Mud & Art
2013年06月28日
In my last blog we looked at the festival in Ayagawa Cho near Takamatsu. Japan has a serious problem with its declining birthrate and falling population. The impact is felt particularly in rural communities and there are some wonderful attempts underway to revive the regions and turn these economies around.
As a part of my job years ago, I used to visit schools and give talks in Japanese, visiting schools all around Kagawa prefecture. A few in the remote & mountainous interior of Shikoku. Particularly these isolated schools were often under the threat of imminent closures and along with the closures, also goes the history of generations who have attended. One school I visited had 15 students and 7 staff.
We all know what evocative and powerful memories schools can have when revisited later in life. Dusty trophies of events nobody now recalls etc. Even the smell of the classrooms; an admixture of unopened windows, chalk, dust, bleach & pencil shavings immediately revives memories of things past.
In many rural areas the local education departments are taking initiatives to reverse the loss of these irreplaceable buildings by converting them into artists workshops, cheap hostels for travellers (school meals served to guests), meeting rooms etc. and this is infinitely preferable to tearing both them and their histories down.
The Ayagawa community has found expression for their old school through art and they’ve done it magnificently. They’ve designed an ‘Art Trekking’ route in the hills, running 7 kilometers and there are even some works on display by local Takamatsu artist Adrian Goodhand.
I had a little conversation with one rice farmer beside his rice-planter. “Yes” he said. “I know all the artists.’ ‘ Cezanne, Renoir …” I assumed he was speaking about knowing ‘about’, rather than actually knowing but that’s not the way it came out. I had a little smile being the snob that I am.
I was particularly taken by the sculptures of Eichi Tsujino in one classroom. These organic forms made from wood were quite something to see. Outside in the timeless and ancient Japanese countryside there were some works to think about as well. I immediately thought of Pol Pot. A bit unnerving …
The paining or meme, copied from the Zen temple in Kyoto, the motif being a dragon diving to the bottom of the sea to find a pearl was impressive, but I would have liked to see something other than an almost direct copy of it.
The symbolism of this motif is of course that we’re all in search of wisdom (the pearl) (or supposed to be.) Anyway it’s a large and effective outdoor mural.
In some classrooms there are some great paintings. I’ve always been taken by the incredibly high standard of Japanese, for want of a better word, ‘amateur’ painters. Many could easily be professional in other countries and the level is very high indeed.
Takamatsu is easily accessible by plane or ship from any of the hub centers in Japan. Takamatsu is only 40 minutes by bus from the Takamatsu Airport. Please do think about visiting us when you’re in Japan.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu
http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/
As a part of my job years ago, I used to visit schools and give talks in Japanese, visiting schools all around Kagawa prefecture. A few in the remote & mountainous interior of Shikoku. Particularly these isolated schools were often under the threat of imminent closures and along with the closures, also goes the history of generations who have attended. One school I visited had 15 students and 7 staff.
We all know what evocative and powerful memories schools can have when revisited later in life. Dusty trophies of events nobody now recalls etc. Even the smell of the classrooms; an admixture of unopened windows, chalk, dust, bleach & pencil shavings immediately revives memories of things past.
In many rural areas the local education departments are taking initiatives to reverse the loss of these irreplaceable buildings by converting them into artists workshops, cheap hostels for travellers (school meals served to guests), meeting rooms etc. and this is infinitely preferable to tearing both them and their histories down.
The Ayagawa community has found expression for their old school through art and they’ve done it magnificently. They’ve designed an ‘Art Trekking’ route in the hills, running 7 kilometers and there are even some works on display by local Takamatsu artist Adrian Goodhand.
I had a little conversation with one rice farmer beside his rice-planter. “Yes” he said. “I know all the artists.’ ‘ Cezanne, Renoir …” I assumed he was speaking about knowing ‘about’, rather than actually knowing but that’s not the way it came out. I had a little smile being the snob that I am.
I was particularly taken by the sculptures of Eichi Tsujino in one classroom. These organic forms made from wood were quite something to see. Outside in the timeless and ancient Japanese countryside there were some works to think about as well. I immediately thought of Pol Pot. A bit unnerving …
The paining or meme, copied from the Zen temple in Kyoto, the motif being a dragon diving to the bottom of the sea to find a pearl was impressive, but I would have liked to see something other than an almost direct copy of it.
The symbolism of this motif is of course that we’re all in search of wisdom (the pearl) (or supposed to be.) Anyway it’s a large and effective outdoor mural.
In some classrooms there are some great paintings. I’ve always been taken by the incredibly high standard of Japanese, for want of a better word, ‘amateur’ painters. Many could easily be professional in other countries and the level is very high indeed.
Takamatsu is easily accessible by plane or ship from any of the hub centers in Japan. Takamatsu is only 40 minutes by bus from the Takamatsu Airport. Please do think about visiting us when you’re in Japan.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu
http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/
タグ ：kagawa
"Pat has lived in Takamatsu continuously since arriving here on a one year study and leave 1981. Originally from Tasmania, Australia, he was involved in education at a variety of levels including as a specialist teacher for children with learning difficulties, and at senior high schools throughout the state. Pat is employed full-time by the i-pal Kagawa International Exchange as a co-oridintaor for international relations amongst other duties including traveling to schools and giving talks in Japanese to kids about Australia. He has been involved with youth education exchanges between Japan and Australia for many years.
Pat has been many things in his colorful life including a seaman, helmsman, welder, carpenter, traffic warden, scholarship/studentship winner at the university of Tasmania, staff at the Australian Embassy in London to name but a few. Pat has far too many hobbies which include tennis, playing jazz flutes and saxes, riding bicycles with the Takamatsu Cycling Club all of which his long-suffering family tolerate. Recently he's become interested in painting again. His wife wishes he would put more time in to helping around the house and the garden which he artfully avoids ..."
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Posted by pat at 21:42
