The Summer Session has begun. Beneath the blue sky and incandescent sun, people board the boats that crisscross the Seto Inland Sea.
The season was launched with a variety of events. In the morning of July 20, a ceremony was held to celebrate the completion of the Fukita Pavilion in Fukuda, Shodoshima, followed by an opening ceremony at Fukutake House. At 11:30, another tape-cutting ceremony was held, this time for the opening of Miyanoura Gallery 6 on Naoshima. In the afternoon, there was the opening ceremony for Ibukijima island, and at night, the light up ceremony was held for the Project for Sea Lights in Takamatsu. This was followed by a banquet on Naoshima.
Various events were also held on the preceding day, July 19, including the completion ceremony for the Teshima Yokoo House, a symposium on Oshima to discuss the island’s future, a viewing and reception for the Kenzo Tange Centennial Retrospective, and the opening of Bengal Island and the Takamatsu Port Art Factories. In the evening, a reception was held for participating artists and supporters and special guests from Bangladesh, including the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Cultural Affairs, the International Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister, and the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan, as well as the Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh.
On July 18, a reception was held on Megijima for Shinro Ohtake’s MECON. And these are only the events that I personally was able to attend. Many more were held and, as you can see from the list above, the international nature of the Setouchi Triennale 2013, and particularly the Summer Session, is even more pronounced than the festival in 2010. The contents are also clearly striking out in new directions, and the involvement and enthusiasm of local communities are extraordinary. Grand in scale, the Triennale so far is a rousing success. While there will be inevitable glitches, we have already gained valuable experience during the Spring Session, and the Summer Session is off to an excellent start.