In preparation for the summer/autumn season of “Echigo-Tsumari Art Field 2023,” artists have been arriving in Echigo-Tsumari one after another since June. They have been conducting research in each village, inspecting the venues of their artworks, developing plans for their works, and working on them at the site and in their ateliers. Some of the works have already been shown to the public, while others are in the process of finalizing their plans for late July.

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1, Oka Makoto, "Farming implements as instruments!"

Jazz musician, Oka Makoto transformed farm tools acquired from the local community into musical instruments and exhibited them in the Tsunan Junior High School at ETAT 2022. This work will be relocated to Echigo-Tsumari Kamigo Clove Theatre in 2023 for permanent work. At the time of the relocation, students from Tsunan Junior High School and the females in Kamigo village worked together to create the work. The completed work is now on view. Please enjoy the music played by the farming tools.

2, Matsumoto Akinori, "Making Sound Object"

Matsumoto Akinori, the artist who creates sound objects using bamboo, will hold a workshop “Making Sound Object”” at NUNAGAWA Campus. This is an original musical instrument that produces tones through the mysterious movement of suspended bamboo pieces. In the workshop, you can make a musical instrument and take it home. We visited his atelier to see the process of making it.

"Akiyamago Oakasawa Branch School Project (tentative)" supervised by Fukasawa Takafumi

Fukasawa Takashi, an artist who carefully researches and creates unique works based on local charms, also visited Tsunan Town to develop the “Akiyamago Oakasawa Branch School Project (tentative),” which will begin in 2022. He carefully surveyed the Oakasawa area with government officials and held meetings with the director and staff in Echigo-Tsumari.

Ito Makoto, ”Look Up to the Sky”

Ito Makoto’s hands-on exhibition “Let’s Walk Looking Up” will be held at NUNAGAWA Campus. Wearing a mirrored surface, visitors can walk while looking at the scenery above their heads, which they cannot normally see. Makoto Ito, who arrived at the site, also visited his own permanent installation, “Crescent,” located on Joyama.