vol.
014
SEPTEMBER
2016
vol.014 / Special
Spotlight on the Tokyo Artpoint Project
Sowing the seeds of art and culture in your neighborhood
The Tokyo Artpoint Project organizes art projects all over the metropolis, connecting people, towns, and activities in Tokyo. Through initiatives co-sponsored by NPOs based in local communities, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and Arts Council Tokyo, it aims to ensure that art and culture take root in the daily life and communities of the metropolis, thereby adding to Tokyo’s allure. Thirteen projects – already underway – are being implemented this year. What are the potential fruits of art projects undertaken outside the confines of art museums and galleries, involving diverse people and activities? We talked to some of those involved in the Tokyo Artpoint Project as NPOs, artists, supporters, and program officers.
Akio Hayashi｜Mariko Tomomasa｜Yusuke Yamagami｜Reina Ashibe
Supporter
Supporters are volunteers and interns who join hands in creating projects
Yusuke Yamagami
I want to be a part of the team helping art projects to make lots of people happy
Art projects look kind of interesting. It was this vague sense of curiosity that led me to apply to be a supporter for TERATOTERA. The first activity I took part in was research around Mitaka Station, which was the setting for the TERATOTERA Festival in November 2015. I walked around the area with the organizing staff and other supporters, looking for suitable spots while soaking up the atmosphere of the neighborhood. I was thrust straight into the work and was able to be involved in the event from the concept planning stage. After that, while making use of my skills from my job as an engineer to provide logistical support, I got to experience the enjoyment of being part of the team contributing to the success of art projects. Of course, it’s artists who actually create the works. Mine is just a supporting role, but when I see people having fun when they come to look at the works, it makes me happy too.
I also became interested in other art projects and took part in Topping East and the Relight Project. I get the feeling that art projects have given me a glimpse of Tokyo’s hidden depths as a city, because they are strongly colored by the atmosphere and features of the neighborhoods where they are based.
Right now, Tokyo is a hive of activity focused on the 2020 Olympic Games. But it would be a waste if cultural activities like these art projects came to an end in 2020. I think that continuing and expanding these activities would be meaningful and that they will only truly come into their own once the Olympic Games have ended.
Editing & Written by Playce
Translation: Office Miyazaki, Inc.
