for visitors to examine how cities can coexist with nature in the future. During SIAF 2014, a variety of projects will be implemented across Sapporo. The entire city and its museums will serve as a stage for the event.


Theme City and Nature

Sub-themes
[Nature] [City] [Economy, Community and Life]

The land which was named Hokkaido after the Meiji Restoration can be seen as a symbol of Japan's modernization due to the part it played. Even the indigenous people and nature of Hokkaido were not immune from that modernization. By looking back on our past through art we can explore the concept of nature, cities, economy and lifestyles in Sapporo/Hokkaido in the 21st century (the concept of social sculpture).

Leading-edge work based on the themes will be displayed in the most suitable places.

Messages from Guest Director

Ryuichi Sakamoto was born in Tokyo in 1952 and made his debut in 1978 with the album “Thousand Knives”. Sakamoto's diverse résumé include pioneering elec- tronic works, globally-inspired rock, classical scores including an opera, and being a founding member of electronic music as a part of Yellow Magic Orchestra. His film soundtracks have won many prestigious awards such as an Academy Award for "the Last Emperor," two Golden Globes, a Grammy and a British Academy Award in ad- dition to the several Japanese awards for his most famous film score, "Merry Christ- mas Mr. Lawrence". Following his 1999 opera, "LIFE," Sakamoto became outspo- ken on the issues of the environment, peace, and social issues. Since 3/11 in Japan, Sakamoto has been a strong voice for support and help for the victims of the earth- quake, tsunami, and the anthropogenic nuclear meltdown in Fukushima. In response, Sakamoto has launched the following three charity organizations: “kizunaworld (http:// kizunaworld.org/english/index.html) ”, “ LIFE311(http://life311.more-trees.org/en) “ and “School Music Revival (http://www.schoolmusicrevival.org/index_eng.html) “. Sakamoto resides in New York City.

Characteristics of the Sapporo International Art Festival 2014

Locals will serve as event hosts and work together to organize the Sapporo International Art Festival 2014 based on the theme presented by Guest Director Ryuichi Sakamoto. The event will highlight various aspects of the city, including its history, natural characteristics, infrastructure, industry, food and other aspects of local lifestyles. The Guest Director will impart novel ideas and global perspectives as part of the event, and Associate Curators will supervise individual initiatives such as exhibitions creating unique spaces and art projects to be organized across the city. These will be held in Sap- poro’s natural surroundings as well as the city’s streets, parks, historic buildings and even an underground walkway.

Objectives of the Sapporo International Art Festival 2014

The Sapporo International Art Festival 2014 will provide opportunities for visitors to explore the concept of nature, cities, economy and lifestyles and to find out more about how cit- ies can coexist with nature based on a reassessment of urban and environmental issues in Sapporo/Hokkaido and the region’s history in the context of art. Attendees will be able to visit various SIAF 2014 sites to enjoy a diverse array of pro- grams involving contemporary art, music, performing arts and media arts. There will also be opportunities to participate in workshops and other events while experiencing local communities and interacting with other people. This combination of activities will create an art festival that provides opportunities to envision the future.

What is the Creative City Sapporo initiative?

A Creative City is defined as one focused on efforts to promote industrial development and local revi- talization based on creativity represented by a wealth of expression in culture and art. The concept has recently attracted attention as a model for strategic urban development. Sapporo’s variety of internationally acclaimed cultural and artistic facilities and events make it the ideal place to cultivate creativity. Cultural and artistic enterprises have the power to move people, filling them with emotion, stimulating them and motivating them to do new things. This in turn leads to further creative activities that give birth to innovation and fuel the emergence of new products and industries. Sapporo needs to ensure the active use of its creativity-nurturing infrastructure and learn from other creative cities in Japan and elsewhere that have restored their appeal through related activities. Such development will help to advance its Creative City initiatives as part of its urban development strategy. The Sapporo International Art Festival 2014 will be held as part of the Creative City Sapporo initiative.

Accession to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network

On November 11, 2013, Sapporo was designated as a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (City of Media Arts), which consists of 41 cities around the world. Today, the network has three Cities of Media Arts – Lyon (France), Enghien-les-Bains (France) and now Sapporo. With urban areas themselves viewed as media, UNESCO’s City of Media Arts designation is given in recognition of cities that promote cultural and artistic expression using new media technology to help to foster the development of local industry and international tourism exchange. Such cities also seek to promote spontaneous creative activity among local residents and to encourage related economic activity. The specific initiatives of Sapporo include 3D projection mapping at the Sapporo Snow Festival and advanced media art exhibitions scheduled to take place during SIAF 2014. The city also seeks to add value to the whole of its urban environment using new media technology, and encourages residents to join its city planning efforts through social media and other channels. These efforts will also tap local knowledge and creativity toward the resolution of urban environmental problems.

Main venues

・Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art
・Sapporo Art Museum
・Sapporo Ekimae-dori Underground Walkway (Chi-Ka-Ho)
・Sapporo Odori 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery
・Moerenuma Park
・Former Sapporo Court of Appeals (Shiryokan)
・Former Hokkaido Government Office Building (Red Brick)

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