Soko Takemaru

4.44 A Study of Art Projects Based on the Porosity of People, Objects and Happenings (Paper)

Soko Takemaru – Arts Council Tokyo, Japan

Abstract:

This presentation considers a community practice centred on children with Down syndrome and their caregivers in Yokohama, which I am observing as an engaged observer. The aim of this practice is not to solve administrative problems or to support the artistic expression of people with disabilities. It aims to create opportunities for children with disabilities – who often have limited chances to interact with others beyond their immediate families—to expand their world, as well as to foster a community that includes their parents.

The project is characterized by its ability to draw people in naturally and by the interdependence of the artists and other people involved, who bring their own personal experiences and practices to the project. This practice makes no distinction between the able-bodied and the disabled, or between society and the individual. It does not push people in need of care into society but instead connects everyone’s way of being through artistic activities.

There is an exploration of a better way of living that values both inclusivity and the world of the individual. The people involved in this practice behave when accepting things as a “porous self” (Charles Taylor, 2020, A Secular Age) which allows them to accept the world of others as if it were their own. In terms of environmental design, both physical spaces and the structure of programs can also be seen as porous. This plays a role in creating communities and promoting changes in people’s relationships and connections with society. I will consider the characteristics of this practice—namely, its ability to draw people in naturally and its community interdependence—from the perspective of the porosity of people, objects, and happenings.

10.21 Sumi Ink Painting × ABR Workshop (Workshop)

Soko Takemaru – Arts Council Tokyo, Japan

Satoshi Ikeda – Hiroshima University, Japan

Kazuji Mogi – Atomi University, Niiza, Saitama, Japan

Chihiro Tetsuka – Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan

Abstract:

In this workshop, we will explore sumi ink as a material, traditionally used for ink painting in Asia since ancient times. Instead of creating traditional paintings, our focus will be on the “uncontrollability” and “ambiguity” that emerge when sumi ink and water interact. The workshop involves both individual and group activities. During group work, rather than relying on speech or writing, we will practice non-verbal, art-based communication. Through these exercises, participants will learn about an Eastern concept of the individual – not as an isolated entity but as one shaped through interactions, communication, and relationships with others. Art-based research is considered an intellectually creative process that involves understanding, interpreting and critiquing a subject, while engaging the physicality and sensitivity of the creator, with the aim of personal transformation as a form of living inquiry (Irwin, 2013). This workshop aims to foster a mindset that transcends the dichotomies between Eastern and Western, traditional and contemporary, and self and other, by rediscovering tradition.