Connecting the past, present, and future of the legendary town of Honmoku through art! "Honmoku Art Project 2017" is being held!

-Starting with the "Yasunori Miyauchi Kids Workshop" on October 11th, various programs are currently underway. Please tell us an overview of the "Honmoku Art Project."

[Okazaki] First of all, the "Offsite Dance Project" that I represent is an NPO based in Yokohama that has the concept of promoting performing arts in various spaces other than theaters, and is engaged in dance-based activities both in Japan and overseas. The "Honmoku Art Project" was the first local revitalization project we undertook. We teamed up with Mr. Kasahara, who is committed to urban development in Yokohama, and started in 2013 by working with artists in and outside Honmoku, shops in Honmoku, and people with local networks.

- I heard that you are from the Honmoku area. How do you feel about the changes in the town?

[Kasahara] I was born and raised in Negishi, adjacent to Honmoku. My family home was next to a US military residential area, so I naturally played with Americans my age from an early age, and often participated in events like Halloween. However, as times have changed, that environment has disappeared without me even realizing it, which is my honest impression.

Even as time passes, a town usually retains some traces of its past. However, in the case of Honmoku, this may be an extreme example, but it gives the impression of being quite stagnant.

As you may know, Honmoku was once home to a US military base, and was colored by America, absorbing it and becoming the birthplace of jazz and dance. However, when the base was removed, the culture of that time faded rapidly. There was no longer any soil to come into contact with American culture, and redevelopment also changed the appearance of the city at that time. Furthermore, as time passed, the bubble burst and the Yokohama Municipal Railway project was canceled, and the cinema complex "Mycal Shochiku Cinemas Honmoku (later MOVIX Honmoku), which opened in 1996 at Mycal Honmoku, a symbol of redevelopment, also closed in 2011. After that, until our project, only the space of the building remained.

The town of Honmoku is very unique. First of all, the image that the old residents and the new residents have of the town is different. Secondly, as the recent withdrawal of the cinema complex shows, in recent years there has been no cultural facility that could serve as a base. Furthermore, there is no nearest train station, so the inflow of people from other areas cannot be said to be active. These multiple factors are intertwined to create the current situation. However, for those of us who know the vibrant town of Honmoku, including myself, there are some aspects that cannot be explained by the urban development issues that are being discussed nationwide.

With these thoughts, I felt a strong desire for those of us who knew those days to pass them on to the next generation. I also believe that the culture of Honmoku in the past is worth passing on. Young people may be surprised, but in its heyday, it was a "town bustling with adult culture" on weekends, with many people gathering from not only Yokohama city but also Tokyo, and spending the night dancing and playing music.

＜The legendary disco "LINDY" in Honmoku＞

-One of the programs, "Honmoku Night 2017," allows you to feel the excitement of Honmoku at that time.

[Kasahara] That's right. Honmoku is proud of its music and dance culture. It absorbed American culture in its own way, and the Golden Cups and Eikichi Yazawa appeared, and the dance step Hamachacha was established. The Golden Cup live house and LINDY disco are both legendary among people who spent their youth in the 70s. We held the Honmoku Night event so that young people could experience the atmosphere of those days. This time, we are planning a live performance by PANTA, known as the vocalist and guitarist of the band Zunou Keisatsu, who created a legend in the early days of Japanese rock in the 70s (December 1st), and a disco time by Ichiro Fujinaka, a dancer who led the disco scene at the time, and Kensho Onuki, a famous DJ who is a music critic and also runs LONDON NITE (December 9th).

＜Inside the live music venue "Golden Cup" Photo by Tadashi Mori＞

In fact, in the planning stage, we were trying to make it more modern so that even people who didn't know about them could enjoy it. But after a while, we stopped. We thought it would be better to show the raw expressions of the artists who were active at the forefront of Honmoku in the 70s, when Honmoku was full of energy. We felt that this would be a way to convey the raw expression and also that young people would be able to accept it as a new emotion, so we made it very simple and straightforward to enjoy live music and disco.

＜Ichiro Fujinaka: MOONEYES Area-1 in Honmoku Photo by Hideo Mori＞

-The final two days, December 9th (Sat) and December 10th (Sun), will have a packed program, from a disco event for children to a film screening. What are the features of each?

[Okazaki] The program will be held all at once in our base, "HONMOKU AREA-2." It is the site of the old Mycal Honmoku movie theater, and has eight spaces of various sizes. The screen and seats have been removed, but it can be transformed into a unique space depending on how it is used. Among the programs being held are "Uchiki Satomi Kids Disco Season 3," "Jack & Betty Film Screening," "Ishigami Natsuki Talk & Archive," and "Honmoku AIR: Mase Takuto Presents Talk & Live "Look Up at the Sky 2017."

<HONMOKU AREA-2 Foyer Photo by Hideo Mori>

＜HONMOKU AREA-2 Theater Photo by Hideo Mori＞

The Children's Disco is a party-style dance recital that was started in 2015 in partnership with contemporary dancer Satomi Uchiki. Children who have been selected from the public and have been practicing will perform their dances. It is also a fun, participatory program that can be attended by children and adults who are not selected from the public.

<Children's disco Photo by Hideo Mori>

The Jack & Betty Film Screening is a screening of movies related to Honmoku. It allows people in Honmoku to experience the culture of Honmoku. In collaboration with the mini-theater "Cinema Jack & Betty" in Yokohama, we will be screening "The Golden Cups: One More Time" and "Like! Like! Like!".

<The Golden Cups One More Time>

Natsuki Ishigami Talk & Archive is a report session on the audience participation theater work "Give Me Chocolate!" by playwright Natsuki Ishigami, who has participated since the first event. The work premiered at the Honmoku Art Project in 2015 and was performed again in January 2017. It was then recreated in Melbourne and Manila. Starting in Honmoku, Natsuki Ishigami will introduce how the work has changed across borders and with different nationalities, races and communities. She will also talk about the city of Honmoku that she has seen through her experiences abroad.

<2015 "Give Me Chocolate!" Photo by Hideo Mori>

And then there's Takuto Mase, who is currently staying and creating art for a month as part of the "Honmoku AIR" residency program. He'll be here in person to explain to us (laughs).

-I heard that you are an artist who uses the city as a field for your art activities. What kind of program is this time?

[Mase] This is the second time for this participatory art project, called the "Sky Variations *cyrcle project," following our activities in Kyoto. We are using objects that are made by turning ordinary wire hangers that we see in our daily lives into round shapes. We ask participants to use these objects as "frames" to cut out the "sky." In other words, we ask many people to capture their favorite sky within the frame and take a photo. The location can be anywhere in the Honmoku area. In addition, I may accompany you during the shoot, but you are free to take the photos by yourself.

Then, we asked each person to upload their photos of the sky they saw to a special website,
We are collecting the "Honmoku Sky." We filter the scenery "outside the frame" of each collected photograph, and collage the "sky within the frame" in a light box. Then... in the exhibition space, "each person's sky" sparkles like a galaxy. Also, the scenery outside the filtered frame is not completely blacked out, and if you look closely, you can see delicate images. In other words, each sky and each landscape is connected to "Honmoku." The main theme of this project is "painting the sky together," but it is also important for people to share photos one after another. Even now, many people are uploading photos every day.

On the final day, December 10th, I will talk about the activities I have done in Honmoku so far and also hold a joint live performance. The guest is a musician called "Magical Power Mako", who has been active since the early 70s and has even won the Italian International Television Award. I think this will be a perfect space to conclude my work with the Honmoku Art Project.

-Finally, I've heard that this "Honmoku Art Project 2017" is the culmination of all your efforts so far. Looking back on your efforts since the first event, please share your thoughts and messages.

[Okazaki] We have been working on various projects, receiving valuable feedback at key points. Now, I feel that the essence of an art project is "small but sustainable things."

Both Mase's "Sky Variations *cyrcle project" and Ishigami's "Give Me Chocolate!" started with a very small number of people who agreed with the purpose. From there, the number of participants gradually increased through word of mouth and spread throughout the city. It is a program that was derived from a very minimal point. On the other hand, big events may seem to have a big effect at the time, but in the long term, the effect is difficult to sustain. So, we changed direction just after the third time and came to the current program. It may take time for the effect to appear in terms of regional revitalization, but we have prepared a program that will leave a lasting impression on each individual. We hope that many people will enjoy it.

[Kasahara] We are not trying to bring the old Honmoku to the present day exactly as it was, but I think that by conveying the atmosphere and state of things at that time, we can contribute to new urban development. Looking around the city, there are issues such as inconvenient access, but before that, I think it is important to make everyone "pride" in the city of Honmoku. Honmoku, where I spent my youth, was a really "cool adult town," with a lot of music and dance. I want to continue to convey that coolness.

[Okazaki] Yes, indeed. For example, Hamachacha dancer Ichiro Fujinaka, who I mentioned at the beginning, is so beautiful even just in appearance (laughs). And there are many people like him who are active in Honmoku.

[Kasahara] That's right (laughs). That's why.

[Mase] I was invited as a residency program artist, but I plan to expand my "Sky Variations *cyrcle project" even further in the future. From Honmoku to Kannai, and then to the whole of Yokohama, so that there is no gap in the sky.

Also, although we are based in Kyoto, cities are connected to each other just like the sky. Therefore, if there are issues, I think it may be possible to share information between Honmoku and Kyoto and work out solutions. As Okazaki mentioned earlier, it may be a small thing when viewed individually, but it will eventually lead to major regional revitalization. I hope that this project will lead to bigger activities.