2013年02月25日
Leandro Erlich Is Back!
Preparations for the contemporary art festival, Setouchi Triennale 2013, are speeding up. Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich recently made his first visit to the top of Mount Yashima, the site of his upcoming work, “Beautifully Abandoned”. (For more on Leandro see: http://www.leandroerlich.com.ar/ ).
Leandro at the site
Those who came to Art Setouchi 2010, the Triennale’s inaugural year, may remember Leandro’s playful and intriguing works from Megijima, “The Presence of Absence” and “Double Tea”. (http://www.leandroerlich.com.ar/works.php?id=49# )
This time his task is to discover and share the treasures of an abandoned cable car station at the top of Mount Yashima.
Cable car station
Built in 1929, the building is representative of Japan’s period of modern industrialization and, for that reason, was designated as a heritage site in 2009. To the older generation, it evokes memories of the desperate war years when the rails were melted down to make weapons and the postwar economic boom, when the cable car was revived to serve waves of tourists.
Cable car rails
Defunct cable car
With the close of the cable car company in 2004, however, the cable car and station have been forgotten by most visitors to Yashima. Far off the beaten track, the building stands unused, suspended in time, slowly but surely disintegrating.
Disintegration in progress
Enter Leandro, whose works combine art and architecture in ways that play with perception. Art, he explained, is a fantasy, a story that takes people to another world so that when they return to reality, they see their everyday world differently. “Beautifully Abandoned” will be no exception.
The challenge this time, however, was to find a way to let visitors interact with the building despite the limitation of not being allowed to actually touch it. According to Leandro, this limitation actually helped spark new inspirations.
Koebitai volunteers plotting a shadow on the ground
But as Leandro’s works are meant to be experienced and enjoyed in person, I will not spoil the surprise by telling you more. Come and see for yourself. And while you are here, take a stroll around Mount Yashima, which offers some of the most spectacular views of the Setouchi region.
View off Yashima
For more on the Triennale, see the official website at http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/
and David’s blog: http://ogijima.com/art-setouchi/setouchi-triennale-2013/
Takamatsu Access:
Takamatsu can be reached by direct flights from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (about 1 hour), by limousine bus from Kansai International Airport (about 3 hours), and by direct flights from China and Korea. It can also be reached by taking the bullet train to Okayama (4 hours from Tokyo) and changing to the Marine Liner bound for Takamatsu (runs every 1/2 hour; takes 1 hour).
Hotels: http://www.japanican.com/index.aspx (when selecting the area of stay, scroll down to “Other Popular Options” and select “Takamatsu/Tokushima/Awashima”.)
Also check: http://www.kagawa-yadonet.or.jp/en/
Leandro at the site
Those who came to Art Setouchi 2010, the Triennale’s inaugural year, may remember Leandro’s playful and intriguing works from Megijima, “The Presence of Absence” and “Double Tea”. (http://www.leandroerlich.com.ar/works.php?id=49# )
This time his task is to discover and share the treasures of an abandoned cable car station at the top of Mount Yashima.
Cable car station
Built in 1929, the building is representative of Japan’s period of modern industrialization and, for that reason, was designated as a heritage site in 2009. To the older generation, it evokes memories of the desperate war years when the rails were melted down to make weapons and the postwar economic boom, when the cable car was revived to serve waves of tourists.
Cable car rails
Defunct cable car
With the close of the cable car company in 2004, however, the cable car and station have been forgotten by most visitors to Yashima. Far off the beaten track, the building stands unused, suspended in time, slowly but surely disintegrating.
Disintegration in progress
Enter Leandro, whose works combine art and architecture in ways that play with perception. Art, he explained, is a fantasy, a story that takes people to another world so that when they return to reality, they see their everyday world differently. “Beautifully Abandoned” will be no exception.
The challenge this time, however, was to find a way to let visitors interact with the building despite the limitation of not being allowed to actually touch it. According to Leandro, this limitation actually helped spark new inspirations.
Koebitai volunteers plotting a shadow on the ground
But as Leandro’s works are meant to be experienced and enjoyed in person, I will not spoil the surprise by telling you more. Come and see for yourself. And while you are here, take a stroll around Mount Yashima, which offers some of the most spectacular views of the Setouchi region.
View off Yashima
For more on the Triennale, see the official website at http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/
and David’s blog: http://ogijima.com/art-setouchi/setouchi-triennale-2013/
Takamatsu Access:
Takamatsu can be reached by direct flights from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (about 1 hour), by limousine bus from Kansai International Airport (about 3 hours), and by direct flights from China and Korea. It can also be reached by taking the bullet train to Okayama (4 hours from Tokyo) and changing to the Marine Liner bound for Takamatsu (runs every 1/2 hour; takes 1 hour).
Hotels: http://www.japanican.com/index.aspx (when selecting the area of stay, scroll down to “Other Popular Options” and select “Takamatsu/Tokushima/Awashima”.)
Also check: http://www.kagawa-yadonet.or.jp/en/
My Profile
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
Posted by cathy at 23:50│Comments(3)
この記事へのコメント
I'm really looking forward to his work at Yashima! His works at Megi Island were in my best 5 of all the works I visited at the last festival.
And the picture of sunset is so beautiful!
And the picture of sunset is so beautiful!
Posted by Hiroko Ando at 2013年02月26日 16:12
I'm looking forward to it, too. Leandro's works are so much fun. and thought provoking, too.
Posted by cathy at 2013年02月26日 17:02
I visited the site today with my daughter and her friend from Yamaguchi. We all really liked his art!! Also we went to the Yashima Temple nearby and the museum there. Have you been to the museum? There are a lot of old and special things! Works by Ganjin, Yokoyama Taikan, and so on.
Posted by Hiroko Ando at 2013年04月07日 20:49
※会員のみコメントを受け付けております、ログインが必要です。
