Greeting from the Director
Hi there,
Surprise, surprise. We’re in the midst of the Olympic fever here in Japan. How has everything been with you all? The heat this summer in Sapporo, or Hokkaido in general, is exceptional among all the places in this country. It’s actually been record-breaking. Besides heat, one of huge concerns for us is the yet-unbroken suspension of the international application for our Studio Apartment program. Monitoring the Covid situation over here, we still haven’t been able to figure out when to reopen it. While we can’t see each other, I will be very happy to hear from you – you can hit me with emails, videos, or whatever. Thanks!
Mami Odai
Artists Selected for the International Open Call & the Concurrent Domestic Open Call!
We are beyond delightful to confirm four invited artists for the two different open call programs. Both programs have attracted numerous applications and after constructive discussions at the screenings, we have decided on two artists for each.
International Open Call
*For the online residency with international artists, on full-remote execution
Program duration: 60 days from August 31st , 2021, to October 29th, 2021
Artists: Joshua Sofaer from the U.K., Tra Nguyen from Vietnam and the U.S
Board of Selection / Program Curators: Mizuki Endo, Min-hyung Kang
*Endo will team up with Sofaer and Kang will work with Nguyen in the program
Please visit here for the director’s report of the screening.
The selection process this year involved curators with deeper admiration for the performing arts than anyone we’ve had in the past as the juries. I decided it’s appropriate for the selected projects were full of aspiration for constructive employment of this peculiar situation we call an online residency. We were fascinated by how Sofaer employed the year 1972, which Sapporo cannot help but find a strong connection to, and how Nguyen’s proposal could bring this theater city an unexpected joy. Not only with both projects being performing-arts-centered, but also with a great time difference, everything comes new to us! No we’re not entirely optimistic, but yes, at the same time, we’re very much excited.
Domestic Open Call
*For the domestic program concurrent to the international online residency
*Onsite execution in Sapporo, Hokkaido is expected for the program at this moment (Adjustments on the execution are possible depending on the Covid situation)
Program duration: 60 days from September 7th, 2021, to November 5th, 2021.
Artists: Shuji Inoue, Tomu Osaki
Board of Selection / Program Supporter Artists: Artlabo Kitabune (artist unit), Toshiaki Tomita (visual artist), Emi Nakamura (artist)
Please visit here for the director’s report of the screening.
Alternative aim of this domestic program is to illuminate the local networks all over Hokkaido that are valuable and practical for an artistic work. We would love to hear from organizations/individuals generous enough for the collaboration with us in supporting work. If interested, please contact Mami Odai at Tenjinyama Art Studio.
Dispatches from Staff
Hi all,
How are things going? This is Chinatsu from the Tenjinyama office.
While I personally don't watch many games from the Olympics, golf should be an exception. Besides all the excitement from impossible performances by renowned players, watching how caddies communicate with golfers in general has taught me a lot about being a better coordinator to artists.
Despite the infamous reputation as one of the most privileged sports on the planet, golf has also been a womb of some life lessons worth listening to. Here, let's humbly quote one of the world's best-known golfer-writers Bobby Jones. He wrote famously of his philosophy;
"Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots – but you have to play the ball as it lies."
With this quote, Jones explains how chance encounters, good or bad, could turn the tables in our lives. Another implication he holds here is that the ball is not forever fixed in one place but it's an object to be played. Regardless of the willingness in the process, because we are the players, we can't help but edit out the programmed stability in the ball to continue our game. Especially when all we see is a blunt fog, we need someone to make a shot -- bold yet nuanced -- for a move in the air. That said, I am beyond excited that we're going to kickstart our 2021 residency program in a month with celebrated artists and team members, or in other words, promised air shakers of our times.
-- Chinatsu Igarashi, coordinator