I did a residency at "ei" in the Sakate Port area of Shodoshima.
http://setouchi-artfest.jp/artist/uma_design_farmmuesum
A building at Sakate Port will be renovated and converted into a studio and exhibition space for creators. During the event, 10 groups of artists will create works based on the theme "Shodoshima's 'Ea' Future."
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The residency lasted for around 10 days, from March 20th to March 31st. Sakumoto Junya, Goto Takehiro and I, the three of us, formed "Hasunuma Shuta and his friends," and based on the concept of "From Tourism to Relationships" in the Sakate area, we held a gathering called "Exchange Evening" that started every night at 6pm, and used this gathering as the axis for conducting multifaceted research on Shodoshima, which we attempted to output in preparation for a presentation at the Sakate Port Area opening event on March 31st, and for an exhibition starting the following day.
Towards the end of my stay, on March 30th, I gave my first piano recital of my life (?) at the Bay Resort Hotel. There, I performed a rap solo of "Morning is Here" with Yukio Shiba of Mamagoto, and sang the Jumbo Ferry song with everyone in the audience. It was a fun time while traveling. It was a tense evening.
On the final day, March 31st, I performed "Composition for Random," an improvised performance using instruments gathered from around the island. As a piece, there are still many issues and areas for improvement, but the process of creating it in such a short time of my stay was a satisfying result. It's a performance I would like to continue to develop.
As the first artist in residence, I felt a sense of pressure to break new ground, but I also felt that I personally learned more about public matters, such as "the region and myself," "expression and industry," and "community and generations," than about general artistic matters. Because the residency activities were primarily action-based (i.e., Shodoshima research and the "Exchange Evening"), I also systematically learned the difficulty of presenting the results of the accumulation of these activities in a concrete manner. I felt that this opportunity would be useful someday somewhere else.
Above all, I will never forget the energy and warmth of the people of Shodoshima and the Sakate area, and it has made me want to return again and again. I hope to go again in August. I am also looking forward to visiting Sakate Port in the summer.
Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Yuma Harada of UMA/design farm, Tomomi Tada of MUESUM, and their team staff. I am grateful for all the encounters I have had. Thank you very much.
Shuta Hasunuma (April 7, 2013)