By Cathy Hirano

Shodoshima has really gotten into the swing of things for Setouchi Triennale 2013 (http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/). Whereas in 2010, only a few areas were involved, this time, every community seems to have joined in, connecting the festival with existing art in residency programs and local artists.

While Shodoshima is not in Takamatsu, it’s just 60 minutes away by ferry on a very scenic route (30 minutes by speed boat). The island is so large and the art sites are so widely spread that it is quite hard to see them all in one day even with your own car. I recommend either staying overnight or picking specific sites to see.

Due to space restraints, here is a sample of just 3 that I was fortunate to see still in the making. Very interesting stuff!

“Maze Town – Phantasmagoric Alleys:” The streets near the port of Tonosho town were intentionally laid out in a maze-like pattern to deter invading pirates, a fact that dovetails perfectly with this project.



Launched by a group of 4 young artists, the project envisions transforming the area into a maze over the next ten years. Abandoned buildings will be turned into individual mazes, while a labyrinth of walkways will join these buildings together. As this will require the support of the whole community, the team started by transforming a tobacco shop into a maze to help local residents understand the concept,.



Locals were asked to contribute materials as well as volunteer labor.


Poster soliciting materials.

Look what materials were used to insulate the walls – old futon!




Volunteers taking a break



Another project I caught in the making was Kana Yoshida’s “The Secret of Hanasuwajima.” Kana was an artist in residence who fell in love with Shodoshima and became a resident. A diver, she took underwater photos of a little outcrop near her home on Shodoshima,



then painstakingly reproduced them in pastel on styrofoam and turned the island inside out so that the viewer can see it from every side and angle, as if standing underwater and looking up.


Kana explaining the concept


Work in progress

Finally, let me revisit Wang Wen Chih’s “The Light of Shodoshima”. Again, this project involved the cooperation of many volunteers and local people, especially in providing the thousands of bamboo needed to build the structure.


“The Light of Shodoshima” in the making



Bamboo grows like a weed and takes over healthy forests and fields rapidly if it is not kept in check, so the locals were very happy to find such a good use for it. This was Wang’s second time to build here, and he was wonderfully friendly and welcoming to all. He, his team and the many volunteers were kept well fed by Ota-san, a young local man who returned to Shodoshima just last year and is running Komame Shokudo, the restaurant at the top of the hill (very nice!).


Ota-san serving sweet bean soup

Well, I’m definitely out of space so let me sign off with a few of my favorite views on Wang’s finished product and the reminder that there is much, much more to be experienced and enjoyed on Shodoshima and at the Setouchi Triennale 2013.









Takamatsu Access, etc.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu

Many thanks to Hiroko.