Experiencing space is what [shapes form]

Starting on July 29, summer exhibitions and events as part of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field’s year-round program, “Echigo-Tsumari 2023,” will begin one after another. In preparation for the 9th edition of the festival in 2024, the NUNAGAWA Campus will showcase artworks designed to be enjoyed with all five senses. As a prelude to this, we spoke with artist Ito Makoto ahead of his Special Exhibition, “Let’s Walk with Our Heads Held High.”

――I believe *Crescent*, the artwork created at Matsudai Castle Shiroyama in 2000, was a sculptural artwork. Since this time it’s an experiential artwork, has your approach to creating art changed over the past 20 years?

I still engage in “creating forms,” and I’ve been doing so all along. The inspiration for this artwork, “Let’s Walk with Our Heads Held High,” came from a question I asked myself while continuing to create forms: “What does it mean to ‘experience space’?” “Experiencing space” means experiencing public art together, doesn’t it? However, this artwork was born out of the question: “Are we really all having the same experience?”

The artworks (installations) at the NUNAGAWA Campus serve not only as tools for experiencing the art but also as tools for performance. While the person wearing the installation is actively experiencing the artwork, for those watching, the very act of seeing someone else experience the artwork is itself a strong element of the performance.

As for the performance aspect, wearing this installation imposes significant physical restrictions, so the wearer moves slowly or in ways that differ from their usual movements.Since the device is worn in front of the body, the wearer inevitably has to maintain their balance. Another aspect is that this state itself constitutes the concrete act of “creating a form.”

There are various types of artworks here, but among the early pieces are those custom-made to fit the wearer’s body type. Some are designed for children, while others are over 2 meters tall. While it’s fine to view them from your own Point of View, I think it’s also worthwhile to consider them from a variety of Points of View.

If you look closely, you’ll see that this collection also includes pieces from an exhibition titled “M no Tane”*¹ held at the Musashino Art University Ichigaya Campus. Those pieces were made using materials from MUJI. The captions list the names of MUJI products rather than the materials themselves.

The items on display near the entrance are not only meant to be worn but can also be displayed as objects in their own right. In arranging the display, I also considered incorporating elements reminiscent of a set of mirrors—such as looking into one mirror and seeing the reflection of another.

――You had already presented “Look Up and Walk” as part of the “Side Track”*² project in 2009—were you already thinking about creating an interactive artwork in which the audience members themselves become performers back then?

With “Side Track” at that time, I may have become more interested in the location itself rather than simply the space where the artwork was viewed. Come to think of it, the butoh dancer Tanaka Min performed a “field dance” at the site of that artwork, and he mentioned that he had previously engaged in activities like this—actions similar to the experience of “Let’s Walk with Our Heads Held High”—as one of the catalysts for awakening a different awareness of the body and eliciting unique movements.

――So this experience is what it means to adjust or train the body, isn’t it?

The same can be said about creating forms. If one possesses the ability to renew one’s perspective on a given form, I believe one’s consciousness will be such that each time, it feels as though one is seeing that form for the very first time. I believe that focusing on what triggers this renewal of consciousness—and what kind of sequence of spatial experiences it entails—is an essential aspect of continuing to create forms over the long term.

The Special Exhibition, which stimulates the five senses through the body and the mind, will be on view from July 29 to August 27, 2023 (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays). We invite you to come try on the artworks and experience the space for yourself.

Text and Editing: Hana Maruo / NPO Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Collaborative Organization

Duration｜ July 29 (Sat) – August 27 (Sun) | Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays
Hours｜10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Please note that hands-on activities are not available from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. However, visitors are welcome to tour the facility.)
Location｜NUNAGAWA Campus (576 Murono, Tokamachi city, Niigata Prefecture)
Fee｜Included in the NUNAGAWA Campus admission fee (Adults: 500 yen)