The project “Minamisanriku =Hague Special Art Experiment Zone (SAEZ )” was launched by curator Yukiko Shikata (Minamisanriku AIR Curator), artist Yoshinari Nishiki (a.k.a Inari from TOFU/Rotterdam), Yasuhiro Iwata (Minamisanriku AIR Coordinator) and others. This unique attempt to connect Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture with The Hague in the Netherlands has finally started! There will also be a live stream, so please check it out!

Minamisanriku = Hague Special Art Experimentation Zone (SAEZ)

Kick-off Talk: “What is Minamisanriku = Hague SAEZ? Announcing the first virtual AIR!”

 

Minamisanriku = Hague SAEZ (Special Art Experimentation Zone)” is a hybrid art “special zone” that will bring together Minamisanriku Town in Miyagi Prefecture and The Hague in the Netherlands, two far-flung regions on the globe, in order to mutually revitalize their cultures and economies. It will begin with V-AIR (Virtual Artist-in-Residence) in the spring of 2021, when the coronavirus infection (COVID-19) restricts people’s face-to-face encounters and mobility. The visuals on this page show a kind of surreal “encounter” between two regions that are far apart and have vastly different geopolitics and histories, suddenly facing each other virtually across the sea (!). In this post-pandemic era, a new network between regions, artists, and people is about to begin, transcending geographical distance.
(Excerpt from the press release of this project)

 

Date: Sunday, April 25, 2021, 14:00-17:00 in JST (7:00-10:00 Dutch time)
Venue: Minamisanriku Manabi no Sato Iriyado Lounge https://ms-iriyado.jp/
Admission: Free
Capacity: 12 people (advance booking required)

Live Streaming Available: https://youtu.be/XCa60XuUx9k

Participants: Tadayoshi Abe (Director, Minamisanriku Learning Center), Taichi Sato (Managing Director, Saku Corporation), Mitsuru Tokisato (Media Artist), Mari Fukudome (Dancer/Choreographer), Yukiko Shikata (Minamisanriku AIR Curator), Yasuhiro Iwata (Minamisanriku AIR Coordinator), Yoshinari Nishiki (a.k.a Inari from TOFU/Rotterdam)

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Yukiko Shikata

Meet Up ECoC! Profile page: https://eu-japanfest.org/meet-up/artist/profile/396