Aiming for a symbiotic society, taking a step towards a new future through the power of art - Kagayaku Mirai ga Mieru Kanagawa 2021 -

This summer, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were held.
Under the scorching Tokyo sun, the heated battles between players from around the world were well worth watching even on television.
This summer, as the eyes of the world turn to Japan, Kanagawa Prefecture and the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be hosting a series of online programs as part of the "Tokyo 2020 NIPPON Festival," an official cultural program of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to serve as a symbol of solidarity that transcends all boundaries.

"ONE - Our New Episode - Presented by Japan Airlines," one of three programs sponsored by the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, is based on the theme of "Towards the realization of an inclusive society." The program aims to highlight the unique personalities of each individual, such as those with disabilities, gender, and nationality, and to create opportunities for people to meet and interact with each other, thereby feeling their value, becoming aware of them, and developing empathy and resonance, thereby bringing about changes in awareness and behavior.
This program consists of two projects: "Our Glorious Future ~KANAGAWA 2021~" and "MAZEKOZE Island Tour."
This time, we will be focusing on "Our Glorious Future ~KANAGAWA 2021~Kagayaku Mirai ga Mieru Kanagawa 2021", hosted by Kanagawa Prefecture and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee.

■Our Glorious Future ～KANAGAWA 2021～KANAGAWA 2021

Kaiji Moriyama © Sadato Ishizuka

This is a streaming program where artists dance, sing, act, and captivate the audience on the stage of the Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall and other buildings (= Momijigaoka Cultural Zone) designed by Kunio Maekawa, a pioneer of Japanese modernist architecture. Viewers will be unable to take their eyes off the direction by the elite in each field.
The Momijigaoka Cultural Zone and other areas will be hosting dance, theater, art, music, and crafts. First, let us introduce the unique directors and curators who take charge of each section and create the programs.

Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall from the stage "Momijigaoka Cultural Zone" ©Hata Ryo

"The Future of Dance" features Kaiji Moriyama, a dancer and choreographer from Kanagawa Prefecture.
In 2005, he was praised by the New York Times as a "phenomenal dancer" for his work "KATANA," and was invited to the Venice Biennale in 2007. In addition to performing works both in Japan and abroad, he is actively involved in a wide range of creative endeavors, including the Japan Committee for UNICEF's "Global Handwashing Dance," making videos while visiting and staying at welfare facilities, and supervising elementary school textbooks.
The stream will feature the collaborative work "LIVEBONE" series by Kaiji Moriyama, Kozue Hibino, and Kosuke Kawase, with the theme of "everyone's body is different." The series will feature guest artist Koichi Omae, a dancer with a prosthetic leg, and a new video produced at Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall, a masterpiece by Maekawa Architecture. In addition, solo performances by Kaiji Moriyama and Koichi Omae, and "WONDER WATER," a performance that vividly depicts the diverse creatures that coexist in the ocean, will be released sequentially.

Dance Division Performance Image

"The Future of Theatre" will feature Tada Junnosuke, a director from Kanagawa Prefecture and head of Tokyo Deathlock.
The group explores contemporary social issues from texts from all over the world, from classics to modern plays, novels, and poetry, past and present, and has also organized numerous workshops and creative projects with people who are not theater specialists at schools and cultural facilities, as well as numerous international co-productions with Korea and Southeast Asia.

Junnosuke Tada ©Toru Hiraiwa

The "Shiruyarukawaruiruodoru Project" being streamed this time is a project directed by Junnosuke Tada that aims to take a step towards realizing a symbiotic society by getting to know ourselves and others. It will feature interviews with people who are engaged in activities that provide hints and inspiration for symbiosis, documentary footage of workshops, and a ceremony using the Bon Odori dance as a motif to remember those who have passed away, those who have been lost, and for the future of us who are here now.

"The Future of Art" is by Yu Fujikawa, curator at Chigasaki City Museum of Art.
Specializing in contemporary art and educational outreach, he has planned numerous exhibitions and programs that utilize the environment and space to stimulate people's five senses. His 2019 exhibition, "The Road to (and from) the Museum," which he planned after researching artists, people with disabilities, and the local community, was highly praised and attracted attention from all quarters as a new attempt at art aimed at a diverse audience.
The works of the five artists selected by Fujikawa will be set among Kunio Maekawa's architectural complex, and will respond to the space and be created together with tangible and intangible elements such as people, living things, light, sound, and wind. In this time of great change, these works that stand in empty spaces will invite deep reflection on the human presence that was originally meant to be welcomed, creating a moment to ponder the coexistence of modest beings with diverse creatures.
Yu Fujikawa ©Ben Matsunaga

Additionally, in the Music Division, Salsa Gum Tape, a rock band based in Kanagawa Prefecture formed by Satoshi Kashiwa with members who have disabilities, and Kifu Mitsuhashi, a shakuhachi player active both in Japan and overseas, will perform a multicultural collaboration of Western and Japanese music, both of which will be streamed live.
A live performance by the rock band Salsa Gum Tape

Finally, the "Crafts Section" will feature works by ceramic artist Maeda Masahiro, who has been creating works based in Yokohama, Kanagawa for over half a century and is a leader in the contemporary crafts world, as well as works by other ceramic artists who represent Kanagawa.
Don't miss the talk show on the theme of crafts and food, featuring cooking magazine editor-in-chief Ueno Hiroo and others.

The videos will be released sequentially on the official website ( https://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/docs/yi4/portal.html ).
Please take a look.

Draw your favorite picture. Sing your heart's content. Create what you imagine. Write.
I think the key to realizing a diverse and inclusive society is for everyone to first find and express what they like, what is unique to them, and what they want to do.

I hope that the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the cultural festival, the Tokyo 2020 NIPPON Festival, will be an opportunity for you to take a step towards your future.