Art-tastic Adventure
The National Art Center,Tokyo
Workshop Reports
April, 2011 - January, 2017

Education and public programs of
The National Art Center, Tokyo
At The National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT), we have thus far implemented a wide range ofeducation and public programs with the theme of “an art museum as a site of participation,interaction, and creativity.” To enhance visitors’ appreciation of the works, we hold lectures
related to the exhibitions, a variety of symposiums, and gallery talks where the artists speak
about their own work, and prepare exhibition appreciation guides for children and architectural
maps that convey the important roles of an art museum. In addition, we have conductedarchitectural tours that let visitors enjoy NACT as a building, staged concerts, and acceptedinterns and support staff so as to nurture talented young human resources.
Workshops conducted by artists, where participants experience a wide range of ideas about
art along with artists, are another core aspect of the education and public programs we havebeen strongly emphasizing since NACT first opened. Held 66 times in the past 10 years, theseworkshops have featured guest instructors from diverse fields including contemporary art,
fashion, design, photography, animation, and more. The 29 workshops held during the first four
years of our history were documented in the book Art-tastic Adventure: Workshop Reports,

March 2007 – February 2011 (Japanese only). Now, this book is a record of workshops held
over the six years after that. During these six years, the participants in these workshops became
the protagonists in a wide range of dramatic spectacles, discovering unknown new worlds andfinding out things they did not know about themselves, by interacting with artists and thinking,making, and experiencing things together.
Over the past six years, we have solicited visitors’ requests and ideas about museum
educational activities, and sought to offer activities that reflect them. Among them is the newly
launched “My First Art Experience” series, in which artists conduct workshops for preschool
children. This has been a popular hit each time, as small children not yet attending elementary
school get the chance to interact with artists in an environment of physical and mental freedom,making what is for many their first visit to an art museum a truly memorable one. Also, as an
exhibition held at The National Art Center, Tokyo traveled abroad, we were able to conduct our
first overseas workshop. It was a valuable opportunity for all the staff to learn first-hand thateven in another country where a different language is spoken, the joy of art is universal.
Workshops tend to have a limited number of participants, but by compiling and publishing
this document of workshops we have held, we hope to publicize these activities widely, andthrough them, share a glimpse of the limitless potential of human creativity that art has thepower to unleash. Looking toward the future, we intend to continue conducting programs likethese and redouble our efforts to ensure they fulfill the needs and wishes of NACT’s visitors.
Education and public programs at The National Art Center, Tokyo are only possible thanks tothe support of a great many people. We would like to express our most heartfelt gratitude to allof the artists who served as instructors and other related persons, as well as student interns andsupport staff, everyone who provided equipment and materials, and of course, all of the people
who participated in these workshops.
The National Art Center, Tokyo

3

About The National Art Center, Tokyo

Operating Policy
The National Art Center, Tokyo is a unique and innovative art exhibition facility: Instead of maintaining a permanentcollection, it makes the most of a total of 14,000 square meters of exhibition space, one of the largest in Japan, and focuseson serving as a venue for various art exhibitions. The Center also promotes outreach activities through its educational
programs, and the Art Library serves to collect and disseminate information related to art.
Located in Tokyo, an international city that attracts people, products, and information from all over Japan as well as therest of the world, the Center will provide people with opportunities to experience diverse values and contribute to bringing
forth a new culture based on the idea of mutual understanding and symbiotic relationship.

Functions
1. Exhibiting
The Center presents a great variety of art expressions and offers fresh angles.
1. Artist associations with a national membership base are given opportunities to hold their annual exhibitions.
2. The Center's curatorial staff generates special exhibitions that highlight the latest trend in art both in Japan and abroad.
3. The Center serves as a venue for exhibitions co-organized with mass media companies and other art institutions.

2. Collecting and Disseminating Information
The Center lays emphasis on collecting information in the following areas and makes it accessible to the public.
1. Information about art exhibitions held within Japan.
2. A comprehensive collection of post-WWII Japanese exhibition catalogs.
3. Various materials related to modern and contemporary Japanese art.

3. Education and Outreach
The Center serves as a site of participation, interaction, and creativity.
1. Lectures, symposia, and gallery talks related to exhibitions will be organized.
2. Through artists' talks and workshops, the Center provides diverse audience with opportunities to appreciate and discuss works of art.
3. Internship and volunteer programs provide opportunities for hands-on activities at the Center.
4. Information and materials related to educational programs in art museums will be collected.

Hours
Sat-Mon & Web-Thurs 10:00-18:00 / Fri 10:00-20:00
Closed on Tuesdays and during the New Year’s Holiday

Admission
Admission fees are determined for each exhibition.

Contact
The National Art Center, Tokyo(Kokuritsu Shin-Bijutsukan)
7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
106-8558 Japan
Tel: +81 (0)3-6812-9900
Web: http://www.nact.jp

4

About The National Art Center, Tokyo5

Acknowledgments
Artists’ workshops at the National Art Center, Tokyo are made possible by the support andcooperation of the workshop leaders and many others. All of us at NACT would like toexpress our most heartfelt gratitude. We are also deeply grateful to many other individuals
whose names could not be listed here. (In no particular order, honorifics omitted)

Instructor
Teita Iwabuchi

Natsumi Tomita

Yoko Ueba

Yuki Nakaigawa

Yasue Omori

Chihiro Nakagawa

Tomohiro Okazaki

Kazumi Nakamura

Yoshiaki Kaihatsu

Kensuke Noda

Kenichi Kanazawa

Hiroji Noda

Tomoyuki Kambe

Yuki Nomoto

Sayaka Kihata

Akira Higashi

Takamasa Kuniyasu

Kotaro Fukui

COCHAE[Yosuke Jikuhara, Miki Takeda]

Kanta Horio

Keisuke Kondo
Reiko Saito
Koichi Sakao
Kashiwa Sato

Takashi Homma
Erica Masuya
Yuriko Yamanaka
Yang Junguk
Kenji Yoshida

Lieko Shiga
Toshio Shibata
JUN OSON
Masao Suzuki
SPREAD[Hirokazu Kobayashi, Haruna Yamada]Tokyo Polytechnic University,
Faculty of Arts, Department of
Animation
Sonoko Kifune
Yukio Yamanaka

Kotaro Sekiguchi

Keigo Takenaka

Bunka Gakuen University,
Graduate School of Fashion and Living
Environment Studies

Norihiko Terayama

Yoko Takagi

Yuumi Domoto

Daphne Mohajer-Va-Pesaran

Hiroko Takahashi

Motohiro Tomii

7

Contents
Education and public programs of The National Art Center, Tokyo

3Workshops 2015

About The National Art Center, Tokyo

552 Painting and Sculpture Workshop: Four Colors, Nine Cups

62

Acknowledgments753 Shapes and Colors in Motion! Let’s Find Out How Animation Works

64

Workshop List

54 Life Type: Get to Know Yourself and Others Through Design

66

55 Experience of “Seeing” Time in Manga: Sound to be Released, Motion to be Dissected

68

56 Devices of Movement Made with Cooling Fans

70

10Workshops 2011

30 Examining Our Lives, Creating With Clay

18

57 Made in Mind

72

31 Texture Exploration Team! ~ Search for Shapes Around NACT ~

20

58 My First Art Experience: Floating, Bouncing, Painting!

74

32 A Sleeve Bag—Made with My Own Unique Pattern!

22
Workshops 2016

59 Steel, Shape, and Sound: Connecting Hands, Eyes, and Ears

76

33 What Is Design? ~ Let’s Make an Impression of the Exhibition Using Color and Shape! ~

24

60 Making a Zoetrope

78

34 Stuff My "Favorites" in a Box ~ Art Made Out of Scrap ~

26

61 Making Art with Newspaper and Packing Tape

80

62 Visualizing Events Containing Tipping Points

82

63 Say It With Triangles!

84

64 Making a Zoetrope (in Bangkok)

86

65 Expanding Me, Connecting You — Welcome to the World of PARA-FUKU —

88

Workshops 2012

35 Outdoor Tea Ceremony ○△□~ Draw Hanging Scrolls and Appreciate Them in a Tea Ceremony Room ~ 

28

36 Hold Your Breath. Gently Touch Silver Foil and Learn About Japanese Painting Materials

30

37 Experiments in Body and Space - Feel the Space of NACT with Your Body!-

32

38 Photographs as "Expression"- Two Commentary Sessions by Toshio Shibata -34

39 My First Art Experience: Touch, Listen to, and Feel the Newspaper 

36

Workshops 2017

66 Next 10 Years — My future designed with color and form —

Workshops 2013

40 "Time of Grieving," photographed by high school students

38

41 Making Nests to Illuminate the Trees: Creating an Installation for Art Night

40

42 Workshop with House of Cards 42
43 Before Photography / Create Darkness

44

44 Turn Your Humor into an Illustration!

46

45 My First Art Experience: Create and Play "Make-Believe Play"

48

Workshops 2014

90

Essay
Floating, Bouncing, Painting! / Yoshiaki Kaihatsu

94“Wearable illustrations: A 2.5D Tunic Dress Collection 2014“
Post-Workshop Notes / Yoko Takagi

95

Is painting something you learn in a class? No way! / Yuumi Domoto

96

Sparking Insight and Inspiration / SPREAD [Haruna Yamada, Hirokazu Kobayashi]

97

46 Fold Your Own Face!

50

Steel, Shape, and Sound: Connecting Hands, Eyes, and Ears / Kenichi Kanazawa

98

47 Images of Me and Everyone — Face to Face with Things from the World —52

Fear / Kotaro Sekiguchi

99

48 Drawing Birds That Are Not Birds: Thinking and Painting in Reverse

54

49 Wearable Illustrations: A 2.5D Tunic Dress Collection

56

50 Produce and Star In Your Own Picture Book

58

51 My First Art Experience: Drawing and Sculpting With a Professional Painter!

60

Workshop List
The workshops from 1 to 29 were documented in the book Art-tastic Adventure: Workshop Reports, March 2007-February 2011 .
Title of Workshops / Related Program

Instructor / Job Title

Date

TargetParticipants

Place

1

Make Your Own Symbol Mark!

Kashiwa Sato

Program: “Tell me, Kashiwa-san!” (lecture and workshop)

Art director / Creative director

3/24/2007

Elementary school students

18 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

2

Play Your Body!

Tatsuya Kusuhara

Program held in conjunction with Skin + Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture, Bones edition event

Choreographer / Dancer

7/29/2007

Elementary school students (3-6 grade)

11 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room, 3F Auditorium,
Special Exhibition Gallery 2E and elsewhere

3

Making a 3D Cloth (Skin)

Yoshiki Hishinuma

Program held in conjunction with Skin + Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture, Skin edition event

Fashion designer / Textile designer

8/4/2007

Anyone22 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

4

Workshop for University Students: Talking about Art– Things You Feel, Things You Want to Ask

Shigeo Anzai

9/23,30/2007

University students

9/23 18 people,
9/30 33 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

5

Make a Symbol Mark for Your School! Make Your Own Symbol Mark!

Shobun Nakashima, Shin Matsunaga,
Katsumi Asaba, Kazufumi Nagai

10/20,21/2007

High school students

10/20 36 people,
10/21 38 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

”Design Workshop for High School Students”

Art documentarian

Art director

6

My House, My Clothes: Let’s Make a Wearable House

Yoshikazu Yamagata, mafuyu

12/1/2007

Elementary school students (3-6 grade)

23 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room, 1F lobby, B1F
SFT Gallery

7

I Feel a Little Like a Great Painter Today: Painting with Hiroshi Okutani at NACT

Hiroshi Okutani

1/27/2008

Elementary school students (4 grade) Junior high school students (3 grade)

12 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room, Special
Exhibition Gallery 2E and elsewhere

8

Sniffing Walk: Searching for Smells in NACT

Hisako Inoue

2/16/2008

4 years old and over

29 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room, several spots in
The National Art Center, Tokyo

9

A Human-sized Project: Making a Balloon as Big as You

Takefumi Ichikawa

Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2008: The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art

Artist3/15,16/2008

Anyone3/15 19 people,
3/16 27 people

3F Auditorium, Lecture room A,B,C,
Bamboo Grove

10

Let’s Make an Imaginary Space!

Hiraki Sawa

Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2008: The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art

Artist4/12/2008

Elementary school students (2 grade) Junior high school students (3 grade)

11 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

11

A Futuristic Life Made by minä perhonen

Akira Minagawa

5/18/2008

Anyone20 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

12

Art Appreciation Workshop: Playing with Words at the Emily Exhibition

Kenji Shiratori

7/6/2008

Anyone22 people

Special Exhibition Gallery 2E, 3F Auditorium

Program: “minä perhonen and Design” (lecture and workshop)

Program held in conjunction with Utopia: the Genius of Emily Kame Kngwarreye

Fashion designer, Knit artist

Painter

ArtistDesigner

13

Discovering Things We Ought to Love! Fun Designs!

Hisakazu Shimizu

8/24/2008

Elementary school students and over, parents

8 pairs 21 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

14

What Is Design?? Let’s Try to Design a Chair!

Hiromichi Konno

9/28/2008

Elementary school students

29 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

15

Spelling Roppongi: Putting a Stroll in a “Letter”

Sayaka Akiyama

12/21/2008

Elementary school students and over

20 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

16

Make Your Own Mobile!

Shigeki Fujishiro

2/14/2009

Junior high school students and over

22 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

17

Miniature Insects World: Making a Bug’s-eye World

Minoru Ohira

Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2009: The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art

Artist3/8/2009

Elementary school students

17 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room,
Special Exhibition Gallery 2E

18

Various Shapes Emerging from Stone

Shingo Murai

4/5/2009

Elementary school students (4 grade) and over

18 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

Let’s Do Art Exercises: Experiencing Great Works and Masterpieces

Touko Takahashi

8/22/2009

Elementary school students

13 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

Challenge!: Abstract Painting – Personal Impressions and Overflowing Colors

Yoko Matsumoto

9/12/2009

Anyone21 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

19
20

10

Program held in conjunction with ANZAÏ: Personal Photo Archives 1970-2006

Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2009: The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art

Program held in conjunction with The Light: Yoko Matsumoto / Rika Noguchi

Product designer

Product designer

ArtistProduct designer

Sculptor

ArtistPainter

21

Capturing the World Beyond the Lens: Taking Abstract Pictures with a Digital Camera

Ryo Hamada

12/19/2009

Elementary school students (4 grade) and over

18 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

22

Using Plarail to Play with paramodel

paramodel

1/10/2010

Anyone34 people

3F Auditorium and elsewhere

ArtistArtistWorkshop List

11

23
24

Instructor / Job Title

Date

TargetParticipants

Place

Making Your Own Character with a Doll Artist

Ryoko Ishii

2/27/2010

Anyone22 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

Making Animation with an Umbrella

Chisato Saito

3/20/2010

Junior high school students and over

15 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2010: The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art

Doll artist

Artist25

Small Things Made of Colored Wire

Elliot Mkhize, Nomvuselelo Mavundla

4/24/2010

Anyone24 people (total for 2 Sessions)

B1F Lounge area

26

What Is Wood? Looking, Listening, Touching!

Shigeki Miyamoto

6/5/2010

Elementary school students

23 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

27

Appreciating Art with Your Body: The World of Man Ray

Chie Ito

8/29/2010

Elementary school students

16 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room,
Special Exhibition Gallery 1E

Capturing the Whispering Wind and Fluctuating Light with a Camera

Miho Akioka

10/2/2010

Elementary school students (4 grade) and over

20 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

Collect Your Own Lines!

Mio Kaneda

2/19/2011

Anyone24 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

Examining Our Lives, Creating With Clay

Yuki Nakaigawa

5/7/2011

Elementary school students and over

18 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

28
29
30

Program held in conjunction with SHADOWS: Works from the National Museums of Art

Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2011: The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art

Wire artist

Model maker

Dancer / Choreographer

ArtistPainter

Ceramic artist

31

Texture Exploration Team! ~ Search for Shapes Around NACT ~Koichi Sakao

7/16/2011

Elementary school students and over

22 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere32

A Sleeve Bag—Made with My Own Unique Pattern!

Hiroko Takahashi

9/4/2011

Junior high school students and over

20 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

33

What Is Design? ~ Let’s Make an Impression of the Exhibition Using Color and Shape! ~Kashiwa Sato

The 5th Anniversary of The National Art Center, Tokyo

Creative director

1/22/2012

Elementary school students (3-6 grade)

24 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

Stuff My "Favorites" in a Box ~ Art Made Out of Scrap ~34

ArtistArtistNatsumi Tomita, Hiroji Noda

Program held in conjunction with NODA Hiroji 1981-2011

Artist, Painter

2/18/2012

Junior high school students and over

22 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere35

Outdoor Tea Ceremony ○△□~ Draw Hanging Scrolls and Appreciate Them in a Tea Ceremony Room ~Yoshiaki Kaihatsu, Hiroji Noda

3/24/2012

Junior high school students and over

18 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere36

Hold Your Breath. Gently Touch Silver Foil and Learn About Japanese Painting Materials

Tomoyuki Kambe

5/27/2012

Elementary school students (5 grade) and over

21 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

37

Experiments in Body and Space - Feel the Space of NACT with Your Body!-

Teita Iwabuchi

7/29/2012

Elementary school students (3 grade) and over

17 people

1,2,3F Lobby, 3F Auditorium

Photographs as "Expression"- Two Commentary Sessions by Toshio Shibata -Toshio Shibata

8/25,9/8/2012

High school students and over

17 people

Lecture room A, B and elsewhere

My First Art Experience: Touch, Listen to, and Feel the Newspaper

Kotaro Fukui

11/3,4/2012

Preschool children (3-6 years old) and parents

11/3 11 pairs 25 people
11/4 12 pairs 27 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

40

"Time of Grieving," photographed by high school students

Lieko Shiga

Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2013: The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art

Artist2/24/2013

High school students

5 peopleAnnex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

41

Making Nests to Illuminate the Trees: Creating an Installation for Art Night

38
39

12

Title of Workshops / Related Program

Program held in conjunction with NODA Hiroji 1981-2011

Program held in conjunction with Given Forms—TATSUNO Toeko / SHIBATA Toshio

Artist, PainterJapanese-style painterDancer / Choreographer

Photographer

Japanese-style painterTakamasa Kuniyasu

Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2013: The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art

Artist3/23/2013

High school students and over

19 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhereWorkshop with House of Cards

Tomohiro Okazaki, Norihiko Terayama

4/27/2013

Exhibition Design Ah! visitors

2,250 people

21_21 DESIGN SIGHT (Tokyo)

42

California Design and exhibition Design Ah! Joint Program

43

Before Photography / Create Darkness

Takashi Homma

7/28,8/4/2013

High school students and over

16 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

44

Turn Your Humor into an Illustration!

JUN OSON

8/25/2013

Elementary school students (3 grade) and over

16 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

Art director / Graphic designer, Designer

Photographer

Illustrator

Workshop List

13

Title of Workshops / Related Program

Instructor / Job Title

Date

TargetParticipants

Place

My First Art Experience: Create and Play "Make-Believe Play"

Yasue Omori

11/24/2013

Preschool children (2-6 years old) and parents

13 pairs 34 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room46

Fold Your Own Face!

COCHAE [Yosuke Jikuhara, Miki Takeda]

Program held in conjunction with See, Hear, Play: The Power of Images Weekend

Design Unit

3/8/2014

Anyone133 people (total for three
sessions)

1F Lobby

47

Images of Me and Everyone — Face to Face with Things from the World —Kenji Yoshida, Reiko Saito, Yuriko Yamanaka,
Yoko Ueba,Mitsue Nagaya,YukakoYamada

3/15,16/2014

3/15 Junior high school students and over
3/16 Elementary school students (4-6 grade)

3/15 22 people
3/16 8 people

Lecture room A,B, Special Exhibition Gallery 2E

48

Drawing Birds That Are Not Birds: Thinking and Painting in Reverse

Kazumi Nakamura

Program held in conjunction with Nakamura Kazumi exhibition

Painter

5/10/2014

Elementary school students (5 grade) and over

27 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere49

Wearable Illustrations: A 2.5D Tunic Dress Collection

Yoko Takagi

7/26/2014

Persons aged 12 and over

15 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere45

Program held in conjunction with Ballets Russes: The Art of Costume

Cultural anthropologist / Curator

Bunka Gakuen University

50

Produce and Star In Your Own Picture Book

Chihiro Nakagawa

10/26/2014

Elementary school students (3 grade) -High school
students

18 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

51

My First Art Experience: Drawing and Sculpting With a Professional Painter!

Yuumi Domoto

11/22,23/2014

11/22 Preschool children (3-6 years old) and parents
11/23 Elementary school students (1-4 grade)andparents

137 people (total for two days)

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

52

Painting and Sculpture Workshop: Four Colors, Nine Cups

Motohiro Tomii, Keisuke Kondo

1/25/2015

Junior high school students and over

20 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

Shapes and Colors in Motion! Let’s Find Out How Animation Works

Tokyo Polytechnic University, Faculty of Arts,
Department of Animation

4/25/2015

Anyone160 people in total

1F Lobby

Life Type: Get to Know Yourself and Others Through Design

SPREAD [Hirokazu Kobayashi, Haruna Yamada]6/14/2015

Junior high school students and over

18 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

Experience of “Seeing” Time in Manga: Sound to be Released, Motion to be Dissected

Masao Suzuki, Kensuke Noda

8/22/2015

High school students and over

25 people

Lecture room A,B

Devices of Movement Made with Cooling Fans

Kanta Horio

9/27/2015

Elementary school students (3 grade) -High school
students

8 peopleAnnex, 3F multipurpose room, 3F Auditorium

Made in Mind

Yang Junguk

10/11/2015

Junior high school students and over

20 people

3F Auditorium, Special Exhibition Gallery 2E

53
54
55
56
57

Program held in conjunction with Manga

Program held in conjunction with Manga

Anime

Anime

Games from Japan and Niki De Saint-Phalle

Games from Japan

Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2015: Next Doors - Contemporary Art in Japan and Korea

Picture book writer / Translator

Painter

Artist, PainterCreative Unit

Waseda University (Professor), Manga researcher

Artist engineer

Artist58

My First Art Experience: Floating, Bouncing, Painting!

Yoshiaki Kaihatsu

11/15/2015

Preschool children (3-6 years old) and parents

90 people (38 groups) in total

1F Lobby

59

Steel, Shape, and Sound: Connecting Hands, Eyes, and Ears

Kenichi Kanazawa

1/31/2016

Junior high school students and over

14 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

60

Making a Zoetrope

Keigo Takenaka,Yuki Nomoto,
Sayaka Kihata, Natsumi Yoshizawa

2/14,15/2016

Anyone81 people

National Museum (Yangon, Myanmar)

61

Making Art with Newspaper and Packing Tape

Kotaro Sekiguchi

4/17/2016

Elementary school students and over

52 people

1F Lobby and Special Exhibition Gallery 2E

Program held in conjunction with Manga

Anime

Games from Japan in Myanmar

Program held in conjunction with MIYAKE ISSEY EXHIBITION: The Work of Miyake Issey

ArtistSculptor

Animator, Educator

Sculptural artist

62

Visualizing Events Containing Tipping Points

Erica Masuya

5/29/2016

Junior high school students and over

12 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room

63

Say It With Triangles!

NACT Staff

8/11/2016

Aneone51 people

B1F Lounge and elsewhere

NACT Staff

8/27,28/2016

Anyone89 people in total

The National Gallery, Bangkok (Thailand)

Making a Zoetrope (in Bangkok)

65

Expanding Me, Connecting You — Welcome to the World of PARA-FUKU —Program held in conjunction with Manga

ArtistEducator, The Section of Education & Public Programs

64

66
14

Program held in conjunction with The Power of Images: The National Museum of Ethnology Collection

Director

Anime

Games from Japan in Bangkok

Educator, The Section of Education & Public Programs

Akira Higashi

Program held during Roppongi Art Night 2016

Artist10/22/2016

Anyone180 people

1F Lobby

Next 10 Years —My future designed with color and form—

SPREAD [Hirokazu Kobayashi, Haruna Yamada]

1/29/2017

Junior high school students and over

19 people

Annex, 3F multipurpose room,
Special Exhibition Gallery 2E

The 10th Anniversary of The National Art Center, Tokyo : Special Program

Creative unit

Workshop List

15

Workshop Reports
April, 2011 - January, 2017

Legent
The explanation of each workshops were written by the following
persons. We wrote in initials at the end of the “Summary”.
Masaya Sawada (MS)Akane Torii (AT)
Takako Masumi (TM)
Natsumi Yoshizawa (NY)Nayuko Watabe (NW)30

Workshops 2011

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

5 min.

2
30 min.

●②

Examining Our Lives, Creating With Clay3
10 min.

Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2011: The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art• Date and time: May 7 (Sat.), 2011, 12:30 - 16:00• Participants: 18• Target: Elementary school students and over
• Entry fee: 500 yen• Place: Annex 3F, multipurpose room and elsewhere

OutlineWith ceramic artist Yuki Nakaigawa as guest instructor, andconducted a workshop in which participants worked with clay on thetheme of “examining our lives.”

4
110 min.

5
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①

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③

30 min.

6●④

18

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing
Introduction of instructor
Yuki Nakaigawa, an exhibitor in Artist File 2011: The NACT
Annual Show of Contemporary Art , conducted a workshop
with 18 participants ranging in age from elementary school
to over 70. Everyone assembled in front of the gallery, andthe workshop began right away.

Gallery talkFirst, the participants viewed Artist File 2011 , andNakaigawa discussed the background of the works andher own creative activities. With a commanding presence
that made viewers feel the power of clay, Nakaigawa’s
works changed their concept of ceramics. Participants wereastounded by a ceramic piece larger than the human body,and their imaginations took flight as they looked at the
fascinating shapes and textures on the surface. ①

Ceramic artist

Yuki Nakaigawa
Born in Ibaraki. MFA, Tama Art University Graduate School of Art.
Nakaigawa has a studio on the slopes of Mt. Tsukuba in Ibaraki
Prefecture, and creates warm, biomorphic ceramics inspired byforms in nature. Her works, which take several months to produce
by building up the clay, have earned acclaim for their explorationof the potential of ceramics in contemporary art. Since thebeginning of her career, Nakaigawa has drawn attention as an
up-and-coming female ceramist, and she has continued to work
ambitiously, such as participating in every edition of the unique
outdoor sculpture exhibition Amabiki Village and Sculpture ,independently run by the sculptors themselves.

Explanation of materials and production
methodAfter viewing the exhibition, the group moved to themulti-purpose room on the third floor of the annex, andNakaigawa explained how to handle the clay and outlined
the workshop’s theme, “examining our lives.” While
thinking over their daily lives, participants immediatelybegan working with the clay. ②

Summary
Yuki Nakaigawa, who produces works inspired by the abundantnature surrounding her studio, chose the workshop theme of“examining our lives.” Participants thought over things that
normally went unnoticed in their everyday lives, finding ideas forforms therein, and created the forms with clay. While enjoying
the feeling of clay in their hands, they took time to reflect on how
they spend their days, resulting in a warm, relaxing mood andnumerous discoveries. (NY)

Production
The material used was a soil clay of the type that hardens
when dried naturally for several days. Two types wereprepared, cream-colored and brown. Participants thoughtback over things they do without thinking in their dayto-day lives, drawing ideas for forms from their everyday
experiences, and creating 3D forms with clay. With advice
from Nakaigawa on parts that were difficult to model, thegroup came up with a range of ideas and created various“lives” in clay. ③④

Presentation, review
Finally, all participants presented their completed works.
With both sympathy for the familiar and surprise at theunexpected, participants listened to the thoughts andepisodes incorporated into one another’s works, from“family vacation memories” to “the moment I tear off
a hunk of my favorite bread,” which were constantlyinterrupted by peals of laughter. ⑤

Feedback from participants• I had a great time, and I remembered a lot of things from my lifeup till now. (9-year-old girl)• It was so much fun interacting and creating things in a group of••people who normally might never talk to one another! (Woman,
10s)
Although handling clay was difficult, I realized afresh what a joy
it is to work on something with intense focus. (Woman, 20s)
I was nervous because it was my first time, but it was easy to
get in the swing of things as we began by viewing the exhibitionand listening to Ms. Nakaigawa’s talk. I was impressed with theoriginality of the works people presented. (Woman, 50s)

Materials provided
Two colors of clay (natural dry type soil clay), forming tools(spatula, spoon, etc.), buckets, cloth, rags, paper, writing
instruments, takeaway plastic bags etc.

Works taken home and dried
All of the participants’ works were taken home and dried
naturally for several days. Nakaigawa spoke to eachparticipant, giving advice such as “please dry it slowly andthoroughly.” She closed the workshop with the words, “Byforming clay into forms that we take for granted in our daily
lives, we can encounter ideas that never occurred to us
before. I hope everyone will cherish these ideas and nurture
their own individuality.”●⑤

Workshops 2011

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Workshops 2011

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

30 min.

2●①

Texture Exploration Team! ~ Search for
Shapes Around NACT ~• Date and time: July 16 (Sat.), 2011, 13:00 - 16:30• Participants: 22• Target: Elementary school students and over
• Entry fee: 500 yen• Place: Annex 3F, multipurpose room and elsewhere

Outline The participants walked around the National Art Center, Tokyo, looking foruneven surfaces of things. They tried out an art technique called frottage, where
they put a piece of paper on a surface and copied it by applying colored pencils.
Later, they displayed their efforts together and appreciated the combined work.

90 min.

3
30 min.

4
60 min.

●②Instructor Profile

Program content and timing●③

Introduction of the Instructer activities andexplanation of the day’s workshop contents
Koichi Sakao is creating works using a technique calledfrottage, where he places paper on the uneven surface ofwhat he is interested in and copies the shape with coloredpencils or the like. He says that he gets different shapes
depending on subtle things like his mood or how he applies
pressure. ①
In this workshop, participants are going to look at the
National Art Center, Tokyo with the idea of searching forshapes and textures, then try to copy patterns that attract
us. Sakao explains, “I want you all to create your own
works by not only copying shapes but also using different
colors." The participants are divided into 4 groups, and they
will go through the center using different routes.

Field Work
The participants were allowed to not only go around themain building, but could also to go to the stretches of stone
pavement in the annex where the old design remains, andto enter the backyard of the center and roof top, which are
not usually accessible. Even though different participants
went to the same places, each shape and color which wascopied with colored pencils and emerged differs completelyfrom person to person. ②③

Combination of individual works
When the participants returned to the multipurpose room,
they exhibited their works. While watching the wholediagram of the National Art Center projected on the wall,they attached each piece to the place where they copied theshape. ④

ArtistKoichi Sakao
Born in Kanazawa city, Ishikawa prefecture, in 1968. He has
been creating works by using frottage, a technique called to copy
parts of things. He has also been involved in cooperative projects
with local people to represent places and lives of those who live
there, such as the Green Room Project at the Echigo-Tsumari Art
Triennale and the Memory of Water Project Niigata at the Water
and Land Art Festival. He is currently working on Pieces of Ota, aproject where he cooperates with residents of Ota Ward, Tokyo,
to produce art works by copying the apparatus used at local
factories. Sakao is an associate professor at the Tokyo Universityof Technology.

Summary
The intention of this workshop was to create a new imagery of amuseum by viewing the museum in a slightly different way thanusual. What participants turned their attention to was simple
things, such as the trees on the premises, parts of the buildings
with old designs, the floor, a round pillar made of concrete andthe seat surface of a chair. By applying paper to such a place andrubbing it with colored pencils, an interesting shape emergesthat was not visually noticed. Subtle changes in positioning thepaper, in how different colors are used, and in the strength of
the touch of the colored pencil makes the same object appear
different, and it was fascinating to watch the participants moving
their colored pencils, absorbed in the process of creating different
representations. The workshop provided opportunities to see
NACT from a different perspective by looking at what is in front ofyou with the conscious use of your “sense of touch.” (AT)Feedback from participants
Appreciation, presentation of works byeach group• I was surprised to find out that frottage was a technique not only

With the works exhibited on the entire wall, as well as
pictures showing the way the fieldwork unfolded, theparticipants chose their favorite piece talked about what
they paid special attention to and what they noticed. ⑤

•
•
•
•

to copy uneven surfaces of things, but also to represent yourindividual differences, depending on what you are interested in, theway you use different colors and apply pencils. (Woman 30s)
I felt that copying things this way gave me stronger impressions
than taking photos and videos. I was happy to be able to copy
pieces of memories of the museum. (Woman 40s)
It was quite interesting. Especially, I liked the feeling when I
copied uneven surfaces. (10-year-old boy)
I did something similar when I was a child, but I tried doing it
now and it was exciting. Using oil-based colored pencils was
also interesting. (Woman 40s)
It was good that I could see usual objects in an artistic way bymeans of frottage. The way uneven surfaces changed their shape
was amazing. (10-year-old girl)

Materials provided
Holbein artists’ colored pencils, Kent paper, masking tape, pencil
sharpener, digital camera, projector etc.

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20

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Workshops 2011

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

30 min.

Activity introduction• Activity introduction
Hiroko Takahashi is an artist who works on a variety ofactivities, ranging from designing hand towels, bags andkimonos to developing corporate products, by using original
textiles. She explains about her own brand, “HIROCOLEDGE
is a project that overturns fixed ideas throughout the world
by means of manufacturing.”• Explanation of pattern
A pattern consists of a series of drawings that are repeated.
She explained about it by introducing Japanese traditional
patterns and those of her own creation. Takahashi’s
patterns are composed only of circles and straight lines.
“Especially because it is a simple form, I am always thinking
about how I can make it interesting,” she said. ①●①

A Sleeve Bag—Made with My Own Unique Pattern!
• Date and time: September 4 (Sun.), 2011, 13:00 - 16:30• Participants: 20• Target: Junior high school students and over
• Entry fee: 1,000 yen• Place: Annex 3F, multipurpose room

Outline The instructor of this workshop, Hiroko Takahashi, pursues
original, creative patterns. After listening to her talk about creating
patterns and things, the participants made their own patterns and put
them on sleeve bags made by Takahashi.

2

Each participant put a design of their own creation on
Takahashi’s original sleeve bag, made with a single uncut
hand towel sewn together.

10 min.

3
140 min.

Production• Think of a pattern, and then draw it on stencil film
The participants started off by deciding on a motif. They
used different shapes as the base of their design, such as
the Roman alphabet, kanji characters, geometric shapes,
as well as flowers and trees. More than three different
drawings were repeated to create a pattern. ②• Put the cutout stencil film on the sleeve bag and color itwith paint using a sponge. ③④●③

4
30 min.

ArtistHirokoTakahashi
Born in 1977. She is an artist known for her unique works withpatterns consisting of only circles and straight lines. She has adoctor’s degree from the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo
University of the Arts. She has introduced works at home andabroad, with the purpose of providing a chance to think beyond
fixed ideas. Her creative activities include using kimono (Japanesetraditional clothes) as expressive media and cooperating withartisans and factories in possession of traditional skills around thecountry.
She works beyond the boundaries of genres, collaborating withvarious companies and places.

Explanation of the work procedure• Cut the film with a cutter
They copied their pattern onto the stencil film and then cut
it carefully with a cutter.

●②

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

Presentation
Each participant presented their sleeve bags and explained
the meaning they put into their patterns. ⑤

Summary
Today’s Instructor, Hiroko Takahashi, held an exhibition, “Pattern”(July 13 - September 12, 2011), at the SFT Gallery in the basement
1st floor of the National Art Center, and naturally, the workshop
turned out to be another good opportunity for the participants
to think about “patterns.” Takahashi’s patterns consist of simple
elements such as circles and straight lines, but each pattern isdifferent, with a unique character.
Inspired by Takahashi’s lecture, one participant arranged a
traditional Japanese pattern in a contemporary manner, anotherexpressed their own life with simple elements such as squares andcircles, another created a pattern out of dinner the night before,saury with grated daikon radish on top.
They enjoyed themselves, appreciated expression and creation,and gazed into their inner selves, through reflecting on “patterns.”(AT)

Feedback from participants• I was able to experience something I cannot usually do and
•
•
•
•
•

I enjoyed it very much. It was a good experience to listen tovarious things about patterns and the work of Ms. Takahashi.
(Woman, 10s)
It was fun to be able to see a glimpse of other participants’thoughts and lives at the work presentation. (Woman, 40s)
I was so absorbed that I wished to have more time. I believe thelecture at the beginning made it all possible. (Woman, 30s)
Although it was not easy to actually think and create on my own,
it was a lot of fun. (Woman, 20s)
I discovered the charm of Ms. Takahashi’s work. Her lecture
was also very enjoyable and helped expand my world. Making
my own sleeve bag made me feel that I should cherish things.
(Woman, 30s)
It was a precious time full of a sense of accomplishment, fun andfulfillment--the first time in a long time for me. (Man, 30s)

Materials provided
sleeve bags, stencil film, sponges, acrylic gouache, compasses,
rulers, masking tape, irons, design cutters, etc.

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22

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Workshops 2011

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Workshops 2012

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

25 min.

2●①

What Is Design? ~ Let’s Make an Impression of the
The 5th anniversary of The
Exhibition Using Color and Shape!~ National
Art Center, Tokyo• Date and time: January 22 (Sun.), 2012, 14:00 - 17:00• Participants: 24• Target: Elementary school students (3-6 grade)• Entry fee: 500 yen• Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

60 min.

Introduction and lecture
The participants gathered in the multi-purpose room on 3Fof the annex, and after the participants’ self-introductions,
it started off with a lecture from Sato. He showed projected
images of the paintings of Monet, Picasso and Matisse,and he explained that each work expressed the impression
the painter felt. He said, for example, Monet’s Water Lily
is not the exact depiction of a water lily, but rather the
representation of the impression of the water lily which
Monet saw. The logo mark of an Imabari towel designed bySato also expresses the impression of the beautiful Imabari
sea and the sun. In this workshop, the participants worked
to express in color and shape the impression that they had
after viewing the exhibition NODA Hiroji 1981-2011 .

Appreciation of the NODA Hiroji 1981-2011
exhibition
After listening to the lecture, everyone moved on to theexhibition gallery and looked at the NODA Hiroji 1981-2011
exhibition. When they saw an abstract painting on a large
canvas, the children thought, “I feel momentum,” and “Itfeels kind of fun.”①②
When they also saw three-dimensional works and aninterview with the creator, they had various thoughts andfeelings.

Outline In commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the opening of NACT
we invited Kashiwa Sato, who designed the 5th anniversary logo, as a
instructure, in an attempt to express in color and shape the impressionthat we had after viewing the exhibition NODA Hiroji 1981-2011 .

3
60 min.

Creative director

Kashiwa Sato
Born in Tokyo in 1965. Graduated from the Department of Graphic
Design, Faculty of Art and Design, of Tama Art University. Spent
11 years at Hakuhodo and established his own creative studio,
SAMURAI, in Japan in 2000. Kashiwa, one of the world's leading
creative directors, delivers a fresh perspective of design to theworld. From concept and communication strategy building todeveloping brand logos, Kashiwa’s ability as a brand architect toidentify, elucidate, and visualize the essence of the subject is highly
acclaimed in a number of fields. He has worked on the global brandstrategies of Uniqlo and the Rakuten Group, as well as directing thelogo design and the sign system of the National Art Center, Tokyo.
He is the author of KASHIWA SATO’S Ultimate Method for Reaching
the Essentials (Nikkei) and he has received several awards, including
the Mainichi Design Award, the Tokyo ADC Grand Prix, the Yusaku
Kamekura Award, the Asahi Advertising Grand Prix, the Nikkei
Advertising Award, and the Gold Award of Japan Package Award.

Summary"Design is a means of communication that represents in colors
and shapes non-physical things and things that cannot be
expressed with words," says Sato. His message, "it is important
to express freely what you felt in your own way," remained ineveryone’s mind. (TM)Free expression of their impressions
When they returned to the annex, they started working to
express their impressions of the exhibition they had justseen.③
Receiving advice from Sato to draw whatever impression
they had, the children started to draw, using paint or pensof their own choice in their sketchbooks, which had Sato’s
brand-new logo mark.④
The participants expressed by means of color and shape
the thoughts and feelings that they had when they saw
the exhibition. One represented a strong impression ofa painting by overlaying paint with crayons. Anotherexpressed a mysterious but fun atmosphere of the exhibition
with watercolor in light colors.

Feedback from participants• It was fun because I rarely have the chance to draw pictures••

freely with lots of pens or to express in painting what I felt
when I watch famous people’s pictures. I got really interested in"graphic designers." (10-year-old girl)I was uneasy at the beginning, but drawing a picture turned out
to be really fun and I ended up drawing three pictures. I wantto come back again. I’m going to keep making designs at home.
(8-year-old girl)Mr. Noda was far better than I ever imagined. I was really excited.
If I have another chance, I’ll definitely come. (12-year-old boy)

Materials provided
●
②

●
③

4
30 min.

●
④

24

●
⑤

Presentation

sketchbooks, paints, magic markers, pens, crayons, pencils

At the end, each child showed their paintings in front of theothers and announced what they thought while painting.
They shared the understanding that they all had different
impressions even though they saw the same exhibition. ⑤
After all the presentations, we took a memorial photo with
their works around Sato. ⑥●⑥

Workshops 2012

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Workshops 2012

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

30 min.

Introduction of the lecturers and theirlecturesTomita showed slides to explain about some of her works
and told the participants the meaning and pleasure of her
creation out of junk. Noda talked about his earlier work
using boxes. ①

ArtistNatsumi Tomita

2
20 min.

●①

Stuff My “Favorites” in a Box
held in conjunction~ Art Made Out of Scrap ~ Programwith NODA Hiroji 1981-2011• Date and time: February 18 (Sat.), 2012, 13:00 - 16:00• Participants: 22• Target: Junior high school students and over
• Entry fee: 300 yen• Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere3
75 min.

Outline We invited Natsumi Tomita and Hiroji Noda as instructor for this workshop.
Tomita creates art out of pieces of junk found around her. Noda, at the time of theworkshop, was holding his exhibition NODA Hiroji 1981-2011 at NACT. The participantsbrought in unused things they found and produced art works by putting them in a box.

Appreciation of NODA Hiroji 1981-2011
exhibition and Noda’s gallery talk
The participants listened to Noda’s gallery talk in the
exhibition gallery. It was a luxurious time to listen to thecreator himself. ②

Born in Tokyo in 1986. She graduated from the Department ofPainting, Oil Painting Course, of Tama Art University in 2009. She
creates life-sized animal and human figures out of junk materials
found in daily life. She has presented her works in many places,
including solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, and art festivals.

Production
The participants started working on their own creations byusing the scrap materials each brought in. Participants had
been asked to bring things they don’t use and boxes withthem in advance.
The participants brought in various things, such as toys
they used to use as a child, things they used to use every
day but are broken now, and nostalgic things. They decided
their theme and started to put things in the boxes, carefullyarranging them. Things that had been forgotten were given
new meaning and became important parts of the works.

Painter

Hiroji Noda
Born in Wakayama Prefecture in 1952. He graduated from TamaArt University and quickly earned his reputation. He held a solo
exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama, in 1995.
He received the Minister of Education,Culture,Sports,Science andTechnology’s Art Encouragment Prize for New Artists. In 2012, a solo
exhibition “NODA Hiroji 1981-2011” was held at the National Art
Center, Tokyo. Currently, he is a professor at Tama Art University.

③④

4

Presentation
Each participant gave a presentation of their work andTomita and Noda gave constructive criticism. ⑤

Summary
The participants’ works were filled with their life stories andtheir characters, as well as their daily lives, giving them profoundmeaning. The workshop helped them realize that there are a lot ofinteresting things around them and that art can be created out ofthem if they are arranged creatively. It was fun. ⑥ (TM)Feedback from participants

40 min.

• It was really fun. I turned mere junk at home into art. It was avery memorable work. Thank you very much. (Woman, 50s)
• The experience was new to me. I did things I wouldn’t normally

●
②

•

●
③

do. In addition, it was good that I could see what other people
valued through looking at their works. Thank you very much.
(Man, 30s)
I never thought that things that were casual, yet memorable tome, would find their way to be viewed by others this way. Thanks
to the workshop, I can keep my memories in a good form. I had
fun thinking about good memories. I also had fun discovering
new ways of expressing memories by looking at others’ works.
I will definitely make something different on my own. (Woman,
20s)

Materials provided
unneeded scraps, glue guns, woodworking glue, colored pens,tweezers, empty boxes
Items brought by participants: unneeded scraps
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26

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Workshops 2012

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Workshops 2012

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing
With Yoshiaki Kaihatsu and Hiroji Noda as instructors,
this workshop was held during Roppongi Art Night 2012 .
Kaihatsu created the tea ceremony room “HAPPOEN” and afarm house “Barn” as a special outdoor exhibit.

ARTIST WORKSHOPArtist1
30 min.

2

YoshiakiKaihatsu

Explanation of abstract paintings by the
instructor
Noda gave a lecture on abstract paintings. Comprehending
abstract paintings is difficult, but his explanation was easy
to understand. He said, “I myself draw various abstract
shapes, but I want the viewer to use their own feelings”. ①

Born in Yamanashi Prefecture in 1966. He graduated from graduate
school of Tama Art University (M.F.A). He exhibited his works
at the 9th International Architecture Exhibition 2004 – Venice
Biennale and the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2006. His diverse art
activities range from large-scale installation art, to performanceand workshops that invite spectator participation.

Painting on a canvas in the barn
The participants painted abstract paintings with a mixtureof three colors of their choice, on small canvases pasted allover inside the “Barn.” ②③

45 min.

Painter●⑤

Outdoor Tea Ceremony ○△□ ~ Draw Hanging Scrolls andheld in conjunction
Appreciate Them in a Tea Ceremony Room ~ Programwith NODA Hiroji 1981-2011• Date and time: March 24 (Sat.), 2012, 13:00 - 17:00• Participants: 18• Target: Junior high school students and over
• Entry fee: Free
• Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

OutlineIn this workshop, created through the collaboration of Yoshiaki
Kaihatsu and Hiroji Noda, the participants drew hanging scrolls andviewed them in a tea ceremony room.

3

Drawing on hanging scroll
The next task was to draw on a hanging scroll. The
participants expressed images of ordinary, everyday eventsby using ink-wash. ④

60 min.

4
75 min.

5

Hiroji Noda
Born in Wakayama Prefecture in 1952. He graduated from TamaArt University (B.F.A) and quickly earned his reputation. He held asolo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama, in 1995.
He received the Minister of Education,Culture,Sports,Science andTechnology’s Art Encouragment Prize for New Artists. In 2012, a solo
exhibition “NODA Hiroji 1981-2011” was held at the National Art
Center, Tokyo. Currently, he is a professor at Tama Art University.

Participating in tea ceremony with theirown hanging scrolls in place

Summary

The participants were invited to a tea ceremony where
Kaihatsu served them tea. In the styrene foam tearoom“HAPPOEN,“ they enjoyed the tea while looking at thehanging scrolls they drew. ⑤

While the participants worked on their tasks in the “Barn” andenjoyed tea ceremony in the “HAPPOEN,” spectators of Roppongi
Art Night watched them. This workshop was wrapped in a lively
atmosphere unique to Roppongi Art Night . (TM)Feedback from participants

CritiqueNoda and Kaihatsu commented on the work of eachparticipant.

• I was surprised to learn that the works drawn inside the barn

30 min.

•
●
①

●
③

•

were exhibited at Roppongi Art Night . Although I had thoughtthat somehow abstract paintings did not suit me, I felt apowerful feeling of appeal after watching Mr. Noda’s works andhaving a chance to actually try it out myself. (Woman, 30s)
Before, I had always thought that abstract paintings had
profound meanings. In this workshop, I was told to use myown senses to appreciate them, which made me feel closer tothe abstract paintings. I will try to view them in my own way.
(Woman, 10s)
Location, facilities, staff members, and instructors, I liked
everything about the workshop. It was the best I had everparticipated in and I definitely want to come again. (Man, 30s)

Materials provided
crylic paint, bokuju black writing ink, brushes, paper, linen

Tea ceremony room HAPPOEN

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②

28

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Workshops 2012

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Workshops 2012

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

40 min.

2
20 min.

Introduction of instructor works andlecture on materials used in Japanesestyle painting
By using slides, Kambe introduced his works and talked
about his consistent theme—nature, especially the small
universe of plants and animals living near water. His talk
was based on his close observation of nature and it was
related to the outdoor stroll and production phases of theworkshop.

Touching materials of Japanese-style
painting
During the lecture about the materials of Japanese-style
painting, the participants listened to an introduction ofdifferent materials, such as rock paint, glue, and sumi ink,
and how to make them. They also had a chance to actually
touch the materials and got excited about the rare occasion.
They were really surprised to feel how thin the silver foil
was. ①

Japanese-style painterTomoyuki
Kambe
Born in Gifu Prefecture. He graduated from graduate school ofTama Art University (M.F.A). He produces delicate and refreshingworks, using traditional materials, such as rock paint, foil
and Japanese paper. He uses plants and living creatures on
the waterfront as his motifs to represent a small universe. He
Participated the DOMANI-The Art of Tomorrow Exhibition in 2010at the National Art Center, Tokyo, the Kambe Tomoyuki Exhibition– Innocent World in 2011 at the Sato Museum of Art, the Kambe
Tomoyuki Exhibition – Innocent World as part of the Dazaifu
Tenmangu-shrine Art Program between 2011 and 2012 at Dazaifu
Tenmangu.

Summary●①

Hold Your Breath. Gently Touch Silver Foil
and Learn About Japanese Painting Materials• Date and time: May 27 (Sun.), 2012, 13:00 - 16:30• Participants: 21• Target: Elementary school students (5 grade) and over
• Entry fee: 500 yen• Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere3
45 min.

Outline We invited Tomoyuki Kambe, a Japanese-style painter, as
instructor. The participants learned about the materials used forJapanese-style painting and then took part in a workshop where they
processed and applied silver foil.

4
30 min.

●
②

●
③

5
40 min.

6
30 min.
●④30

Production
First, Kambe demonstrated how to use the tools and thesilver foil. The participants held their breath watching theway his hands moved. After learning the process of applying
the silver foil, they sat down at their seats and started towork on their own.
The first step was to attach waxed paper onto the foil to lift
it. Then, they put the foil on a piece of Japanese paper onwhich glue had been applied. They did it so well that it was
hard to believe it was their first time. ②

Taking a stroll outside
After working on the silver foil, the participants went
outside the building and took a stroll. Their goal was to look
for a motif for the paper template they were going to makenext. The weather was great and they enjoyed the fresh air.
Kambe said, “Even at places you usually walk by, you cancome across various discoveries if you pay attention. Thosethings can give you creative inspiration and help you enrich
your life.” ③

Resuming production
The participants went back to the multipurpose room andresumed their production. They made paper templates basedon the plants they collected during the stroll, and thenapplied silver foil onto the templates with an iron. Surprisedat the way the silver foil changed color, they experimented
with ways to apply heat and use the templates. ④

A wide range of ages, including children, took part in thisworkshop. They learned the pleasure of creation even in the senseof tension that stemmed from dealing with delicate materials likesilver foil. They felt enriched by putting the inspiration they got
from the natural surroundings into creative works while paying
attention to changes in the materials. (TM)Feedback from participants• I had a great time creating things out of the plants around us. I••

also discovered how ordinary things could be turned into creative
works by looking at what others did. (12-year-old boy)It was a lot of fun. It was only for a short time, but it was
fulfilling. Also, my teacher's comments were so thoughtful that
I felt like I managed to do something. In fact, I often realized
what I did unconsciously when he explained what it was in plain
terms. (Woman, 30s)
I learned a lot through the explanation of materials used inJapanese-style painting and through pasting silver foil myself. I
felt lucky because I actually experienced how the color of silver
foil changed. I want to thank all the staff members for their kindassistance. (Woman, 60s)

Materials provided
glue, brushes, silver foil, watermark paper, foil scissors, panels,
cutter knives, rock paint, ore, paste, Japanese paper, brushes,
irons, dosa, pencil erasers, cardboard, design cutters, cuttingboards, sulfur sheets, electric fan

Presentation of their works
At the end of the workshop, each participant presented theirwork. Even though they all used the same silver foil and thesame motif, plants, each work was quite unique, and they all
admired one another. ⑤●⑤Workshops 2012

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Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

LectureFirst, the participants listened to a lecture about Iwabuchi’s
own creative activities with slides on his work. ①

30 min.

Dancer / Choreographer

Teita Iwabuchi

2
50 min.

3●①

Experiments in Body and Space - Feel theSpace of NACT with Your Body!• Date and time: July 29 (Sun.), 2012, 13:00 - 16:30• Participants: 17• Target: Elementary school students (3 grade) and over
• Entry fee: Free
• Place: 1,2,3F Lobby, 3F Auditorium

OutlineWe invited Teita Iwabuchi, a choreographer and dancer, who helped
the participants feel, by using their whole body, the space of the
National Art Center, Tokyo.

30 min.

4
65 min.

●
②

●
③

5
20 min.

●④32

Experiments at the auditorium - warm up
The participants first did some warm-up activities to sharpen
their sensitivity. They jumped high and low, sensing theentire room by stretching their bodies. After unraveling theirbodies, they gradually shortened and widened the distance
between them, being conscious of space. ②

Experiments on the 3rd and 2nd floor- to the public space of NACT
After warming up, the participants moved from the closed
space of the auditorium to the open space of NACT.
Following the advice of Iwabuchi, “Try to be conscious ofbeing able to enter a familiar space with your own body,”
they repeated the experiment done during warm-up, but thistime in the public space. ③

Experiment on the 1st floor- turn the place where people come andgo into your own space
Finally, the participants went to the first floor where many
people move around. Iwabuchi said to them, “I think you
have been acting passively towards the place, but try tomove your body actively, responding to the surroundings.”
They tried to sense the surrounding architectural space
like the pillars, walls and floor, by figuring out where they
were in the public space with many people moving around.
Having both the sense of being in a public place and thedesire to be part of the place, they sat down and lay downon the floor, attempting to turn the space into their own,
ending up altering the usual scene of NACT. ④⑤

He graduated from the Tamagawa University Art Department,
studying Butoh, classical Japanese dance, as well as theatre. Asa dancer, he participated in APE, Nibroll, Ito Kim + The Glorious
Future, Co. Yamada Un, Ko & Edge. Co., etc. Starting in 2005, hebegan presenting chorographical works with focus on “bodystructure” and “interaction among space, music and body.” In
addition to performances at theaters, he has been engaging invarious activities, including performances and workshops at art
museums. His chorographical work in collaboration with Kaori Seki
received the French Embassy Prize for Young Choreographers at
the Yokohama Dance Collection EX 2012.

SummaryThis workshop was a great opportunity for the participants todiscover a new way to sense space. They were able to widen theirconsciousness to feel space by experimenting with each senseof their body and also alter their way of looking at space by
responding to their surroundings both actively and passively. (TM)Feedback from participants• By having an active viewpoint such as “show” and “perform”••

towards “space,” I was able to have a different way of looking atand feeling “space” than in my daily life. Also, I not only looked
at “space” with my eyes, I was able to feel it with my body, suchas my hands and shoulders, so it was very fresh. (Woman, 20s)
Both my child and I enjoyed the workshop. It was a valuable
experience that we could lie down on the floor of NACT that I
had always thought of as “a place to see pictures.” (Woman,30s)
I discovered that it was fun to observe and capture things witha new sense. I think that the architects and designers would be
thrilled that we feel their buildings in such a way. I was keenly
aware that things are being influenced by people and places, an
infinite amount of information is flying around. (Woman, 30s)

Retrospection
The participants went back to the auditorium, and shared
their experiences with one another. Some talked about
the differences they felt on different floors, saying, “As wemoved down to the lower floors, the space felt more open,”“I felt a difference in the temperature and the way the lightcame in more on the first floor than on the other floors,”
and, “On the first floor, things were pulled by events thatwere happening.” Others talked about going back and forth
between reality and non-reality, saying for example, “When
I was lying on the floor, I got the sense that it was morenatural.” As the final remark, Mr. Iwabuchi said to them,“Next time you go to a museum, please sharpen the sensesof your body to be conscious of the space.”●⑤

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Workshops 2012

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

120 min.

2
20 min.

Photographs as “Expression”- Two Commentary
Program held in conjunction with Given
Sessions by Toshio Shibata - Forms—TATSUNO
Toeko / SHIBATA Toshio• Date and time: August 25 (Sat.), 2012, 14:00 - 16:30
September 8 (Sat.), 2012, 14:00 - 16:30• Participants: 17• Target: High school students and over
• Entry fee: Free • Place: Lecture room A,B and elsewhere

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

1
140 min.

OutlineIn a pair of workshops, works brought in by the participants received
feedback from Toshio Shibata, who participated in the exhibition
Given Forms—TATSUNO Toeko / SHIBATA Toshio.

2
20 min.

Day 1
Introduction of the instructor / feedback /presenting tasks for the next session
The theme of the workshop was “expression” inphotographs. Each participant presented five of their own
photos and received feedback and tasks for the second
session from Shibata.

Appreciation of Given Forms—TATSUNO
Toeko / SHIBATA Toshio , with Shibata’s
gallery talkAfter the presentation, the participants moved to theexhibition gallery to see Given Forms—TATSUNO Toeko /SHIBATA Toshio and listened to Shibata himself. They learned
Shibata’s ideas about photography and also had a chance tothink about their own tasks for the next session.

Day 2
Participants’ presentation of their works
and feedback from Shibata
The participants brought in and presented photos that they
took taking into consideration the advice from Shibata.
There were improvements in their photos, which showed
how the participants learned from Shibata’s feedback.

Closing comments by Shibata
At the end of the session, Shibata said to everyone, “Theanswer is within you. When you have doubts, it is important
to go over the photos you have taken.”Photographer

Toshio Shibata
Born in Tokyo in 1949. In 1974, he completed the master’s courseat Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, majoring in
oil painting. In 1975, he entered the Royal Academy in Belgium,
majoring in photography. He returned to Japan in 1979. Around thelate 1980s, his monochrome photos of construction sites and dams
in mountainous areas started to receive international appraisal forbeing unique combinations of nature and man-made objects. He
began taking color photos around 2004 and this new development
has been given close attention. His works have been collected inseveral museums in Japan and other countries.

Summary
In the two-day session, Shibata determined what each participant
should work on and gave each of them appropriate advice. For
those who take photos, it was a great opportunity to have theirown photos reviewed by an exhibiting photographer. Therefore,
the atmosphere of the workshop was quite serious, withparticipants taking notes. Some also mentioned that it was goodfor them to be able to listen to how others approach photography
and what Shibata thought about them.
Since the participants were already interested in the workshop’s
theme, photographs as “expression,” they were able to get into
details, especially during the second session. They were able
to learn not only the technical skills of photography, but also
attitudes towards photography. It was rather formal and serious,
but the participants learned a lot more than they expected. (TM)Feedback from participants• I was inspired by learning about other people’s approaches,••

ideas, and sensibilities towards photography. The instruction
from Mr. Shibata, “Stop and think,” was very meaningful. I willcertainly try to absorb it. (Man, 30s)
Because I have rarely had the opportunity to look at my own
photographs, it was wonderful to be able to go over my own
photos through this workshop. Also, I learned a lot from Mr.
Shibata’s comments not only about my own works but also
about those of others. I hope I can keep enjoying taking photos,
using the feedback from him.(Woman, 30s)
It was an eye-opening opportunity to listen to Mr. Shibata’s
feedback on my own photos and those of others. I also thoughtthat a great photographer had great words as well. Thank youvery much for the wonderful opportunity. (Woman, 40s)

Materials
Items brought by participants: 5 photos taken themselves, A4 sizeor larger

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Workshops 2012

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

15 min.

Introduction of instructor activities
Kotaro Fukui began introducing his work by showing his
book collection. When he asked the children what theyknew about ostriches, they answered enthusiastically, “a bigbird” and “they can’t fly.”
Japanese-style painterKotaro Fukui

2
30 min.

●①

My First Art Experience: Touch, Listen to,
and Feel the Newspaper• Date and time: November 3 (Sat.), 2012, 14:00 - 16:00
November 4 (Sun.), 2012, 14:00 - 16:00• Participants: November 3 – 11 pairs (25 people)
November 4 – 12 pairs (27 people)• Target: Preschool children (3-6 years old) and parents• Entry fee: Free • Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room●②

Outline This is the first session of the “My First Art Experience” series
designed for preschoolers. We invited Kotaro Fukui, a Japanese-style
painter, as a instructor, to guide children aged 3-6 and their parents toexperience “molding” with newspapers.

●③

3
25 min.

●④36

Formative play
The participants started to work with newspaper. Everyone
was given a piece of newspaper and listened to its voice.
When they tuned in to the sound of rattling paper, they
heard it say “hello” in newspaper language. ①
Next, they rolled the newspaper as tightly as they could.
And then, they “ironed” it to make it flat. ②
They also used a sheet of newspaper as a sled to experience
how strong it can be. Newspaper is very resilient to being
pulled, and it won’t tear even when it’s pulled with a childon top. ③
Then, they started to tear it apart by hand, in every
direction. Once they got the hang of it, they got lots of little
pieces of newspaper and threw them all in the air. Fukui
then scattered a box full of prepared pieces of newspaper
above everyone. The kids were so thrilled by the newspaper
snow falling onto them that they cheered happily. ④
After enjoying themselves throwing the pieces for a while,
they gathered all the pieces to make a paper bed where
they lay down. ⑤
Next, they tore newspaper into narrow, long strips whichwere then connected with staples and cellophane tape tomake longer strips. They stuck both ends onto the wall andhung them. A room-sized art work was completed.
Finally, Fukui told the children, “Be a lion. Destroy thenewspaper jungle!” However, the unified response fromthem was, “No way!” It was the moment of confirmationthat a sense of cherishing what they created had developedin them. Instead, they crawled under the threads ofnewspaper and had a race.
They got all sweaty and took a shower of newspaper.

Born in Tokyo in 1969. He graduated from graduate school of TamaArt University (M.F.A). He is known for using ostriches and flowers
as motifs to draw large scale paintings with sumi ink and mineralpigments. His numerous exhibitions include, “Silent Flowers andOstriches” at the Chelsea Art Museum, New York in 2010, a solo
exhibition at the Kreuzherrnsaal, Germany, in 2011, and “NewCollection: Kacho of KOTARO FUKUI” at the Museum of Art, Ehime
in 2012. In 2004, the Agency for Cultural Affairs purchased his
works. In 2006 and 2013, he received the Medal with Dark Blue
Ribbon. His activities include performing “live painting” andbeing a member of the National Formative Education Union forpreschoolers.

Summary
Many of the children who participated in this workshop “cameto NACT for the first time.” They shared with their parents theexperience of opening their minds and finding themselves throughthe molding activities, which is really the essence of art. Manyof the parents said they would like to see more of this kind of
event, which shows that events like this workshop are good
opportunities to show the public what NACT can do. (TM)Feedback from participants• I could see how my daughter interacted with others in a way••

Presentation of impressions
After the molding play, the participants all gathered andexpressed how they felt. As a closing comment, Fukui
explained to the parents how important formative activities
are to preschool-aged children and said, “I hope you cangive your children as many opportunities as possible toexpress themselves.”

different from when she is at kindergarten. I learned a lot fromthe lecturer today, such as the importance of giving her chances
to express herself and of focusing on the process rather than theoutcome. I’d like to do it again. (Woman, in her 30s, with 5-yearold girl)When the lecturer told us what’s important in expression is thewhole process rather than the categorization of art made by
adults, I could also see that myself. Thank you very much. (Man,in his 40s, with 5-year-old girl)I was truly impressed by what Mr. Fukui did, because I had neverimagined you could do so much with simple newspaper. It was agreat opportunity to have a “heart-opening” experience, whichis the basis and the nature of art. Thank you very much. (Woman,in her 30s, with 3-year-old boy)

Materials provided
newspaper, cellophane tape, staplers●⑤

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1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

40 min.

2Participants’ self-introductions and alecture from Lieko Shiga
After the participants introduced themselves to one another,
Shiga explained about her work and her style of creation.
Her photographs are based on stories inspired during her
trips to various places both inside and outside the country.
She believes that each work of hers has been some kindof grieving, because the world after death is a mystery toeveryone and that’s the source of her creation. ①

Discussion on life and death
The participants told one another what brought them to thisworkshop and shared their ideas of grieving the dead. Eachof them had encountered the death of different people, suchas someone close to them or a friend. They each shared
the thoughts they had when they went through thoseexperiences. ②●②“Time of Grieving,” photographed by
Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2013:high school students The
NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art• Date and time: February 24 (Sun.), 2013, 13:00 - 17:30• Participants: 5• Target: High school students• Entry fee: Free
• Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

Outline At this workshop, a discussion about life and death was

3
110 min.

held with high school students who shared their perspectives. The
participants thought about death through expressing their images ofgrieving the dead with photographs.

Story production / taking photographs
After sharing their own experiences dealing with someone’s
death and learning about various rituals in different partsof the world, which helped them clarify their perspectives
on life and death, the participants were instructed to“think about your own ‘grieving’ story and express it in aphotograph.” With tips from Shiga in mind, they reflectedon how they would like to grieve the dead and how they
could present it in a scene. When they finished writing theirstories, they used things in the room to materialize what
they had in their minds, and took photos of them. Those
who thought their grieving would take place outside went
outside to take photos. Shiga gave them advice like, “Don’t
think too much. Keep taking photos.” The participants did
so, until they could get something they were satisfied with.
③④⑤

ArtistLieko Shiga
Born in Aichi prefecture in 1980, she lives in Miyagi Prefecture.
In 2004 she graduated from Chelsea College of Art and Design,
London Institute. Since then, she has stayed in various places,such as Brisbane, Sendai and Singapore, working on her creative
activities. Her representative work is CANARY , which consistsof photographs taken based on extensive research. In 2008, she
received the Ihei Kimura Photo Award. Her solo exhibitions include
RASEN KAIGAN (2012) and a show at the Sendai Mediatheque.
She published Lilly in 2007 with Art Beat Publishing and CANARY
in 2007 with Akaaka Art Publishing.

Summary
The five high school students spent a memorable time, sharing
their perspectives on life and death with peers they had nevermet before, coming up with new ideas, and putting their ideas
into photos. There was a senior who had already decided to study
photography and textile at college, while one first-year student
was still thinking about what she wants to do at college. It was an
unforgettable day for the teens who were struggling to find theright path for the future. (TM)Feedback from participants• I was half-worried and half-excited beforehand because

•
•

4

38

●
①

●
③

●
④

●
⑤

30 min.

Presentation
The participants chose a photo that represents their imageof “grieving” and told their story and how they felt while
taking the photos. They all talked about their struggle intaking good photos and finding good ways to represent
what’s on their mind in a photo. Shiga told them to keep thephotos for five to ten years, because they will most likely
have different impressions looking at them then. She also
asked them, as a final remark, to remember that day as animportant day when they thought about “grieving.”

the theme of the workshop was such an abstract subject asperspectives on life and death. However, I learned a lot morethan I anticipated. It was good that, as I listened to the others
talking about their own ideas of life and death, I could feel thatmy own ideas changed. (Woman, 10s)
Through this, my first experience of creating a work with a given
theme, materials, environment and time, I was able to rethink
photography and expression. (Man, 10s)
I understood the difficulty of taking pictures. When I was
thinking, it was a lot of fun and I felt I was in control. But then,I had a tough time actually taking pictures because they didn’t
come out the way I imagined. It was fun to find out what others
were thinking because there was such variety even though wewere around the same age. (Woman, 10s)

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Workshops 2013

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

5 min.

2
20 min.

●④

Making Nests to Illuminate the Trees:
Creating an Installation for Art Night3
100 min.

Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2013: The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art• Date and time: March 23 (Sat.), 2013, 13: 00 - 16:30• Participants: 19 • Target: High school students and over
• Entry fee: 1,000 yen• Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

Outline In this program held during Roppongi Art Night 2013 , participants took on the challenge of making an installation in the outdoor
space of NACT, along with instructor Takamasa Kuniyasu.

4
55 min.

●
①

●
②

5
30 min.

●③

40

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing
Introduction of instructor
Instructor Takamasa Kuniyasu is known for works inwhich stacked materials such as wood and ceramic blocks
transform spaces dynamically. For Roppongi Art Night
2013 , he created and exhibited Thrones for Departed Birds ,incorporating trees on NACT’s grounds.

Introduction of instructor’s activities,
explanation of installation
First, the participants heard about Kuniyasu’s own creative
activities and about the art medium of installation. In
installation, where the viewer experiences the entire gallery
or other venue as a single work, many works radicallytransform the space so that it appears quite out of theordinary. However, according to Kuniyasu, “There arealso installations that assimilate into their surroundings,
sometimes so harmoniously that not everyone notices there
is a work of art there.” The goal of the workshop was tocreate an installation that assimilated into in the outdoor
space of NACT.

ArtistTakamasa
Kuniyasu
Born 1957 in Hokkaido. MFA, University of Tsukuba Graduate
School of Arts. Highly acclaimed both in Japan and overseas forhis dynamic works created by stacking logs and ceramic blocks.
Kuniyasu has won many awards including at the 18th Exhibition ofContemporary Japanese Sculpture (1999). He is also highly active
in creating installations at rural sites such as Echigo-Tsumari Art
Field and the Amabiki Village and Sculpture exhibition in Ibaraki
Prefecture. Recent solo shows include Dragon Forest (Kanaz Forestof Creation, 2007) and Going Quietly, Looking Inward From Afar
(Gallery Natsuka, 2013), and group shows include Artist File 2013:
The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art (The National Art
Center, Tokyo, 2013) and Dialogue with Trees: Five Stories ofRebirth and Renewal (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, 2016).

Summary

Production
After the instructor’s talk, participants produced bird’s nestlike forms using fragments of ceramic blocks and zelkova
twigs, materials that Kuniyasu often employs.
First, they cut the zelkova branches to appropriate lengths,
fixed them in place with wire, and made triangularpyramids that would act as bases. Once the bases were
made, they attached twigs to it radially. Next, they stacked
further branches, alternating between polygonal and radialarrangement, and glued them with glue guns. Finally,
they attached small pieces of ceramic block wherever theywanted to complete the “nests.” ①②

Held in conjunction with Roppongi Art Night 2013 , this workshop
was intended not only to produce works of art, but also to havea group participate in the outdoor exhibition by working together
in the artistic mode of installation. The “nests” made by Kuniyasu
and the participants were mounted on trees on them NACT
premises, and were integrated into the surrounding landscape tocreate a single site-specific work.
When the sun went down, LED lighting attached to the nest began
to flicker here and there around the promenade, these 20 nests
and their little lights combining with illumination of NACT itself
to form a one-night-only installation that welcomed Art Nightvisitors. (NY)Installing works outdoors
Workshop participants installed the finished works on trees
along NACT’s promenade. The cherry blossoms were in fullbloom on this day in late March, and new green shoots
were starting to appear on the trees.
After deciding which trees to install the works on, they
mounted them using screws and wire. Work progressed,
taking into account the participants’ perceptions of theworks and their harmony with their surroundings, reflectedin comments like “I want to mount mine on a cherry tree,”“We want to display ‘sibling’ works side by side,” and “I
want to install mine at an angle so that it seems to greet
people who come up the promenade.” They used LED lights
and button batteries to install captions under the works inthe trees, and the installation was complete. ③

Viewing, review
Finally, everyone walked around the promenade looking
at the works and appreciating them as part of the wooded
scenery. Kuniyasu commented: “The works look morewonderful out here than they did inside, don’t you think?
This is the phenomenon in which a work and its site become
inseparable. And this shows how art is created when aperson’s actions combine as one with some other force.” ④

Feedback from participants• It was so much fun. I was surprised at how different Mr.
•••

Kuniyasu was from the image conveyed by his works. I had afresh, new experience and a wonderful time. (Woman, 40s)
When I signed up, I had no idea what kind of things we weregoing to make, but it was really fascinating to have everyone use
the same materials and procedures but arrive at different results,
and to see the process of them becoming a single installation.
(Woman, 30s)
I was profoundly moved to have the extraordinary experienceof creating art with my own hands. I enjoyed engaging with
Mr. Kuniyasu, and being able to encounter the works of otherparticipants. (Man, 40s)
To have something I made be exhibited alongside the workof such a splendid artist was a tremendously enjoyable andprecious experience, which I will never forget. (Man, 20s)

Materials provided
Ceramic blocks, zelkova twigs, wire, glue guns, pliers, LED lights,
button batteries, caption paper, screws, pushpins, screwdrivers,
stepladder●⑤

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Workshops 2013

Program content and timing
At 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, the venue for the exhibition Design
Ah! , a workshop was jointly conducted by the National Art
Center, Tokyo and 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT on a Saturday, thefirst day of the Golden Week holidays (at the end of April
and beginning of May). This program was a joint project
relating to two concurrent exhibitions, California Design,
1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way and exhibition Design
Ah! , and was the first workshop in this series held at avenue other than the National Art Center, Tokyo.

ARTIST WORKSHOP

1●④

Workshop with House of Cards

Card distribution
This was a workshop in which anyone who visited the venue
could participate. At the entrance of the exhibition Design
Ah! venue, transparent cards with the same shapes as thosein House of Cards were distributed to visitors, and they wereinvited to participate.
House of Cards is a toy designed in 1952 by prominent
American mid-century designers Charles & Ray Eames.
Cards printed with various photographs and patterns, suchas minerals, vegetables, colored pencils, buttons, and soforth, have notches on all four sides, and by inserting one
card into the slot of another, users can enjoy creating athree-dimensional structure.

California Design and exhibition Design Ah! Joint Program• Organized by: 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, The National Art Center, Tokyo• Date and time: April 27 (Sat.), 2013, 10:00 - 16:00• Participants: 2,250 • Target: Exhibition Design Ah! visitors• Entry fee: Free (exhibition ticket must be shown)• Place: 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT (Tokyo)

●
①

42

OutlineParticipants affixed stickers to transparent cards of the same shapes
as those in House of Cards designed by Charles & Ray Eames,
assembled them, and made a “House of Cards House.”

●
②

●
③

●
⑤

Photo：21_21 DESIGN SIGHT

Photo：21_21 DESIGN SIGHT

2

3

Production of original House of Cards
In the workshop space, set up in one area of the venue, wasprepared a wooden frame shaped like a house. Participants
stuck stickers on transparent cards and created their own
original House of Cards .
The exhibition Design Ah! was based on the popular
television program of the same name, and as a result there
were many parents and children in the venue. Both children
and adults selected stickers carefully and produced cards
intently, carefully considering where to affix the stickers.
It was a simple procedure, but one that enabled eachparticipant to engage in the fundamental design processesof selecting colors and patterns. ①②

Production of a “House of Cards House”
Participants assembled the completed cards in a wooden
frame resembling a house. Originally intended as achildren’s toy, House of Cards has cards that are easily
put together. Even young children were able to take partin making the house, carefully inserting the cards they
had made into notches. By inserting cards themselves,participants were able to grasp the mechanism by which 2D
cards fit together to form a 3D House of Cards . Cards madeby the participants were built up higher and higher, and by
4:00 PM when the workshop ended, the house of colorfulcards was completed. ③④⑤

Instructor Profile

Art director, Graphic designer

Tomohiro
Okazaki
Born in 1981. BFA, Tokyo Zokei University, Design Department.
Worked at design studio “ayrcreative” before going independent.
While still employed at the design studio, he also worked on the
production of the television program Design Ah! , and established
SWIMMING as a freelancer in September 2011. Okazaki is engaged
in design across diverse categories ranging from printed matter tovideo production.

Designerstudio note

Norihiko
Terayama
After studying product design in Japan, Terayama attended Design
Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands, studying under Jurgen
Bey, Gijs Bakker and others. While enrolled there he studied at
Studio Richard Hutten and MVRDV, and graduated in 2008. After
returning to Japan, he established “studio note.” His practice
involves not only producing beautiful forms, but also engaging in
narrative-based design.

SummaryMore than 2,000 people participated in this workshop,
implemented jointly in connection with the California Design andexhibition Design Ah!, and produced original cards by affixing
stickers to transparent House of Cards cards. The cards madeby the participants were assembled one by one in a house-form
frame, and about six hours after workshop began, a “House ofCards House” bringing together numerous people’s design ideas
was completed.
With cards and stickers alone, so many designs can be created.
And by assembling a large number of cards, it is possible to create
three-dimensional objects of all kinds of shapes and sizes. In thisworkshop, participants enjoyed learning about the possibilities ofdesign, as infinite as the human capacity for ideas.
The completed “House of Cards House” was displayed in the
exhibition Design Ah! venue for a week, along with a slideshow ofphotos from the workshop, conveying the joy of design to 21_21
DESIGN SIGHT visitors in a friendly and familiar manner. (NY)Materials provided
Transparent cards with the same shapes as those in House ofCards , various kinds of stickers, wooden frameWorkshops 2013

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Instructor Profile

Program content and timing
Introduction
We invited Takashi Homma, who is a photographer, as
an instructor to this two-session workshop, where theparticipants learned the history of photography and literally
felt how a camera works with their bodies.

ARTIST WORKSHOP

Photographer

1
30 min.

Before Photography / Create Darkness

2
120 min.

• Date and time: July 28 (Sun.), 2013, 11:00 - 14:00
August 4 (Sun.), 2013, 13:00 - 16:00• Participants: 16• Target: High school students and over
• Entry fee: 1000 yen • Place: Annex 3F, multipurpose room

Outline The participants learned about the in-depth history ofphotography. They also took a picture of NACT in the darkness, witha pinhole camera, which was used before photography was invented,
with the room of the workshop itself as a camera.

3
50 min.

4
40 min.

5

Explanation on the purpose of theworkshop and the pinhole camera
The participants first listened to Homma. The subject
for today was “the time before photography.” Althoughphotography was invented about 200 years ago, it had been
known even earlier that the light coming through a small
pinhole into a dark room reflects the sight outside upside
down. Homma said, “These days, you rarely experience a
pitch-dark environment. Therefore, I want you to create
darkness and see an upside-down reflection of the outside
view,” and guided them to turn the whole room into a
pinhole camera.

Turn the room into a dark box
Homma brought in his own 8 × 10 camera to demonstrate
how a pinhole camera works. Then, he guided theparticipants to cover all the windows with black Kent paperand blackout curtains, creating a pitch-dark room. He thendecided the location of a pinhole, which was the only
place where the light could come through. In the dark, theparticipants gazed at the image of the National Art Center,
Tokyo reflected on the wall. They were able to see not only
the building but also branches moving in the wind andpedestrians. In order to record the scene, they placed sheetsof 8 × 10 film in a grid pattern and exposed them to thelight from the pinhole. That was the end of the day.

Lecture on the History of Photography
A week later, the participants came back again to listen
to Homma’s lecture on the history of photography. He
explained about the invention of photography, how it was
related to paintings, how photographs came to be used as
art, and activities of modern photographers.

Takashi Homma
Between 2011 and 2012, he held a solo exhibition, “NewDocumentary” at three museums in Japan. His publications include
Fun Pictures—Photograph Class for Children (Heibonsha). In 2016,
he also published a photo collection book with photos taken withcamera obscura, called THE NARCISSISTIC CITY , from the British
publisher, MACK.

SummaryThis workshop was novel in having the participants experience thefunctions of a pinhole camera through “being inside the camera”.
It was especially new to those who are accustomed to tiny digital
cameras. Homma’s lecture was very professional, yet friendly
and it was a great opportunity to learn about photography andcameras. (NW)

Feedback from participants• I was able to understand the workings of the pinhole camera•

and camera obscura through a life-sized experience. The lectureon the second day about the history of photography was very
informative and I became more interested in it. (Man, 30s)
I was very impressed with the experiment of taking a picture
by means of a pinhole. In the age of digitization, I was able toexperience the original way of taking a lot of time to produce a
picture. That was fun. The lecture was also interesting as I wasable to grasp the flow of the history of photography. (Woman,
40s)

Materials provided
Lith films, photographic papers, black Kent paper, permacel tape,
blackout curtains, etc.

Completion of the Photograph and Q&A
The participants saw the finished photographs. They cheeredat the image of NACT imposed on photographic papers on
the wall. The films they had placed on the wall the week
before were finally developed.

Appreciation of an exhibition
The participants went to watch the exhibition ANDREASGURSKY , being held at NACT at that time, and learned more
about photography.

60 min.

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Program content and timing
Introduction
In this workshop, the participants appreciated an American
Pop Art exhibition and thought about humorous expressions
on their own, which they expressed as a face drawn on acomputer. The instructor is JUN OSON. He is an illustrator
well-known for his illustrations of humorous figures with atypical facial feature resembling the character for 8 and also
his collaborative works with the apparel brand ZUCCa. Pop
art is one of the art styles that have influenced him a great
deal.

ARTIST WORKSHOP

1

Lecture by Jun OsonIn the first lecture, JUN OSON talked about pop art and his
own work. ①

30 min.

●①Turn Your Humor into an Illustration!
• Date and time: August 25(Sun.), 2013, 13:00 - 16:30• Participants: 16• Target: Elementary school students (3 grade) and over
• Entry fee: Free
• Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere2
35 min.

Outline
The participants experienced the world of pop art with pop
artist techniques and ideas, and also enjoyed it as their own
expression.

●③

Exhibition tour
After listening to JUN OSON lecture, the participants saw
the American Pop Art exhibition. They were impressed by
the actual works that had appeared in the lecture. They also
looked for some tips that they might be able to use for theircreations afterward. ②

Illustrator

JUN OSONHe was born in Aichi Prefecture and currently resides in Kamakura.
His main activities involve advertisement, extending fromanimation to book binding. His representative works include
providing drawings for Ahare! Meisakukun , an NHK Etv program,and for the McDonald’s Asa Mac campaign, creating the designfor Kirin’s Nodogoshi All Light Special Package , collaboratiing with
ZUCCa, and creating ads for Toyota’s ha:mo .

Summary“The amazing thing about pop art is to surprise the viewer as art,
even though it was originally cartoons and products,” JUN OSONsays. In this workshop, the participants had the opportunity toexperience the concept of pop art by seeing the exhibition andcreating their own works, to think about it and to learn about thedifferent ideas others have. In creating their own works, they used
computer software, which allows less freedom in drawing than
hand drawing, so that they could experience expressions closer
to pop art. Even though they first struggled with operating thesoftware, they were able to use pop-art-like techniques and ideas
in their own creations. (NW)

Feedback from participants

3
100 min.

●②

Instructor Profile

4
40 min.

Production
The participants returned to the annex and started working
on their own creations. They used computer software,
provided by JUN OSON, which helped them change theoutline of a face and arrange the eyes and nose easily, andcreated a face of the “famous person.” Each of them sat infront of a computer and tried to find the best way to createa famous person’s face as humorously as they could, by
arranging facial parts and using different colors. ③④• It was a lot of fun to think of how to combine various facial
features in an interesting way. (Man, 10s)
• It was fun to combine facial parts to create one piece. I wasreally stimulated by the free-wheeling creativity of the children.
(Woman, 20s)

Materials provided
original hint cards, PCs, graphic software, etc.

Presentation
The participants’ works presented through a projector
included a creator’s image of typical “American,” a main
character of a famous movie, and even a limited motif
based on someone close to them, yet given a new meaningby a combination of features and colors. They turned out tobe so unique that even JUN OSON was quite amazed by thevariety. They were full of fun creativity.

●
④

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Introduction
The instructor for this workshop is Yasue Omori. She isa member of the Kazenoko Theatre Company Tokyo andhas been holding performances for younger children. The
participants took part in a “make-believe play.” The storyof the play was to look for the family of a lost cat and they
made stage props with newspaper. The aim of the workshop
was for parents to realize how enthusiastic their children
could be when they were engaged in something they wereinterested in. Therefore, all the activities were done asparent-child cooperation. The lost cat and her family wereplayed by staffs.

ARTIST WORKSHOP

1
40 min.

My First Art Experience:
Create and Play “Make-Believe Play”• Date and time: November 24 (Sun.), 2013, 14:00 - 16:00• Participants: 13 pair 34 people• Target: Preschool children (2-6 years old) and parents• Entry fee: Free
• Place: Annex 3F, multipurpose room

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

OutlineThis workshop was for families with small children. The participantslearned the pleasure of expression through participating in creationand play.

2
40 min.

3
65 min.

4

Building a StoreFirst, each participant built a store of their choice withnewspaper. The stores were going to be used as part of a
shopping street in a play, where they were going to look forthe family of the lost cat.

Warm-up activities before the play
When they finished making newspaper stores, they got
together again. Omori and staff members introduced
themselves. Then, they did a quiz, “What is it?” and told
a story, “Pooh the Rabbit,” and did warm-up activities byusing newspaper.

Director

Yasue Omori
After working at a puppet theatre in Kyoto, she joined theKazenoko Theatre Company Tokyo in 1980. She has been holding
lectures and workshops mainly geared toward young children.
In order to understand how young children play and interact
with others, she herself became a pupil at a kindergarten andexperienced life among them. She is a visiting researcher at theGeijustu-Kyoiku Kenkyujo (Institute of Art Education). She is a coauthor of Karadade-wakuwaku Hyogen-asobi .

Summary
The aim of this workshop was to help families with young children
know about and feel closer to a museum. The participants did
not hesitate or feel too much pressure when they took part ina “make-believe play,” and they were able to enjoy expressing
themselves. Many of them said they “would like to participate inmuseum activities together as parent-child groups more often.” It
was a great success in giving families a chance to cultivate theirsense of pleasure in expression and a positive attitude toward art.
(NW)

Feedback from participants• The story of the rabbit was fun. I was a little doubtful whether aPlaying a play
In the middle of the warm-up, they could hear meowing.
Then, the children realized that there was a lost cat, crying.
The cat explained she got separated from her family while
they were taking a walk.
Then, they found a letter from the cat’s mother, saying “I amgoing to Yoncho-me.”
Next, they all went to the shopping street and asked theowner of a fish store whether he had seen the mother cat.
The answer was no. Then they went to a vegetable store,
a cake shop and other places looking for the mother. Then,they received another letter from the mother cat, which said
the family members were at the beach. The kids all went
under the sea made from newspaper.
When they were having fun at the beach, the family of thecat showed up. Since the family told the children they hadn’t
had anything since the morning, they made lots of rice balls
out of newspaper. The cat had 100 siblings, so they maderice balls for all of them and sent them off.

•four-year old would be able to manage a “make-believe” play,but I could see that he could play a role just like he does makebelieve with his friends. (Man, in his 30s, with 4-year-old boy)
I liked it when the play started without us realizing it. I didn’t
realize you could do so much with just newspaper. It was really
fun to make something out of it and tear it and pretend it was
the sea. (Woman, in her 30s, with 4-year-old boy)

Materials provided
newspaper, advertisement fliers, cellophane tape, etc.

Comments from Yasue Omori“Everyone, you all did a great job!” said Omori. She
complemented the children for their hard work, and gavethem a message for the future.

15 min.

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Program content and timing
A one-hour program was carried out three times in a day,with the same content each time.

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

2●④

10 min.

Fold Your Own Face!
Program held in conjunction with See, Hear, Play: The Power of Images Weekend• Date and time: March 8 (Sat.), 2014,
11:00 - 12:00, 13:30 - 14:30, 16:00 - 17:00• Participants: 133 (total for three sessions)• Target: Anyone• Entry fee: Free • Place: 1F Lobby

OutlineIn this workshop, participants made original masks by folding origami
paper, designed by COCHAE, that can turn into an infinite variety of
faces depending on how it is folded.

3
20 min.

4
20 min.

●
①

●
②

5
10 min.

●③

50

Instructor Profile

Start of workshop
On the first day of See, Hear, Play: The Power of Images
Weekend , an event to celebrate the beginning of theexhibition The Power of Images – The National Museum of
Ethnology Collection , the design unit COCHAE conducted
an origami workshop in the first-floor lobby of NACT, whichanyone can enter free of charge. The materials used in thisworkshop were sheets of “graphic origami” paper, withdesigns printed on one side. Unlike plain origami, as you
fold, you not only create a form with the paper, but alsochange the designs printed on it. COCHAE, who are majorfans of the National Museum of Ethnology, designed graphic
origami paper especially for this workshop, so participants
could fold their own “faces” (masks). ①

Warming up
First, while listening to an explanation from Takeda,
participants folded Fukusuke (Japanese folkloric character)and cranes as a warmup. It seems that origami cranes,
so familiar to Japanese people, feature many of thecharacteristic types of folds in origami. ②

Folding miniature “faces”
Before making masks with large-format origami paper,
participants used smaller paper to fold various "faces". The
origami paper featured images of eyes, noses, and mouths,
and became a different “face” each time it was folded
horizontally vertically, or diagonally. Participants showedeach other the faces they had folded, and as they continued
folding while making excited comments such as “What aweird face!” “Wow, cool,” or “That’s kind of scary…”, thefolds gradually increased in complexity.

Folding large “faces”
Once the participants had a general idea of the kind offace they wanted to make, it was time to make their own“faces” by folding larger origami paper. Unlike palm-sizedorigami paper, large paper is hard to fold even in a single
place. When people could not fold things the way theywanted, they asked Jikuhara and Takeda for help, and they
continued folding and unfolding the paper over and overuntil they arrived at a face they liked. ③④

Design unit

COCHAE
Design unit COCHAE was formed in 2003 by Yosuke Jikuhara andMiki Takeda, and works with the theme of “design for play.” They
are engaged in a wide range of activities including productionof origami paper with graphics and design and development oftoys and household goods with innovative perspectives, as well
as planning publications and products and holding exhibitions.
The Para-Para Flip Books Cats Series (Seigensha), for which
COCHAE supervised the book design, won the 2013 Japan Book
Design Award Jury’s Choice Prize. Their Origami Puzzle “Funny
Face Cards” won a Good Design Award in 2008. Their exhibition
Daruma was presented in the B1F SFT Gallery at The National Art
Center, Tokyo from January to March 2014.

Summary
Three sessions of this workshop were held on the same day,with a total of 133 people taking part. Ages and demographics
varied widely, and among the participants were foreign visitors
who had never done origami before. It was a day of exploring
the possibilities of origami, an activity that requires only apiece of paper and which anyone can enjoy regardless of age or
nationality.
This was the first workshop held in the NACT public space whereanyone could participate freely. Comments from participants
included, “I discovered a new way to enjoy myself at an art
museum,” “Our family was happy that we could all participate
together,” and “I hope you do more workshops like this one!”
This program was very meaningful in that it offered people of allages a chance to have fun at the NACT, and also had the effectof informing people coming and going in the lobby of the NACT’s
education and public programs. (NY)Materials provided
Origami cards (120 mm × 120 mm, workshop information printed
on the back side), large origami paper (420 mm × 420 mm), twotypes of ready-made origami (crane, Fukusuke), cellophane tape,rubber bands, clips

Taking photos wearing the folded faces
Once the faces were completed, participants put them on
and took photos in a photography area set aside in one areaof the venue. They were also asked to take photos with theirown smartphone or mobile device, and post them on the
exhibition’s Facebook page. Faces like monsters, faces likedogs, faces very similar to those of their creators, completely
different faces made by siblings … a large number of faces
were created, no two alike, and each one entertaining. At
the end of the workshop, Jikuhara told the participants,“There is no limit to what you can do with origami, since
there are an infinite number of folding techniques. Afteryou go home, please try your hand at different kinds oforigami.” Most of the children who participated went homewith their folded “faces” still on. ⑤●⑤

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Introduction
Is there anything in common among the impressions
that we have when we encounter various things fromdifferent ages and cultures? In this workshop, held during
the exhibition of The Power of the Images—The National
Museum of Ethnology Collection , the participants exploreddifferent perspectives with guidance from the six experts
who planned the exhibition. It was a two-day workshop
with different participants.

ARTIST WORKSHOP

1
20 min.

2●①

Images of Me and Everyone — Face to Face
program held in conjunction with
with Things from the World — The
Power of Images: The National

60 min.

Museum of Ethnology Collection• Date and time: March 15 (Sat.), 2014, 11:00 - 16:30
March 16 (Sun.), 2014, 11:00 - 16:30• Participants: March 15 – 22 people, March 16 – 8 people• Target: March 15 – Junior high school students and overMarch 16 – Elementary school students (4-6 grade)• Entry fee: Free • Place: Lecture room A, B, Special Exhibition Gallery 2E

Outline The participants viewed works exhibited in The Powerof Images with instructors and learned that there are different
perspectives, through interacting with others.

3
60 min.

●
②

●
③

4
50 min.

5
40 min.
●④

52

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

Overall explanation of the workshop andself-introduction
The participants, instructors and staffs all sat in a circle andgave self-introductions to break the ice. Everyone had asmile on their face and the workshop started in a relaxing
mood. ①

Appreciation of the exhibits
The participants went to the exhibition gallery to view
six works which were preselected for this occasion by
the instructors. Each participant was asked to choose
the work they were most attracted to. The works werefrom different countries or regions. The more closely theparticipants looked at them, the more mysterious they
became. They wondered things like, “what is this?” and“what is the purpose of this?” and realized that sometimes
a combination of different things showed one thing. They
were also asked to write down on cards any questions,things interesting to them and discoveries. ②③

Appreciation discussion and lecture
The participants went back to the workshop room and put
their cards around photographs of the work they chose. The
cards were categorized into question cards and discovery
cards. The walls were filled with numerous cards. Someone
found one work frightening or gross, yet another person
thought the same work was comical and fun. Some paid
attention to the use and purpose of a work, yet others
were interested in the shape and materials, or even how
the works were made. There were many different ways ofappreciating them and the instructors noticed the variety.
They explained the characteristics of each work to help theparticipants. ④

Search for “similar things” in the
exhibition rooms

National Museum of Ethnology (Professor)

Kenji Yoshida
National Museum of Ethnology (Assistant Professor)

Reiko Saito
National Museum of Ethnology (Associete Professor)

Yuriko Yamanaka
National Museum of Ethnology (Associete Professor)

Yoko Ueba
The National Art Center, Tokyo (Curator)

Mitsue Nagaya
The National Art Center, Tokyo (Curator)

Yukako Yamada
Summary
The workshop provided the participants with great opportunities tolearn about other people’s perspectives through interactions withthem and how things were created through dialogues with theexperts. They were able to reflect on their own perspectives. (NW)

Feedback from participants• It was good because I was able to see one work thoroughly.
•••

I want to come back and look at one work from morning till
evening. (Elementary school students[4 grade] ,girl)I thought it was interesting that there are various ethnic groups
and they have different cultures. I learned a lot. (Elementary
school students [6 grade], girl)I had a very good time! It made me want to nurture my own
imagination and perspective. (Woman, 10s)
I was highly stimulated by this opportunity where the instructors
taught me how to develop a new perspective. I might be able tohave different viewpoints and ways of thinking. (Woman, 20s)

Materials provided
original worksheets, question cards, discovery cards, clip boards,
blank cards, pencils, etc.

The participants went back to the exhibition rooms, withwhat they realized in the previous discussion session inmind. This time, they were asked to find two other works
that have something in common with their first choice. They
drew sketches of the two works in their worksheets andgave the trio a title. ⑤

Presentation
The participants made a presentation of their “similar
things.” They explained what they thought the three hadin common, what title they gave them and so on. Each title
was quite unique, reflecting diverse perspectives.

●⑤

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1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

40 min.

2
30 min.

●①

Drawing Birds That Are Not Birds: Thinking
Program held in conjunction withand Painting in Reverse
Nakamura Kazumi exhibition• Date and time: May 10 (Sat.), 2014, 11:00 - 16:30• Participants: 27• Target: Elementary school students (5 grade) and over
• Entry fee: Free
• Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

Outline With Kazumi Nakamura as guest instructor, after a gallery
talk in the exhibition venue, participants thought about “birds thatare not birds,” and took part in a workshop where they drew incolored pencil, pen, oil pastel, and other media.

3
90 min.

4
90 min.

●②Instructor Profile

Program content and timing
Viewing Nakamura Kazumi exhibition
First, viewers listened to a gallery talk by Kazumi Nakamura
while viewing his eponymous solo show. The artist
references the forms of birds in expressing something
fundamental about existence. By asking what makes a birda bird, he seems to be driving at the essence of something,while at the same time he uses their stylized forms todevelop the color, shapes, and brushstrokes of his paintings.

Words about birds
After the gallery talk, Nakamura spoke in the annex, 3F
multipurpose room on the subject of birds. Taking Giotto’s
St. Francis Preaches to the Birds as an example, Nakamura
asked, “What do birds represent in this painting?” There
were various responses from the participants, such as“human beings,” “angels,” and “me.” Nakamura’s theory
was that the birds represented “others,” but he spoke about
the importance of various interpretations being possible,
and of each person having their own ideas. ①

Painter

KazumiNakamura
Born in 1956. MFA in oil painting, Tokyo University of the Arts.
Nakamura began exhibiting in the early 1980s, and first rose toprominence with his Y Shape series of expressionist paintings
with a motif resembling the letter Y. He continued to work inseries: Diagonal Grids , C Opened , Ranging Difference – Broken
Shelter , Broken Hermitage , Saisoro (one of the types of Nohmasks), Shokuso-cho (Phoenix) , A Bird in its Existence , Hijiri(Saint). Nakamura has been on a vigorous and sustained quest
for contemporary spatiality and meaning in painting, and his
paintings alone number over 1,400. In Japan he is one of the mostprominent painters active today, with numerous solo and groupexhibitions and works in the collections of major museums, andinternationally, he has recently held a solo exhibition in the UnitedStates. He has also written extensively, primarily theoretical
writings on his own work, which are collected in Filtered Light: A
Nakamura Kazumi Anthology (Reifu Shobo, 2007).

Summary

Production
After the discussion of birds, participants used various
materials such as colored pencils, oil pastels, and coloredpens to draw “birds that are not birds.” They had diverse
interpretations of this theme, such as human beings, angels,themselves, and things that are soon forgotten like birds
that have flown. ②③④

What is “a bird that is not a bird?” What is a bird in the firstplace? This workshop posed the philosophical task of reexamining the basic existence of things and seeing what we
consider commonplace with fresh eyes. Although participants said
it was difficult, they enjoyed thinking, and had the opportunity tograpple with the universal issues that Nakamura presented.(MS)Feedback from participants
Presentation and review
After working for 90 minutes, everyone presented theirworks and reviewed them. There were a wide variety ofinterpretations of birds, including a colorless brown-earedbulbul that daringly chose to be colorful, a Java sparrow
and a cockatiel with altered colors and shapes, andcreatures that had chosen not to become birds. Nakamura
commented, “Paintings have lives of their own, so they will
improve if you give them time.” ⑤⑥• I don’t usually draw, so it was fun to think about and create
•
•

•

●
③

something in this way. I think the theme of “birds that are notbirds” is a deep one, and thinking about it made it all the morechallenging. (Woman, 40s)
I felt I wanted to learn more about drawing, about colors and art
materials. I felt admiration for the world of art, which unlike theworld of literature is not constrained by words. (Man, 20s)
Before I took part in this workshop, I thought about how I had
not touched any art supplies since junior high school, but as I
listened to people’s ideas in response to Mr. Nakamura’s talk,I felt able to devote myself to drawing. I also felt hearing an
artist’s actual point of view is a great aid to art appreciation.
Thank you for this precious opportunity. (Man, 30s)
I felt I was able to discover my true self. This was a truly
satisfying experience, and I gained the courage to gaze at myself
more deeply. (Woman, 40s)

Materials provided
colored pencils, pens, oil pastels, drawing paper, etc.

●
⑤
●
④

54

●
⑥

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ARTIST WORKSHOP

10 min.

2
15 min.

LectureFirst, Professor Takagi gave a lecture on the relationshipbetween the Ballets Russes and the fashion world. She
discussed Paul Poiret, who made a dress inspired by
Scheherazade, and brands such as Chanel, Yves Saint
Laurent, Christian Lacroix, John Galliano and Jean Paul
Gaultier that eliminated corsetry from dresses and designed
modern women’s clothing. ①

Bunka Gakuen University

Explanation of workshop
Instructor Daphne explained what people would do during
the workshop in practical terms.
A key aspect of this workshop was understanding of the
fashion term “collection.” In order to create a collection,
it is crucial to determine a theme, with both variation andconsistency within the scope of the theme. One focus of the
discussion was the balance of variations and consistency.

●①

Wearable Illustrations: A 2.5D Tunic Dress
Collection Program held in conjunction with Ballets Russes: The Art of Costume
•
•
•
•
•

Date and time: July 26 (Sat.), 2014, 13: 30 - 17: 00
Participants: 15
Target: Persons aged 12 and over
Entry fee: 1,000 yen
Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room and elsewhere

Outline With the cooperation of Bunka Gakuen University Graduate
School, we organized a workshop in which participants worked
together to design a “brand collection” inspired by Ballets Russes andeach participant produced one paper tunic.

3
45 min.

4
90 min.

5●②Instructor Profile

Program content and timing●③

45 min.

Viewing of Ballets Russes exhibition
After the lecture, group work commenced, with five people
to a group. Participants sketched costumes in the galleries.
How would they apply their observations to the creation ofa fashion collection?

Yoko Takagi

Professor at Graduate School of Fashion and Living Environment
Studies and director of master’s program in global fashion at
Bunka Gakuen University. Takagi studied apparel and art history
at Ochanomizu University, and after withdrawing with courseworkcompleted from the doctoral program in Comparative Studies ofSocieties and Cultures in the Graduate School of Humanities andSciences at the same university, earned a doctorate in archaeology
from the Free University of Brussels, Faculty of Literature. She wasa professor at Bunka & Fashion Graduate School before taking
her current position. Takagi takes an interest in the history andpresent-day phenomena in which people, things and ideas related
to fashion transcend natural borders and genres to create newculture.
Daphne Mohajer-Va-Pesaran (Canada)
Adjunct lecturer
Athena Chen (Taiwan), Nigel Newhook (UK), Pooja Chadha (India),
Rebecca Thomas (UK)

Summary
Fabrication
Participants had discussions in their groups, sketched ideas
on A4 size paper, and verified their ideas’ coherence asa collection. Referencing the formal characteristics anduse of color in the Ballets Russes costumes, they decided
on elements they wanted to incorporate into their own
collections, and produced their own paper tunics. ②③④

A paper tunic is a rendering on paper of what is intended to bea three-dimensional costume. When it is worn, it becomes threedimensional yet retains its flatness, falling somewhere between 2D
and 3D, i.e. “2.5D.” While there were commonalities among theworks, the results highlighted the originality and creativity of each
person, and the participants had the opportunity to enjoy creating
in a fashion context beyond the everyday, while considering theirown designs and what they wanted to express. (MS)Feedback from participants

Photo ShootThe completed paper tunics were hung on the wall andphotographed, and the groups wore the tunics they had
designed and posed in groups for a Paper Tunic Collection
fashion show. ⑤• It was both challenging and exciting to produce works in•collaboration with people I was meeting for the first time. During
the group discussion, I was able to experience the process thatmakes it possible to come to mutual understanding during actual
hands-on production, even when ideas don’t seem to be coming
together. I think that that is an experience unique to art. (Woman,
30s)
It was good not only to work within a set time frame, but also
in a group of just the right size. Using paper that we could cut
and paste easily let us explore various ideas before we presented
them, which I enjoyed. I enjoyed the video that they played for
us as well. Thank you for your interesting advice and for thinkingof such a fascinating program. (Woman, 30s)

Materials provided
●
④

56

●
⑤

paper tunic, colored pencil, pen, crayon, Copic, paint, patterned
paper, etc.

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5 min.

2
30 min.

●④

Produce and Star In Your Own PictureBook• Date and time: October 26 (Sun.), 2014, 13:00 - 16:00• Participants: 18• Target: Elementary school students (3 grade) - High school students• Entry fee: 300 yen• Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room

OutlineUsing copies of paintings shown in the exhibition Masterpieces fromthe Kunsthaus Zürich , participants made original picture books,
thinking up stories in which they were the protagonists.

3
20 min.

4
10 min.

5
90 min.

●
①

●
②

6
25 min.

●③

58

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing
Introduction of instructor, explanation of
how to take a photo of yourself
First, Nakagawa spoke about the job of a picture bookcreator. While showing a picture book, she explained that
it was made up of 15 spreads and took a long time tocomplete. She told the children, “Today we are going to
make short picture books with three spreads. Since we’re
doing this workshop at an art museum, let’s make great useof beautiful paintings!”

Participants take photos of themselves
The main characters of the picture books children wereto create were “themselves.” Immediately, participants
set about taking photos of themselves to use as theprotagonists of their books. The children were divided
into groups of four or five and took four pictures each, ofthemselves from the front, walking right, walking left, and afree pose. ①

Explanation of characteristics of picturebook and how to make it, reading books
aloud
Next, Nakagawa spoke about how a picture book was
printed and bound, and read a picture book aloud. Everyone
was fascinated by this talk by a professional picture bookcreator. ②

Making mounts for picture books
Before making the illustrations, participants first mademounts for them. They selected one of two types of book
paper measuring about 79 × 55 cm and folded it with amethod called “magic folding,” resulting in a booklet withthree spreads.

Production of picture book
The material used to make picture books was a large
quantity of copy paper, on which were printed copies ofpaintings exhibited in Masterpieces from the Kunsthaus
Zürich . While thinking about what kind of stories to create,children selected several works to use for picture books,
cut them out in whatever shapes they wished, and pasted
them on the mounts. The main characters were the photosof themselves that they had taken earlier. They combined
these photos and the paintings to make a story with threespreads, and finally completed the picture books by making
the front and back covers. They selected an appropriate fontand cut out characters from the lettering table prepared inadvance, and pasted the title on the front cover. ③④

Presentation, sharing
Two of the participating children presented their completed
picture books in front of everyone. Afterward, time was set
aside to go around and look at everyone’s picture books.
Nakagawa said, “I was surprised to see all these works that
vastly exceeded my expectations. I think if you take thepicture books you made today with you when you go to see
Masterpieces from the Kunsthaus Zürich ,you will be able tosee the paintings there in a whole new way.” ⑤

Picture book writer / translator

ChihiroNakagawa
Born in 1958. BFA, Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Fine
Arts, Department of Art. Nakagawa has written the text of picture
books including Who Made This Cake? (Tokuma Shoten) and Little
Pudding (Rironsha), and illustrated picture books and folk tales
including Princess of the Field (Tokuma Shoten), How to Keep anAngel (Rironsha, winner of the Japan Picture Book Award Reader’sPrize), Karin and the Fifteen Hina Dolls (Kaisei-sha, winner of theNoma Literary Prize) and Duck Brothers: Kuri and Goma (Arisukan). Her more than 150 translations include Amy’s Eyes (Tokuma
Shoten), Someday (Shufunotomo), and Me… Jane (Asunaro
Shobo, winner of the Japan Picture Book Award Translated PictureBook Prize). She also wrote an essay offering a unique descriptionof children’s art, “Watching Children Draw: How to Enjoy Drawing
Ten Times As Much” (Rironsha).

Summary
While preparing for the workshop, Nakagawa said, “I want
children not only to look at great works of art, but also to draw
them into their own worlds.” By making picture books, children
who participated in the workshop created stories in which
paintings became elements of their own worlds, and used copies
of works freely so that the artworks intertwined with the works ofthe main characters (themselves). For adults who witnessed this,it was a workshop that provided opportunities to re-examine therelationship between children and painting. (NY)

Feedback from participants• I was happy to create a unique book of my very own. I want to
do this again. (9-year-old girl)• It was a lot of fun because I could think up my own story andmake it myself. (9-year-old boy)• I had never cut up famous works of art before, and it was a lot of••

fun to make my own picture book using those paintings! I want
to do it again if I have the opportunity! (11-year-old girl)The paintings made me imagine a lot of different things, and I
was able to create picture books with no text, which was reallyinteresting. (13-year-old girl)This was an exciting experience I would not usually have. I
intend to cherish the book I made by incorporating myself into
masterpieces of painting. (13-year-old girl)

Materials provided
two types of paper, copy paper on which works of art are printed,
recycling box, speech balloon paper, lettering table, scissors,
glue, picture book, color proof paper, digital camera, printer withscanner●⑤

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85 min.

My First Art Experience: Drawing and
Sculpting With a Professional Painter!
••••

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

Date and time: November 22 (Sat.), 2014, 10:30 - 12:30[A] / 14:00 - 16:00[B]November 23 (Sun.), 2014,14:00 - 16:00[C]Participants: 137 ([A]: 19 groups 42 people / [B]: 21 groups 47 people /[C]: 20 groups 48 people)
Target: [A] and [B]: Preschool children (3-6 years old) and parents[C]: Elementary school students (1-4 grade) and parents
Entry fee: Free
Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room•

Outline Painter Yuumi Domoto led a workshop for preschool children (3-6
years old), elementary school students (1-4 grade) and their parents andguardians, in a workshop focused on children’s creativity, which is unhinderedby adult values, and how to follow and encourage their creative activities.

Fabrication
After parents and children had completed the workshop
reception, lively production of art commenced without
delay. On the desks were placed five colors of paint (red,blue, yellow, white, and black) in plastic containers, white
art paper, glue, clay, woolen yarn and ribbons, and everyday
materials such as wrapping paper, with brushes stuck ineach container of paint. In fact, the painting methodology
is the same one that Domoto uses when painting with her
child at home. A large amount of dense poster color isprepared in advance in a container, and a lid placed on topof it. A hole is made in the lid just large enough to stick a
brush in, meaning that the paint does not spill easily andwill not be dried out even the next day. This workshop
was intended to encourage children to discover somethingthat interests them on their own, and develop their ideas.
Instead of teaching them what to do, adults empathize with
their thrill of accomplishment and discovery.
During the workshop, some children drew pictures theentire time, others who began to turn their hands to 3D
works, and others who focused on cutting colored paperwith scissors. Watching them, one was able to grasp what
interested each child and what they were oriented toward.

2
35 min.

Briefing for parents and guardians
While the children were focused on making art, parents andguardians gathered to hear a talk by Domoto. Based on her
own child-rearing experience, she discussed how important
it was to get close to the child psychologically. Domoto
explained that when a child asks for help with something,
it is crucial to identify what they are really looking for. For
example, when a child asks how to draw a picture of a dog,
one should ask what kind of dog they want to draw andwhat their conception of a dog is, and should never justexplain step by step how to draw a dog.

Painter

Yuumi Domoto
Born 1960 in Paris, France. After graduating from Tama Art
University, Department of Painting, Domoto graduated fromthe Cooper Union School of Art (New York). Since her first solo
exhibition at Sagacho Exhibit Space (Tokyo) in 1990,she has
participated in numerous exhibitions in Japan and overseas
including Ikiru at the Yokosuka Museum of Art, Kanagawa (2011)
and Playback Artist Talks at the National Museum of Modern
Art, Tokyo (2013). She won the Encouragement Prize at VOCA in
1995 and 1999, and the 19th Takashimaya Art Award in 2008.
She has also created a large number of public art pieces for Tokyo
Midtown and works for corporate collections. Her works are in
the collections of the National Museum of Art, Osaka, Takamatsu
City Museum of Art, Kagawa, the National Museum of Modern
Art, Tokyo, the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art,
Hiroshima and other museums.

Summary
Generally, as they grow older, children grow more self-conscious
about making art, and eventually come to dislike art itself and shy
away from museums. With this in mind, at this workshop Domoto
discussed methods of engaging with art at home. For parents,
the idea is not to praise “good” drawings, to criticize anythingthat children create, or to give them instructions, but simply toobserve them carefully and encourage them thoroughly. When
parents stick close to their children in this way, children are able
to act with confidence, discover their own ways of expressing
themselves, and solve problems on their own, and this workshop
provided advice on creating this kind of environment. (MS)Feedback from participants• I was surprised at how fast the children drew. I always tend to••

give them instructions, but this time when they asked me how
to mix brown paint, the staff advised me not to answer and to
stand back and let them paint freely. It was an opportunity toreflect on the attitude I ordinarily take towards my children’s art.
(Woman, in her 30s, with two boys, age 3 and 5)
It was really educational (for the parents as well). I felt it was myjob as a parent to create an environment where my children can
express themselves in freely. (Man, in his 30s, with 5-year-old
girls)
My daughter seemed to be enjoying herself the entire time, andit had been a long time since I saw her stay focused this long! It
was a great chance for kids to use their imaginations and express
something with their own hands, and good for parents to seethem doing so. We were very happy to have this opportunity,
which one rarely has in hectic day-to-day life. (Woman, in her
40s, with 8-year-old girl)

Materials provided
paint, drawing paper, glue, paper clay, wool, ribbon, wrapping
paper, etc.
Items brought by participants: Used clothing or clothing that it’s
OK to get dirty

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20 min.

2
40 min.

Painting and Sculpture Workshop: FourColors, Nine Cups
• Date and time: January 25 (Sun.), 2015, 13:00 - 16:30• Participants: 20• Target: Junior high school students and over
• Entry fee: 300 yen• Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room3
45 min.

Outline With Motohiro Tomii and Keisuke Kondo as guest instructors,
this workshop aimed to deepen understanding of sculpture andpainting through a vicarious experience of the relationship between
them, using paper, paint and paper cups.

4
30 min.

5
45 min.

62

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing
LectureFirst, Tomii and Kondo discussed what they thought about
while producing their works. While participants listened
to their description of what led up to this workshop, theircuriosity about what was about to begin increased.

ArtistMotohiro Tomii

Production (1) Painting section
During this workshop, production of artwork was divided
into three parts, and participants were divided into groupsof four. In the painting section, which was the first part ofthe production, participants faithfully reproduced the colorsof the clothes people were wearing that day (ornaments,
shoes), and applied four different colors to the paper.
◆Rules for painting section① The four separate colors applied to the paper were to
be based on the colors of clothes people wore thatday.
② Each participant was to choose these colors not fromthe clothes he or she was wearing, but from thoseworn by others in the group.

Born 1973 in Niigata. Tomii minimally intervenes in existing objects
to explore their new possibilities as sculpture, structured aroundtheir material conditions liberated from intended purpose andmeaning. He has shown work in the Yokohama Triennale (YokohamaMuseum of Art, Kanagawa, 2011), MOT Annual 2011: Nearest
Faraway (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2011), and Niigata
Creation: The Museum is Alive (Niigata City Art Museum, 2014).

Painter

Keisuke Kondo

Production (2) Sculpture section
Next was the second part of the time allotted for production,
the sculpture section. Participants cut three paper cups ninetimes and created sculptures with nine points of contact.
◆Rules for sculpture section① When cutting paper cups, do not cut them in twocompletely.
② The three paper cups should be cut a total of ninetimes.
③ The paper cups are to be made into a single sculpture
by attaching them in nine places.
If in doubt, participants were to ask questions immediately.
For example: is it acceptable to cut the paper cups less thannine times? When this question was asked, the entire group
was told that no more and no less than nine cuts were to be
made.

Production (3) Painting + sculpture section
Next, the pieces of paper painted during the painting
section were cut up and divided among members of eachgroup, and used to cover the works made during the
sculpture section.
◆Rules for cutting up paper① The amount of paper allotted to each person could bedetermined freely.
② Each person was to receive some of all four colors.

Presentation and review
Yusuke Minami, Deputy Director of The National Art Center,
Tokyo, joined Kondo and Tomii and the three conducteda review. As they viewed works closely and exchanging
opinions, differences between what the creators intended
and what the reviewers perceived became apparent, andnew opinions arose. Many of the participants said they wereregularly engaged in making art, and one person noted thatthey had decided to participate specifically because thisworkshop seemed unrelated to conventional sculpture.

Born 1981 in Fukuoka. BFA in Japanese Painting, Tokyo Universityof Arts, 2007. Kondo learned painting by making copies after
existing works, primarily using the techniques of Nihonga(Japanese-style painting), and took this as a point of departurein realizing his own dynamic vision. In recent years he has beencollaborating and holding workshops on an ongoing basis with
the novelist Hideo Furukawa and the artist Motohiro Tomii. Soloexhibitions include Painting for 12 Months (MA2 Gallery, Tokyo,
2014), and he has published a collection of works also entitled
Painting for 12 Months (HeHe, 2014).

SummaryThis workshop was inspired by the process of producing Japanese
Buddhist statuary. By experiencing division of labor during the
production process, participants got an opportunity to engage
deeply with sculpture and painting and the relationship between
creating forms (sculpture) and applying colors (painting), andconsider the history of both media. (MS)Feedback from participants• This was the first time I had participated in a workshop like this•one, and it was a good opportunity for self-reflection. I study
sculpture at university, and although I do not feel very motivatedto make sculpture I feel like I cannot escape from it. This workshop
made me keenly aware of this situation, and I hope to apply what
I learned from it to future artistic activities. (Woman, 20s)
Generally, people envision workshops as being educational
programs for elementary or junior high school students, but
I enjoyed this workshop which seemed to be geared toward
university students, artists, and adults. (Man, 20s)

Materials provided
Pencils, paint, paper cups, craft paper, box cutters, scissors, glueguns, etc.

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Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

Lecture conveying the principles ofanimation
One of the aims of this workshop was to widely publicize
the exhibitions Manga Anime Games from Japan andNiki de Saint-Phalle , and participants enjoyed making
animation inspired by the colors and forms of Saint-Phalle’s
work, which looks like it might start moving at any moment.
It was held in the first-floor lobby, the most conspicuous
area of the NACT building, so that anyone passing by would
feel free to join.

Tokyo Polytechnic University,
Faculty of Arts, Department of
Animation
The Department was launched in 2003 as Japan’s first university
department dedicated to animation. Students learn broadly about
the specialized techniques of animation, its principles, history, andso forth, and in addition to animation, graduates are active in awide range of fields.

Summary2
240 min.
●①

Shapes and Colors in Motion! Let’s Find Out How
Program held in conjunction with Manga Anime
Animation Works
Games from Japan and Niki De Saint-Phalle• Date and time: April 25 (Sat.), 2015, 11:00 - 15:00• Participants: 160 people in total•

Stop-motion animation: 30
Disk animation: 130
Target: Anyone
Entry fee: Free
Place: 1F Lobby••

Outline In conjunction with Roppongi Art Night 2015 , we held aworkshop where people could easily engage with the principles ofanimation, planned with the cooperation of the Tokyo Polytechnic
University Department of Animation.

3
240 min.

64

●
②

●
③

●
④

●
⑤

A. Stop-motion animation(*A and B progressed simultaneously for 240 minutes)

Two types of animation could be experienced in thisworkshop. One was stop-motion animation using Legoblocks, in which participants first of all made somethingout of Legos. Then, they shot the Lego scene with a digital
camera connected to a personal computer. They moved theblocks and shot again. When they moved the form slowly,
repeated the shooting procedure, and connected the images
in the computer, it looked as if the blocks were actually
moving. The works were shot at 8 to 12 disks per second,with the final form the same as the first so they could beplayed in a loop. After about 30 minutes of production time,
the completed works were shown on a screen and people
enjoyed watching them. ①②

B. Disk animation(*A and B progressed simultaneously for 240 minutes)

The other type was disk animation. After painting or affixing
stickers on round transparent plastic sheets, participants
inserted them in disks and spun them on a cathode ray tube
TV so that the flickering of the TV made the image appear
to move. The moving effect was dependent on graduallychanging the pictures and distributing them equally aroundthe disk. People painted as if the shapes were protrudingfrom the center, changed their intervals slightly, or
imagined what it would look like when they actually spun
the disks. When the disks were spun on a cathode ray tube
TV, for example, a running person actually seemed to move,drawing cheers from participants who were watching. Disks
with abstract forms painted on them resulted in mysterious
movements of form and color. It was impressive to see how
children and adults alike were enraptured by what theysaw. ③④⑤

As more visitors than usual came and went during Roppongi Art
Night , people who had never participated in workshops were able
to see one in progress. The staff could observe the percentageof the many people who were interested in the workshop, andhow parents and children interacted before making the decision
to participate. It also provided them the chance to think aboutsuitable subjects for workshops that people can easily andcasually attend. (MS)Feedback from participants• I came to see the exhibition, but ended up trying my hand at••••

this when someone encouraged me to join. It was fun to use arange of materials like cute stickers and origami paper to makeanimation. (Woman, 20s)
Animation is really difficult! You don’t usually have the chance toproduce animation, and I had a great time. (Woman, 30s)
I was with my kids, so it was nice to have something to enjoy
besides looking at paintings. It was wonderful to have an activity
that both parents and children could enjoy. (Woman, 20s)
I had a terrific time. The staff were very friendly, and the experience was a fascinating one. Thank you very much. (Man, 30s)
It would have been nice to have even more materials. (Woman,
40s)

Materials provided
Magic markers, stickers, plastic boards, disks, Lego blocks, etc.

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Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

Introduction of instructors
The instructors were Hirokazu Kobayashi and Haruna
Yamada, who are active as a creative unit SPREAD.

5 min.

2
30 min.

3●②

40 min.

Life Type: Get to Know Yourself andOthers Through Design
•
•
•
•
•

Date and time: June 14 (Sun.), 2015, 13:00 - 17:00
Participants: 18
Target: Junior high school students and over
Entry fee: 1,000 yen
Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room

OutlineWith creative unit SPREAD as guest instructors, this workshop focusedon “Life Type,” a set of graphics that expresses events and moments
experienced in life with letters of the alphabet and symbols.

4
70 min.

5
20 min.

●①

6
60 min.

●③Creative unit

LectureSPREAD’s members spoke about their activities and ideas on
design. According to Kobayashi, “Design is a collaboration
with society. Design is whatever reaction to society adesigner is capable of making. A designer does not produce
things in a vacuum, but rather, in response to a wide variety
of stimuli.”

Production of Life TypeLife Type is a set of graphics that expresses events andmoments experienced in life with letters of the alphabet andsymbols. Participants first thought back on their lives andpicked out words and names they remembered. Then, theyplaced the letters on paper the size of their palms using
original stamps of letters of the alphabet and several kindsof symbols. ①

Enlargement and replication of Life TypeAfter completing their own Life Type works, participants
got in pairs and exchanged them with their partners, each
person transferring their partner’s Life Type to larger blank
paper using letters cutout from paper printed with enlarged
copies of the alphabet and symbols. While recreating theLife Type their partner had created, each person gained atactile, physical grasp of the distance, arrangement, andstrength of the letters and symbols, and interpreted therelationships they expressed. ②

SPREAD“SPREAD” is the creative unit created by Hirokazu Kobayashi andHaruna Yamada in 2004. Their philosophy is to incorporate elementsof the environment, time, color, text, and memory’s into the design
which will overcome all obstacles and “SPREAD”. Their main works
include the CD Jacket of Rock Band SOUTAISEIRIRON’s “Tadashii
Sotaisei Riron”, the Tsubame-Sanjo Factory Festival, the scarf brand
ITO and the Hagiwara Butcher’s packaging design. “Life Stripe” isan on-going art project that replaces one’s everyday actions suchas sleeping, dining, relaxing, and working, with 21 colors. Soloexhibitions have been held at the Spiral Garden (Tokyo, 2012), theMilano Fuori Salone (Italy, 2012), the Rappaz Museum (Swiss, 2014)
and more.

SummaryLife Type is a set of graphics with which users look back over
events and moments in their lives and express them throughletters of the alphabet and symbols. These are arranged on
small pieces of paper, no two compositions alike, and uniquestories from people’s lives are communicated one by one. In thisworkshop, people worked in pairs, exchanging the Life Type works
they had made and taking time to interpret and talk about one
another’s stories. It was a workshop where discoveries, surprises,
and emotional reactions occurred among participants through anactivity that encouraged free and flexible imagination rather thanattempting to arrive at a correct answer. After the workshop, Life
Type works enlarged to poster size were publicly exhibited in thelounge area on the B1 floor. ④ (NY)

Feedback from participants
Talk in pairs about one another’s Life TypeParticipants communicated to their partners the story
they had derived from their partner’s Life Type throughthe process carried out in part 4, and then the pairs told
one another their actual stories. The narratives thatpeople imagined while considering their partner’s inferredcharacter, values, and so on sometimes took striking or
unforeseen developments, sparking lively conversations
between the pairs. ③

Presentation
All the participants presented the Life Type works they
had created, and discussed their own stories. Each person
conveyed important things about themselves, such as “Ihave more precious friendships than I can count,” “I wasborn in Japan, but my ethnic identity is Korean,” and “I ama religious practitioner, and the gods are above me at all
times.” It was a friendly and intense session full of surprises
and mutual admiration among participants who touched on
various episodes in their lives. Finally, the workshop ended
with each participant being handed their own Life Typework, printed on A5 size paper and framed.

• It was a joy to learn that the simple art of pressing stamps could••

be so interesting when it was connected each person's life. It
was a workshop that made me feel like an artist! (Woman, 40s)
I learned anew that what is most important is not technique,but how you think and view things. Also, the idea and processof enlarging something not with a copy machine but by handwas very interesting and entertaining, and really got people
communicating. (Man, 40s)
I had a lot of fun thinking up and making my own original work.
(12-year-old girl)

Materials provided
Life Type production mount, alphabet and symbol stamps, stamppad, pencils, A3 size (approx. 29.7 x 40.0 cm) blank paper, paperwith enlarged copies of letters of the alphabet and symbols,
scissors, glue, thick A5 size (approx. 14.8 x 21.0 cm) cardboard,
frames●④
Photo：Jingu Ooki

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Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

Introduction
Manga is something to “read.”
We usually think of it that way, but is that it? In thisworkshop, we tried a different approach to manga fromthe viewpoint of “seeing” it. We invited Masao Suzuki and
Kensuke Noda as instructors.

Waseda University (Professor)

Masao Suzuki

2
25 min.

Self-introduction of the instructor &lecture (1)Masao Suzuki is an active researcher of surrealism. He
talked about “why I am into manga now.” According toSuzuki, if you look at paintings and manga as something
to see, as in visual culture, you realize they have somethingin common. In the world of modern painting, the viewer
has to actively participate. Also, manga readers have toorganize dislocated cells in their own way so that time andmovement arise.

Born in Tokyo in 1962. He completed the course work of thedoctoral program of the University of Tokyo, Division of Regional
Culture. Currently, he is a professor at Waseda University. His
major is surrealism. He has published books, such as Surrealism, or
Keirennsuru Fukusuusei (Heibonsha, 2007).

Manga researcher

Kensuke Noda

Experience of “Seeing” Time in Manga: Sound to be
Program held in conjunction with
Released, Motion to be Dissected Manga
Anime Games from Japan• Date and time: August 22 (Sat.), 2015, 13:00 - 17:00• Participants: 25• Target: High school students and over
• Entry fee: Free
• Place: Lecture room A, B

Outline3
25 min.

In general, manga is considered to be “read.” In this workshop, we
analyzed it from the perspective of visual culture by “seeing” theexpressions of sound and movement.

4
70 min.

5
95 min.

68

Self-introduction of the instructor & thelecture (2)Next, Kensuke Noda, a manga researcher, gave a lecture.
Noda does comparison studies between Japanese mangaand comics in foreign countries, interested especially in“time created by readers.” According to him, each cell inmanga contains multiple time frames and readers’ active
participation, by following the “grammar in manga ,” createsflow of time and movement.

Balloons and time in the manga world Instructed by Suzuki
What is “grammar in manga ”? How do we sense time andmovement in the world of manga ? After listening to Suzuki,
the participants tried to actually sense how balloons cause
effects by using prepared worksheets. They understood
how the location of balloons, the words contained and theexistence or nonexistence of them create various time andflows, causing visual diversities in the world of the work.

Sound and movement in manga world Instructed by Noda
After a short break, Noda explained about sound andmovement in manga . The participants tried to figure out how
sound and movement are expressed in manga , by working
on prepared worksheets. Depending on how movement isexpressed, readers feel the meaning of the story, its power,
sense of speed and other things simultaneously. It also
became clear that the location of the balloons helps us feel
not only the intensity of the sound in a story, but also the
distance between characters and the tempos, through ourvisual sense.

Born in Osaka in 1977. He graduated from Kyoto University,
Faculty of Integrated Human Studies. He is a manga researcher
and translator. He has translated Thierry Groesteen’s book,
Manga no System . (Seidosha, 2009)*Masao Suzuki was an editor of Manga wo ‘Miru’ toiu Taiken (Suiseisha),which attracted a lot of attention as opening up a new horizon of manga
studies. Kensuke Noda was one of the contributors to the book.

Summary
Through this workshop, the participants understood that thereis actually very intricate grammar in manga, even though it isusually read in a casual manner. They realized that the content
and visual expression of manga are two sides of the same coin,and that they are manipulated skillfully by manga creators. (NW)

Feedback from participants• It was quite refreshing to view manga this way. The very fact••that manga lacks “sound and movement” might drive readers toactively participate. Expressive efforts of “sound and movement”
by the creator might give their work the sense of depth. Fromabsence there arises a new world of expression. (Woman, 60s)
Manga is not something to “read” but “see.” I was interested in
how different feelings arise, depending on what physical sense
you use in appreciating the same manga work. (Woman, 40s)
This workshop allowed me to experience the potential of mangain terms of the words in it. I think it would be more fun if we
could create balloons, words and onomatopoeia. (Man, 20s)

Materials provided
original worksheets, pencils

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Program content and timing

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

15 min.

2
85 min.

Devices of Movement Made with
Cooling Fans
• Date and time: September 27 (Sun.), 2015, 13:00 - 17:00• Participants: 8• Target: Elementary school students (3 grade) - High school students• Entry fee: 1,000 yen• Place: Annex 3F, multipurpose room, 3F Auditorium

Outline
The participants hand-crafted devices with cooling fans for computers,
and learned how things move and had a fun experience materializing
what they had in mind.

3
90 min.

Instructor Profile

Introduction of instructor activities
The instructor for this workshop is Kanta Horio, who isactive both as an artist and an engineer. His specialty is inproducing works by using devices that convert energy fromsound, light, movement and location to one another. In thisworkshop, the participants created moving devices withcooling fans taken out of desktop computers.

Making the base of a device and a lecture
The cooling fans they used were taken out of old computers.
The participants watched computers being dismantled andeach received a fan and connected it to a battery box withcables. When they turned on their fan, it started to run andcreated wind. They installed a metal safety guard to prevent
injuries, and they had the base.
Then, they thought about what they could do with it.
Horio explained the four factors of the fan; rotation, wind,vibration and magnetism. The participants made their own
devices by utilizing those factors.

Installation in the auditorium,
presentation
The participants moved to a large auditorium and madepresentations.
They were impressed by one another’s works. One ofthem hung the work and had it move in a circle in the air.
Another had a balloon float with the wind created by the
fan and shone a light on it from below, creating fantasticallooks with layers of colored shadows moving on top of one
another. Another blew a piece of styrene foam into a plastic
container, picked up the sounds with a tiny microphoneand let them go through the auditorium’s speaker system,
making drum like sounds.

Artist engineer

Kanta Horio
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1978. He learned acoustics andcomputer music at the Kyushu Institute of Design (now Kyushu
University Faculty of Arts and Sciences). He has exhibited live
performances and installations by using devices that transform theenergy of sound, light, movement, and location back and forth,which he makes by combining electromagnetic materials andordinary things. He has also been involved as an electronic engineer
in the development of commercial displays, moving pictures,prototyping and musical instruments.

Summary
In this workshop, the participants manipulated the simple
circulating function of a fan to expand the horizon of creation, byusing materials like strings, balloons, magnets, light and even the
speaker system of the auditorium. The participants turned their
imagination into their work in a flexible way. Although the goalof the workshop at the planning phase was to “help participantslearn the workings of things that move and create something out
of it,” it turned out that they actively made discoveries, did theirexperiments and created their own works. (NW)

Feedback from participants• It was a lot of fun to play by using things in a different way.
(11-year-old girl)• I enjoyed working with various materials and making things.
(10-year-old girl)• It was a lot of fun, and I want to have another chance. I was able
to modify things and had fun. (10-year-old boy)

Materials provided
cooling fans, copper wires, batteries, battery boxes, cellophane,
Suzuran tape, paper, strings, cellophane tape, flashlights, clay,
cotton, etc.

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1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

5 min.

2
40 min.

3●⑤

20 min.

Made in Mind
Program held in conjunction with Artist File 2015: Next Doors – Contemporary Art in Japan and Korea• Date and time: October 11 (Sun.), 2015, 13:00 - 17:00• Participants: 20• Target: Junior high school students and over
• Entry fee: 1,000 yen• Place: 3F Auditorium, Special Exhibition Gallery 2E

OutlineWith Korean artist Yang Junguk, participants thought about whatshapes invisible thoughts might take, and took on the challenge ofmaking a 3D work.

4
45 min.

*With sequential interpretation in Japanese and Korean

5
100 min.

●
①

●
②

6
20 min.

●③

72

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing
Introduction of instructor
On the stage of the auditorium where the workshop
was held was a wooden frame with a complex shape,
which Yang Junguk had created beforehand. Instructor
Yang, assistant Kim Namhee, and three Japanese-Koreaninterpreters were introduced, and the workshop got
underway.

Gallery talkOn the way to Special Exhibition Gallery 2E, while viewing
Yang’s work, participants heard from Yang himself about
his works’ themes and how he produces them. He explores
people’s invisible interior life and interpersonal relationships
through motion, structure, light, materials and otherelements of his works. ①

Warming up
After returning to the auditorium, participants first of all
warmed up by speaking about what they saw. For example,
they looked at scissors, and one after another said words they
associated with them. Next, Yang showed two shapes drawn
on a white board and commented on the different impressions
they made, noting that rounded shapes and sharp, pointed
shapes make different impressions and are associated withdifferent words.

Determining themes and drawing
Based on the question “What was the first thing you saw
this morning?”, the group decided on thematic words
and drew images associated with the themes. Different
themes were elicited from each participant, including“rain,” “honey,” and “a futon.” Yang and Kim circulated
among the participants and helped to clarify the images
the participants wanted to express while asking various
questions. An important element of this workshop wasthat the instructor and participants shared ideas throughdialogue. ②

ArtistPhoto：Kim Namhee

Born 1982 in Seoul. BFA in sculpture, Kyung Won University. Basedon his own observations and experiences, Yang expresses people’semotions and thoughts from their daily lives through text and kinetic
sculpture. He has gained attention with kinetic works accompanied
by light and sound and works that stimulate the viewer’s senses andmemory, and in 2015, in addition to participating in Artist File 2015
(Tokyo), he had solo exhibitions in Seoul and New York. Yang won
the 35th Joongang Fine Arts Prize Award for Excellence (2013) andthe 2015 OCI Young Creatives Award (2014).
Artist Assistant: Kim Namhee
Interpreter: Miyon Hibino, Cho Ara, Choi Okyu

Summary
In this program, people sought to give visible form to invisible
ideas inside their minds. Participants thought carefully about what
they had first seen that morning, drew shapes associated withthem, and used these drawings as the basis for 3D works madewith a wide range of materials. During the process, participants
spoke with Yang many times and got advice on rendering theirthoughts visible more clearly, finally completing a large work inwhich everyone’s ideas came together in one solid whole. (NY)

Feedback from participants• It was challenging but fascinating to try to exercise one’s••

Production
After solidifying their images, participants moved on to
the creation of three-dimensional objects. In response to
Yang’s advice to “please think carefully about what kind of
material is suitable for turning the sensation you expressedin your pictures in 3D form,” participants selected wire,
yarn, wood scraps and so forth to make their 3D creations.
Once these were finished, they were attached to thewooden frame Yang had made in advance and the piece
was complete. ③④

Viewing, review
Once all the participants’ creations on the theme of “thefirst thing I saw this morning” were attached to theframe, it was a single three-dimensional piece. Finally, theauditorium lights were dimmed and everyone appreciatedthe work.
At the close of the workshop, Yang told the group, “Whenyou gaze at something familiar and think about it a bit moredeeply than usual, an unfamiliar and beautiful shape may
emerge from it.” The completed work was exhibited in thelounge area on the basement floor for one month. ⑤

Yang
Junguk•thoughts freely. I realized there is something like a trick tothinking. (Man, 30s)
I really enjoyed all of us making a single work together. (Woman,
50s)
Beforehand, I was nervous because I had no idea what we weregoing to be doing, but there were a lot of conversations during
the workshop that made it a marvelous experience. (Woman,
30s)
It was a fresh experience to design a bed, something I normallytake completely for granted. I also enjoyed visiting the gallery inperson and hearing the artist talk about his work. (Man, 20s)

Materials provided
Paper, pencils, erasers, charcoal, scissors, pliers, utility knives,
cutting mats, cellophane tape, craft tape, duct tape, double-sided
tape, adhesive, glue, wire, rods, strings, Suzuran Tape (binding
material), thread, pipe cleaners, sticky notes, transparent film,
toilet paper, wool, wooden blocks, cardboard, paper cylinders,polystyrene foam, rubber bands, etc.
[Wood frame fabrication materials] Base made of steel, wood,
string, adhesive, light bulbs, motors, cord sockets, toilet paper●④

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Instructor Profile

Program content and timing
A 45 minutes program was curried out four times in a day,with the same content each time.

ARTIST WORKSHOP

1
10 min.

●①

My First Art Experience:
Floating, Bouncing, Painting!
•
•
•
•
•

Date and time: November 15 (Sun.), 2015,11:00 - 15:00
Participants: 90 people (38 groups) in total
Target: Preschool children (3-6 years old) and parents
Entry fee: Free
Place: 1F Lobby

Outline With Kaihatsu Yoshiaki as instructor, this workshop featured alarge white piece of paper measuring 5 × 10 meters, laid on the floor of the
expansive first-floor lobby. Helium balloons were attached to brushes or rags,
and participants manipulated these to make a large painting.

2
30 min.

3
5 min.

ArtistDemonstration
Participants were not allowed to paint directly with a brushor rag during this workshop. Rather, they floated helium
balloons with brushes or rags attached through the air inorder to create a painting. By handling the balloons skillfully,
they were able to paint lines and dots with the brushes
and rags dangling from them, but things did not go assmoothly even for adults who tried it. Precisely because theresults were not as intended, people were able to devote
themselves purely and joyfully to the act of painting.
Kaihatsu began a demonstration by asking the participants,"Who here has ever painted with a rag?" Not surprisingly,
none of them ever had. He then attempted painting with
objects other than brushes, showing what sorts of strokes
were produced when he applied generous amount of paintto sponges, rags, and work gloves. The children were
fascinated, their eyes sparkling as they observed the wide
range of lines produced. It was evident that they wanted to
get their hands on the balloons as quickly as possible. ①②

Production
Participants began by practicing using balloons. They tried
pushing the balloons, bouncing them on the floor, andflying them high in the air, engaging their entire bodies inplaying with the balloons. The day’s painting was to be alarge landscape measuring 5 x 10 meters. Each participant
chose which part they would like to work on, for example
sky or mountains. The children fully entered the world of thelandscape and began to paint. While working, they imagined
new elements such as the light of the sky at sunset and theanimals living in the mountains, and the picture grew evermore complex. ③④

YoshiakiKaihatsu
Born in 1966 in Yamanashi. Graduated from Graduate School ofTama Art University (M. F. A). Kaihatsu has focused on creation ofart through audience participation, including at MoMA PS1 Dia del
Mar/By the Sea: A Day for Families in 2002, the Venice Biennale in2004, and Echigo-Tsumari Art Field 2015. Since 2011, he has hosted
the Daylily Art Circus activity in the Tohoku region. Since 2000, he
has been holding Thank You Art Day on March 9 (which can be readsan-kyu or “thank you” in Japanese) in various locations around
Japan every year.

SummaryThis workshop was held in a public space, with the aim ofletting more people know about the NACT education and public
programs. While full of elements children love – balloons, paint,
and a very large piece of paper – the children participating not
only frolicked around but also focused on painting, highlighting
the effectiveness of the unique approach used. The unexpectedidea of floating brushes in the air by attaching them to helium
balloons resulted in a workshop ideal for preschool children,which combined artistic creativity with physical activity. (MS)Feedback from participants• He couldn’t paint it as dynamically as he hoped, but it appeared•

Appreciation
Finally, the participants went up to the second floor andlooked down on the painting they had made from a highplace. People tried to find the lines or colors they had
applied. ⑤•

he was trying to depict a mountain, and afterward he seemed
quite satisfied with the mountain he had painted. As a boy wholoves balloons, he really enjoyed the exciting combination of
balloons and painting. Thank you very much! (Woman, in her
30s, with 6-year-old boy)My son looked like he was having a great time, as he rarely has
the experience of touching paint directly and applying it to anenormous piece of paper like this. I believe the lack of judgments,
as to whether participants painted “well” or “poorly,” wasanother factor that made it fun. Thank you so much. (Adult, with
7-year-old boy)
She seemed to be having a lot of fun exploring various ideas
with paint. It was also nice to play without worrying about
getting dirty. She was delighted to be able to take a balloon
home, too! (Woman, in her 30s, with 6-year-old girl)●③

Materials provided
Paint, ink, brushes, buckets, wet tissues, rags, masking tape, etc.

●
⑤
●
②

74

●
④

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1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

30 min.

2
85 min.

Performance & lectureFirst, the participants appreciated Kanazawa’s performance.
Kanazawa started walking slowly around the participants
while striking together two steel bars connected with a string,which he held in both hands. The sound of steel against steel
was like a wind chime, changing the atmosphere in the roomcompletely and sharpening the attention of the participants.

Listening to the sounds of steel
Next, while participants experienced Kanazawa’s Fragmentsof Sound , they felt the shape, weight, texture, temperature,etc. of steel hands-on. When the participants were observed
for a time, they were seen to be enjoying the variations instrength of the sounds they produced, sometimes gentle,
sometimes powerful. As they got used to the sound gradually,
it was evident that the participants were becoming able todistinguish the sounds they produced from those made byothers. ①●①

Steel, Shape, and Sound: Connecting
Hands, Eyes, and Ears
•
•
•
•
•

Date and time: January 31(Sun.), 2016, 10:00 - 16:00
Participants: 14
Target: Junior high school students and over
Entry Fee: Free
Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room

Outline Kanazawa Kenichi was invited as a guest instructor, and all theparticipants engaged with his masterwork Fragments of Sound , fromtime to time beating pieces of steel to create sound, in a workshop
where they had an extraordinary art appreciation experience.

(Lunch break)3
60 min.

4
60 min.

●
②

●
③

5
45 min.

●④

76

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing●⑤

Sculptor

KenichiKanazawa
Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1956. Graduated from Tokyo University of
the Arts, Department of Crafts in 1979 with a major in metalworking.
Completed the Master Program at Tokyo University of the Arts in
1981. Currently an adjunct lecturer at Tama Art University, Tohoku
University of Art & Design, and Nihon University. His exhibitions
since 2000 are Laboratory 2 - To Strike the Iron - Fragments of Sound(2000), KANAZAWA Kenichi: Fragments of Sound , at the Niitsu Art
Museum, Niigata (2002), Transfiguration of Steel: Kenichi KANAZAWA
at the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki, Kanagawa (20062010), KANAZAWA Kenichi: Oto no Kakera (= Fragments of Sound)and Workshop , Kawagoe City Museum, Saitama (2008), KANAZAWA
Kenichi at the Gallery Natsuka, Tokyo (2013), KANAZAWA Kenichi:
Steel as a Point of Departure, 1982-2011 at the Kawagoe City Museum,
Saitama (2011), Listen: The Intersection of Art and Music at theMuseum of Modern Art, Ibaraki (2015), Fragments of Sound, Figure ofMusic, Scores at the Kawagoe City Museum Art Hall, Saitama (2015),
and Art and Music at the Museum of Modern Art, Gunma (2016).

Summary

Drawing for improvisation
Participants stopped making sounds for a while and instead
worked together with oil pastel to draw straight lines andcurves, preparing themselves for the performance they wereabout to put on. According to Kanazawa, abstract lines drawn
at this time play the role of a “score” for the performanceafterward. ②

Performing Fragments of Sound
The participants began by producing sounds, and listening
carefully, experienced the performance according to therules Kanazawa set forth. Also, minimalist music, a genre inwhich sound patterns are repeated, was given as a point ofreference for the performance. In this case, the participants
were creating a “piece of music” unique to that site with anaccumulation of sounds generated by striking fragments ofsteel. ③④

The phenomenon of sound = vibration
Finally, the participants listened to Kanazawa’s Vibration
Zones and thought about the nature of sound. Vibration
Zones is a sculptural work, with springs placed under steel
plates about 9mm thick. Sprinkling calcium carbonate on
the steel plate and scraping its surface with a rubber ballmakes a roaring sound, and the scattered powder produces
various geometric patterns. While the steel plate is vibrating,
if you hold your hand very close so you are almost touching
it but not quite, you can feel the vibrations on your skin even
without touching it. ⑤This workshop was planned to create an opportunity to grasp therelationship between work and venue, which is usually intangible, bytouching the work rather than merely looking at a static sculpture.
When participants touched Kanazawa’s work Fragments of Sound , themost important effect was that people recognized that its impact was
not limited to the space or place where it was presented, but pervaded
the entire environment. By giving plenty of time to experience
the work’s effect on the body, this program was one that enabled
participants to engage with the work and understand how they relate
to it and the process by which a material becomes a work of art. (MS)Feedback from participants• I was impressed that I could see invisible sounds as patterns.
•••

When drawings became sounds during our musical session withsteel, I felt like the entire group became one. (Woman, 70s)
I learned a lot of things about steel during this fascinating
workshop. It was intriguing that we did not create somethingthat we could physically take home afterward, but were able totake home something intangible, the experience that we had
there. (Woman, 30s)
The cross-sections of steel were beautiful. Beforehand, I was
unable to imagine what “steel and sound” might be all about,and I was excited to find out, but the contents of the workshop
were unexpected and both entertaining and healing. Thank youvery much. (Woman, 20s)
We engaged directly with the artist’s work. It was reallyentertaining to see invisible phenomena rendered visible. (Man,
20s)

Materials provided
A3 paper, oil pastel, masking tape, wet tissues, etc. In addition,
Kanazawa Kenichi's works Fragments of Sound and Vibration
Zones were played for art appreciation purposes.

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Program content and timing

ARTIST WORKSHOP

Making a Zoetrope
Program held in conjunction with Manga

•
•
•
•
•

Date and time: February 14 (Sun.) and 15 (Mon.), 2016, 13:00 - 16:00
Participants: 81
Target: Anyone
Entry Fee: Free
Place: National Museum (Yangon, Myanmar)

Anime

Games from Japan in Myanmar

OutlineThis was the first workshop conducted abroad by the National Art
Center, Tokyo. The participants tried to make a zoetrope, in order tounderstand the basics of animation production.

1

Try turning the sample zoetrope2

Try making it while watching a sample

Instructor Profile

The people in Myanmar appeared to have seen the zoetrope
for the first time, but when they saw a hand-made sample
from Japan, they immediately understood the mechanism.

The participants received kits as they were shown a manualthat was translated into Burmese. Watching it was one
thing, but actually making one is another. The kits thatwere prepared were specially designed so that even those
who saw the zoetrope for the first time could make one.
Although the participants had a difficult time drawing
in each cell, with the help of young Japanese animators
they were able to create their own zoetrope in an hour.
They enjoyed watching “moving images” on the turning
zoetrope.
Even though there were Burmese translators, people
communicated in gestures and in a mixture of Japanese andEnglish.

Contributing animator to ICAF2015

Keigo Takenaka
Contributing animator to ICAF2015

Yuki Nomoto
Contributing animator to ICAF2015

Sayaka Kihata
Chief Educator, The National Art Center, Tokyo

Natsumi Yoshizawa
Summary
A total of 81 participants, mainly teenagers, took part in the twoworkshops. There was a sense that the young people in Myanmar
were starting to appreciate manga . (TM)Materials provided
zoetrope kits, pencils, markers, sketch paper, glue, scissors

Production manual (Burmese)

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Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

5 min.

2
10 min.

●③

Making Art with Newspaper and Packing Tape

3
15 min.

Instructor appears
During the morning program, 21 people participated, selectedby lottery in advance. A large mass of newspaper was
dragged out on to the floor of the first-floor lobby where theworkshop was held. When the workshop started, Sekiguchi
suddenly appeared from inside the newspaper. First of all,he introduced himself, holding a large work in the form of ashoe. ①

Treasure hunt
As a matter of fact, “treasures” were hidden under the massof newspaper, namely five kinds of sushi Sekiguchi made withnewspaper and packing tape. Participants riffled through thewaist-high newspaper to search for the treasure, and gained
a full-body acquaintance with newspaper as a material. ②

Introduction of instructor’s activities
While looking at photographs of Sekiguchi's work,
participants heard about his activities thus far and what
motivated him to begin working with newspaper and packing
tape.

Sculptural artist

KotaroSekiguchi
Born in 1983 in Maebashi, Gunma. Sekiguchi experienced lifechanging “culture shock” when he saw the movie Godzilla vs.
Biollante at the age of five. In 2002, he enrolled in Tama Art
University, Department of Sculpture. As a student he worked
with wood, steel, stone and other materials, but did not growcomfortable with any of them, and after recalling the newspaper
and packing tape craft process his parents taught him in third gradeof elementary school, he took it up again. For his graduation project,
he used the method to create Instant Temples over six meters inheight. After graduation, he worked at Asahide Gakuen, a private
school for students with special needs. Around the same time, his
career as an artist began to move forward after the designer Miyake
Issey saw photographs of his graduation project in a magazine. He
won the 15th Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art (TaroAward) in 2012. Thus far, he has produced sculptural works using
newspaper and packing tape, and held craft workshops at various
museums and public facilities. For the MIYAKE ISSEY EXHIBITION ,he and the designer produced and exhibited works together.

Program held in conjunction with MIYAKE ISSEY EXHIBITION: The Work of Miyake Issey• Date and time: April 17 (Sun.), 2016, 10:30 - 16:00• Participants: 52• Target: Elementary school students and over
• Entry Fee: Free • Place: 1F Lobby and Special Exhibiton Gallery 2E• Cooperation in providing materials: Nitto Denko Corporation

OutlineWith Kotaro Sekiguchi, a sculptural artist, as instructor, participants
freely designed and made sculptures with newspaper and packing
tape.

Summary4
45 min.

5
15 min.

Battle for Height
Participants split into four teams and competed to make thehighest tower using only newspaper and packing tape. With
teammates, they came up with ideas and worked to build
newspaper towers with different ideas and processes, and theGreen Team with a spectacular height of 252 cm came in firstplace. ③

Viewing Sekiguchi’s works at the gallery
Collaborative works made by Sekiguchi and Miyake wereshown at MIYAKE ISSEY EXHIBITION in Special Exhibition
Gallery 2E. Everyone viewed the works that Sekiguchi createdwith Miyake’s adventurous spirit in mind. ④

The workshop conducted by Kotaro Sekiguchi, who creates
dynamic sculptures using newspaper and packing tape, washeld in the spacious first-floor lobby. Participants took part ina treasure hunt that gave them a full-body acquaintance withnewspaper, got to know its physicality and characteristics
by building high towers, then actually made their works,
experiencing the moment newspaper and packing tape werereborn as three-dimensional works of art. It was a workshop thattaught participants the possibilities of familiar materials that theynormally handle casually, and let them enjoy shaping it with theirown hands. (NY)

Feedback from participants• The way the teacher appeared was funny. I also enjoyed working•(Lunch break)
●
①

●
②

•

6
180 min.

●
④

80

●
⑤

Free creation
In the afternoon, participants showing up spontaneously thatday were accepted, and people freely created works. After
shaping the newspaper by tightly grasping or rolling it, theyfine-tuned its shape by winding it with packing tape, andcolored it by pasting colored packing tape to complete theworks. 52 people worked quietly and intently, and when thehuge amount of newspaper placed on the floor eventuallydisappeared, there were a lot of colorful three-dimensional
representations including favorite foods, favorite dinosaurs,
and animal masks to be given to family members. ⑤••

in groups to compete for the highest tower. (7-year-old boy, withwoman in her 30s)
I was surprised to see how many things could be made withnewspaper and packing tape alone. The work of each child waswonderful, and I was impressed with how happy the children
were making it. (Adult, with 9-year-old girl)It was very fun. And I was surprised to see how adults, too,
could get so absorbed in the creative process! (Woman, 40s,
with 13-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy)It was fun. I wanted to make a cooler project. I wanted to makeit bigger, but it got smaller. (6 years old)
Even though the material is disposable, when you work with it
thoughtfully, marvelous works emerge. (Adult, with 6-year-old
boy)

Materials provided
Newspaper, packing tape (40 rolls normal color, 50 rolls of 14
different colors), cardboard (to protect the floor), tape measure,
stepladder, etc.

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1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

2
55 min.

●①

Visualizing Events Containing Tipping
Points• Date and time: May 29 (Sun.), 2016, 13:30 - 17:00• Participants: 12• Target: Junior high school students and over
• Entry Fee: Free
• Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room3
45 min.

Outline
The key word for this workshop was “tipping point,” where importantchanges start happening. We searched for a mechanism for things that
occur around us and tried visualizing it.

60 min.

35 min.

82

A “tipping point” is a point where important changes start
happening. There are many tipping points involved in events
that happen around us every day. Erica Masuya, as anactive artist, believes “lots of art works also include tipping
points in different situations” and puts herself in different
environments, ranging from cities to places rich in nature,causes “actions” and makes a visual record of it.

Lecture on Tipping Points
First, the participants listened to Masuya’s lecture. She
explained about tipping points by referring to everyday
things. She showed one of her mind maps that she uses in
her actual production process and the participants could see
how ideas and events that were intertwined in a complex
way led to a tipping point. ①

ArtistErica Masuya
Born in Chiba Prefecture in 1981. She completed the doctoral
course at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2016. She has been
thinking about how to approach her works through multidimensional perspectives, by intentionally changing her
surroundings. For example, she stayed at Beaux-arts de Paris
between 2012 and 2013, and in 2014, she participated in the
Vermont Studio Center Residence Program (USA). She has put
herself in various environments and has kept visual record ofher whole creative process. Her well-known works include a solo
exhibition Tipping Point (Kodama Gallery, 2014), and participationin the Setouchi Triennale 2013 , Kagawa.
http://ericamasuya.sakura.ne.jp

Summary

Self-introduction and brainstorming
After the lecture, the participants had a chance to talk with
one another and with Masuya. They all sat in a circle andasked questions to the person sitting next to them. Staff
members wrote down those questions and their answers andput them on the wall.
From those questions, Masuya picked a “fabulous moment of
someone.” When do people find “someone to be fabulous?”
The participants discovered a chronological order of things
that led a person to feel that way. ②③

The aim of the workshop was to help participants experience oneof the ways to construct a concept in modern art by having themsearch for a notion—a tipping point—hidden in the things aroundthem and explore it. It was interesting to see how each participant
focused on sharing their ideas with one another and listened toothers. They enjoyed making visualized concepts—works of art—
as mediums for exchanging their interests and ideas. (NW)

Feedback from participants

Individual production
Each participant started to work on their own mind map.
They were asked to pick one word as their tipping pointfrom the keyword list on the wall. Examples were “things
they think about daily,” “a mechanism of how a fightoccurs,” and “manga culture that has spread among
adults.” They wrote down various events and feelings oncolor coded post-its and put them on the piece of paper
provided, arranging them in chronological order to completea mind map. ④•

something that caught my attention and I decided to try it out. It
was really fun to actually do things myself. I could feel like I had
experienced the process of making a work of art. It was better
than an appreciation lesson because it felt closer and deeper. It
was also valuable to have a chance to listen to the presentationsof the other participants. (Woman, 30s)
I think that it was really nice to take part in this workshop
because I could hear what other people had to say, and also had
the opportunity to understand myself better. (Man, 40s)

Materials provided
A5 paper, sticky note paper, roll paper, pens, glue, etc.

●
③

5

●
④

Introduction• Although I did not quite understand what it was, there was4●②

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

Presentation
Each participant made a presentation of their mind maps.
It seemed a good opportunity to verify that there was no
identical mind map because each person had a distinctive
way of drawing a time line and the distribution of post-its
was diverse. ⑤●⑤

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1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

10 min.

2●①

Say It With Triangles!
• Date and time: August 11 (Thu., national holiday.), 2016, 12:00 - 16:00• Participants: 51• Target: Anyone• Entry Fee: Free
• Place: B1F Lounge and elsewhere

5 min.

LectureIn our day-to-day lives, we think various thoughts such as“I want to eat ice cream!”, “I like penguins,” and so forth,which often take the form of “I want to…” or “I like…,”
but more often that not are never conveyed to anyone.
Feelings and assertions that might usually go unspoken
were turned into triangular signs and exhibited here
and there in the art center. The important aspect of thisworkshop was the triangle. Triangles, a seemingly humdrum
shape, are used for traffic signs to prompt attention, or
can take the form of a flag or pennant, so as to deliver
the message one wants to convey. After explaining the
project outline, the means of production, and the plans for
positioning of the signboards, people set out to create theirsigns.

The section of Education & Public Programs NACT Staff
Section Manager and Curator

Takako Masumi
Chief Educator

Natsumi Yoshizawa
Educator

Nayuko Watabe
Educator

Masaya Sawada
InternAyaka Takenoshita
InternChoosing size and color
First, people selected the color of the signboard to be
produced (large: 53 cm per side, medium: 40 cm per side,small: 17 cm per side). Interestingly, children tended to
select larger signboards, and adults smaller ones. ①

Yui MorisakiInternRika Takahashi
Summary

Outline Expressing what they were thinking and feeling right thenthrough writing and pictures, participants created messages in theform of triangular signs, which were shown in various places aroundthe National Art Center, Tokyo.

3
5 min.

430 min.

●②Instructor Profile

Program content and timing●③

5
10 min.

Creation of draft
After choosing the size and color of the sign to be produced,
participants planned their designs. Some people wrote
sentences, others expressed their messages in illustrations.
Some had even prepared design drawings in advance. ②This workshop was planned by interns at the National Art Center,
Tokyo, and was the first educator workshop organized by Sectionof Education & Public Programs. When lined up, the triangularsigns produced by more than 50 participants looked somewhat
like an art installation, and had the effect of publicizing the
NACT’s Education & Public Programs. For the staff who organized
it, it provided an opportunity to think about what percentage ofthe art center’s many visitors have an interest in workshops, whatsort of programs ought to be planned in the future, and what
subjects might make for workshops people in which people caneasily participate. (MS)

Production
Once designs were decided, people wrote or drew withmarker or pen on the colored paper triangle they had
selected at first. Some people did not only write or draw,
but also made stripes with colored tape or tore coloreddrawing paper to create collages. ③④

Posting signs around NACT
When people had finished making their signs, they posted
them around the basement floor and lobby on first floor.
There were two installation methods, one in which thesignboard was attached to a base, and one like a poster
affixed directly to the wall. Triangles with various assertions
and messages were displayed in the public space of NACT.

Feedback from participants• I was happy that not only children but parents as well could take••part, with no limit on the number of signs that could be made. I
thought up a rough idea in advance, and I was thrilled when the
instructor looked at my sketch and took an interest in it. I camewith my child and couldn’t help being concerned about what he
was doing, but the staff did a great job taking care of him and I
was thankful that I could concentrate on the workshop. (Woman,
30s)
It was difficult to make my message, but however it turned out,
I was happy to get the job done! I was really impressed with thisproject. (Man, 40s)
I came in order to let my child take part, but she fell asleep, andI became totally engrossed in it myself and had a great time! It
was very exciting to think, brainstorm, and express myself in away I hadn’t done in a long time. (Woman, 30s)⑤

Materials provided
Brushes, colored pens, postcards, scissors, glue, masking tape,colored duct tape, double-sided tape, color drawing paper, coloredboard, signboard table, clips etc.
●
④

84

●
⑤

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Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

Try turning the sample zoetrope
The people in Bangkok saw a hand-made sample from Japanand they immediately understood the mechanism. It seemed
there were even some who had made one themselves.

The section of Education & Public Programs NACT Staff
Section Manager and Curator

Takako Masumi
Chief Educator

Natsumi Yoshizawa
Educator

2

Making a Zoetrope (in Bangkok)
Program held in conjunction with Manga• Date and time: August 27 (Sat.) and 28 (Sun.), 2016, 13:00 - 15:00• Participants: 89• Target: Anyone• Entry Fee: Free
• Place: The National Gallery, Bangkok (Thailand)

Anime

Games from Japan in Bangkok

Try making it while watching a sample
Since the same workshop was held in Myanmar, we hadkits that were specially designed so that even those who
saw the zoetrope for the first time could make one, as well
as a manual that was translated into Thai. Many of theparticipants did not seem to care much about the samples
and started to draw in their own way. They created theirown creative zoetropes. On average, it takes about an hour
to make one, but one of them took two hours drawing eachcell in detail.

Nayuko Watabe
Educator

Masaya Sawada
Summary
One of the participants, a child living in the neighborhood, cameback on the second day with friends. There was even a participant
in a costume. Quite a few participants spoke Japanese, which was
impressive. The popularity of manga and anime seem to be an
incentive to learn Japanese. They all brought home the zoetropes
they made with proud expressions on their faces. (TM)Materials provided
zoetrope kits, pencils, marker pens, sketch paper, glue, scissors

OutlineThis was the second workshop abroad by the National Art Center,
Tokyo. The participants tried to make a zoetrope, in order tounderstand the basics of animation production.

Production manual (Thai)

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Workshops 2016

Introduction
At the workshop, Roppongi Art Night 2016 , the participants
were able to experience PARA-FUKU, which is an
expandable cloth, as well as create ANA-FUKU, which isa gigantic cloth made of a plastic sheet with many holes
in it. Akira Higashi friendly and cheerfully welcomed theparticipants who were excited about unfamiliar art works
with unrecognizable names. Higashi is an artist who createsclothes that the audience can actually try putting on andthings the audience can go inside and play with.

ARTIST WORKSHOP

1●①

Expanding Me, Connecting You — Welcome
held during
to the World of PARA-FUKU — Program
Roppongi Art Night 2016
• Date and time: October 22 (Sat.), 2016, 13:00 - 17:00• Participants: 180• Target: Anyone• Entry Fee: Free
• Place: 1F Lobby

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

Outline The participants experienced PARA-FUKU, based on theconcept of “bound of self,” and created their own ANA-FUKU. They
enjoyed the sense of self-transformation and experienced the everyday
reality of connecting with others in an unusual manner.

2

PARA-FUKU experience (free time)
There were PARA-FUKU in different colors, hung in line froma huge hanger rack. Each of the participants was allowed tochoose one that fit their height and try it on. When air was
blown into it, with the wearer extending his or her arms,
the PARA-FUKU would expand like a balloon, looking likean unknown creature. Lots of cheers were raised. All of asudden, one child jumped into one of the PARA-FUKU. It
was an unusual experience where someone else entered an
extended self. ①②③

ANA-FUKU experience (free time)
For the ANA-FUKU experience, there were three large plastic
sheets full of holes on the floor. Some people were supposed
to wear a sheet of plastic together, and create original clothes,
just like making a collage. There were different materials they
could use to decorate their clothes, such as pieces of a plastic
sheet, strings, felt, and plastic food dividers. These were
all ordinary, everyday things, but that day they looked likesomething special.
Some put string or paper tape through holes, while others
attached pieces of plastic sheet with clothes pegs. Anothercreated a hat with animal-like ears or decorated it withangelic wings. Adults as well as children created their own
clothes, which were unique and creative. ④⑤⑥

ArtistAkira Higashi
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1974. He graduated from
Kyoto City University of Arts B.F.A in sculpture. He aims to form
interactive relationships between an artistic work and its audienceby utilizing everyday materials like cloth and plastic sheets. His
recent exhibitions include Higashi Akira Solo Exhibition at AIR
Minamiyamashiro in 2016, Tentoumushi Project 05 NEW HOME
at the Kyoto Art Center, Natsuno Kakurega at the Hiroshima City
Museum of Contemporary Art in 2013. He participated in residence
programs, such as “Nairobi Residence” in Nairobi in 2011, “Forceof Nature” in North Carolina in 2006, “Sakaidani Elementary
School Residence” at Sakaidani Elementary School, Kyoto City. He
has held many workshops for children and their parents all overthe country.

Summary
In light of the opportunity of Roppongi Art Night , where many
people would visit, this workshop was carried out with the theme“to expand and connect.” In the background was Higashi’s
production philosophy, which continues to pursue the question of,“Where does the body expand to?” The unusual feelings of theboundaries between yourself and others become blurred whensomeone else has entered your PARA-FUKU. And also the noveltyof creating a single cloth while being in the cloth with others, by
sharing one ANA-FUKU. These experiences helped the participants
rethink the “connectedness with others,” which exists in our daily
lives. (NW)

Feedback from participants• PARA-FUKU was fluffy and it felt like I was in the air.
• I returned to my childhood. Although it was simple, it was fun. I
was just passing by when this workshop caught my attention.
• PARA-FUKU was fluffy and interesting, and the children enjoyed••it. We put a lot of materials on the ANA-FUKU, and it was fun tobe creative.
Mysterious, unusual experience. It was great.
Art that children can enjoy is wonderful!

Materials provided
●
②

●
⑤

●
⑥

●
④

PARA-FUKU (created by Akira Higashi), wrapped cardboard(for floor curing), vinyl sheets, vinyl pieces, vinyl tape, suzurantape, yarn, string, felt, packaging materials, colorful plastic food
dividers for lunch boxes, clothes pegs, etc.

●
③

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Workshops 2017

Instructor Profile

Program content and timing

1

ARTIST WORKSHOP

Introduction of instructors
The instructors for this workshop were Hirokazu Kobayashi
and Haruna Yamada of the creative unit SPREAD, who
designed the visuals for NACT’s 10th anniversary.

5 min.

2

Creative unit

First, SPREAD spoke about their activities and their ideas on
design.

15 min.

3
20 min.
●⑤

Next 10 Years —My future designed with colorand form— The 10th Anniversary of The National Art Center, Tokyo: Special Program• Date and time: January 29 (Sun.), 2017, 13:00 - 17:00• Participants: 19 • Target: Junior high school students and over
• Entry Fee: Free
• Place: Annex, 3F multipurpose room, Special Exhibition Gallery 2E• Cooperation in providing materials: Nitoms, Inc.

Outline With creative unit SPREAD, who designed the visuals for the 10th
anniversary of the National Art Center Tokyo’s opening, as instructors, aworkshop was held to create posters representing the years people lived
with colors and forms, while looking ahead to the next 10 years.

4
45 min.

5
100 min.

●
①

●
②

6
50 min.

●③

90

SPREAD

Instructors’ talk

Warming up
The participants and all the staff members warmed up by
imagining the “color and shape of today.” First, people
selected which of the 10 colors on the 10th anniversarycommemorative poster most suited them on that particularday. Each person chose different colors for different reasons,such as “I saw the trees around the NACT and chose green
because I thought it would be appropriate for summer,” or “Ichose a soothing color because I’m a bit tired today." Next,
participants selected which of the shapes, ―, 十, △ or □,drawn with tape on the floor, best represented how they feltthat day. ①

Viewing the 19th DOMANI exhibition
The theme for the next section was “colors and shapes oftomorrow.” Participants moved to the gallery where the19th DOMANI: The Art of Tomorrow exhibition was on view,and searched among the works for colors and shapes thatappealed to them. Afterwards, they split into groups of threeor four, and talked about the colors and shapes they had
found, while viewing photographs taken in the gallery andexhibition catalogues. ②“SPREAD” is the creative unit created by Hirokazu Kobayashi andHaruna Yamada in 2004. Their philosophy is to incorporate elementsof the environment, time, color, text, and memory’s into the design
which will overcome all obstacles and “SPREAD”. Their main
works include the space decoration tool “HARU stuck-on design”,
the Tsubame-Sanjo Factory Festival, the CD Jacket of Rock Band
SOUTAISEIRIRON’s “Tadashii Sotaisei Riron” and the Hagiwara
Butcher’s packaging design. “Life Stripe” is an on-going art projectthat replaces one’s everyday actions such as sleeping, dining,
relaxing, and working, with 21 colors. Solo exhibitions have been
held at the Spiral Garden (Tokyo, 2012), the Milano Fuori Salone(Italy, 2012), the Rappaz Museum (Swiss, 2014) and more. The
visual design of The National Art Center, Tokyo 10th Anniversary is
also SPREAD’s work.

SummaryThis workshop was planned with the intention of “thinking
about the future, rather than the past, at the milestone of the10th anniversary of NACT’s opening.” Program participants ofvarious age groups, from teenagers to those in their 50s, were
enthusiastic from the start about the task of imagining the next
decade. Having sensitized themselves to color and shape throughthe warmup, they thought five years and 10 years into the future,and expressed the coming decade with colors and shapes tied totheir own lives. For the 19 participants, it was an opportunity toreexamine their visions of the future and the relationships amongcolors, shapes, and themselves. After the workshop, the posters
produced by the participants were exhibited in the lounge on theB1 floor. (NY)

Poster Production
Next, it was time for creation of posters expressing thenext 10 years. The participants used mounts on which wereprinted only the text of the 10th anniversary poster with nocolors, and 32 colors of washi tape designed for construction.
While imagining how their lives and the world around us
will change over the next decade, they considered colors andshapes, and cut and paste what occurred to them with tapeon the mount. Through the warmup, the participants seemed
to have grown accustomed to turning their own feelings intocolors and shapes, and while throughtfully examining themany colors of tape available, they constructed their vision of
the coming 10 years on the mounts provided. ③④

Feedback from participants• This was a great opportunity to think about the next 10 years.
••

By expressing them through colors and shapes, I was able toenvision them more concretely. At the end, we were able to heara lot of different ideas from various people, and I had a greattime! (Man, 40s)
I was greatly inspired by the imaginative power of the otherparticipants, who were of widely varying ages. I think I’ll view
the world around me in a somewhat different way. (Woman,
10s)
It was fascinating that although everyone worked with the same
theme, when 10 people produced 10 works, no two were alike.
(Woman, 30s)

Presentation
Finally, posters made by all the participants were shown,and everyone talked about the coming decade as presented
on their posters. The ages, lifestyles and interests of thepeople who made them were manifested in highly diverse
posters, for example by a poster that embodied a student’s
future goals for academic life, one that looked ahead to newchallenges after retirement, and another that predicted thetransformation of the world through the development ofartificial intelligence. ⑤

Materials provided
10th anniversary poster (text parts only, printed with lamination
process at B2-size [50.0 x 70.7 cm]), washi tape (15cm width,
60cm width / 32 colors each), sketch paper, pencils, oil-based
pens, release paper, scissors, rulers, utility knives, cutting mats●④

Workshops 201791

EssayFloating, Bouncing, Painting!
Yoshiaki Kaihatsu㉟ Outdoor Tea Ceremony ○△□ ~ Draw Hanging Scrolls and Appreciate Them in a Tea Ceremony Room ~ (2012)
 My First Art Experience: Floating, Bouncing, Painting! (2015)“Wearable illustrations: A 2.5D Tunic Dress Collection 2014“
Post-Workshop Notes
Yoko Takagi㊾ Wearable Illustrations: A 2.5D Tunic Dress Collection (2014)

When I heard that this would be the first workshop for preschoolers held in NACT’s public space, I wondered what would

I am program director of the Global Fashion Concentration, a master’s program at Bunka Gakuen University in which

be the best thing to do, and thought over various ideas. For me, making art means diving headlong into a world of one’s

fashion theory and practice are taught in English. The students come from around the world, and aspire to make a markown, and in general I like to do workshops for kids where there is minimal adult interference. That’s because when I wasin the global fashion world. Over the past five years, students from 13 countries have been accepted into the program. Ina child and grown-ups watched me, I got the jitters over whether they would praise or scold me, and stopped whatever IJapan’s fashion world, manufacturing has shifted overseas and the industry is unfortunately hollowing out, but at the same

was doing. However, as I’ve watched many workshops in progress, I have been unable to ignore the bond between parents

time Tokyo’s presence on the global fashion scene seems to be growing.

and children. I’ve observed that many children and parents want to communicate with one another during the process of

The first performance, in 1909, by the Ballets Russes (which means “Russian ballet” in French) excited audiences

making art, and this seems only natural. In other words, I’ve come to think I may have been an oddball as a kid. With thatin Western Europe with its innovative dance, music, costumes and sets, and had a tremendous influence on artists andin mind, I started out by thinking about what kind of workshops parents and kids could do together, and came up with thefashion designers. The fact that this ballet group originated in Russia, thought to be the frontier, shocked the culturalidea of parents making up a story and their children drawing illustrations for it, with the works to be presented at the end,

center of Paris.

like a picture-story show. For a time plans for the workshop were moving in this direction, but when I came up with thealternate idea for a workshop using balloons rather than the hands, things took a dramatic turn.
In “Floating, Bouncing, Painting” a helium balloon was introduced into the relationship between body and brush,

When I was asked to conduct a workshop related to the Ballets Russes exhibition, I came up with a plan to involvesome of our third-year master’s program students (two British, one Taiwanese and one Indian) and a Brazilian doctoral
student, so as to heighten creativity through contact among different cultures.

making it impossible to rely on skills one has learned. Quite simply, for children and adults alike, the question of whether

In Paris, from around 1910 to 1920, fashions inspired by Ballets Russes costumes such as turbans, tunics, andone is “good at” or “bad at” painting became invalid. A large sheet of paper was prepared in the Center’s public space,

Scheherazade-style pants became popular. Afterward, even up until the current century, fresh ideas springing from theand the participants first lifted it upwards so it touched the tips of paint-filled brushes suspended from balloons, andBallets Russes are constantly appearing.

points were drawn. Next, they pushed the balloons forward to draw lines. These were the two basic actions, and for theWith this in mind, in this workshop we postulated the creation of a fashion brand, and groups consisting of a teamremainder of the time, they were free to paint as they wished using these somewhat uncooperative new utensils. Parents

leader (a non-Japanese student) and four or five participants made a collection of knee-length tunic dresses with ideas

and children worked together, decided what they wanted to depict, and strove to depict it somehow, the result being adrawn from the Ballets Russes exhibition. One person was in charge of creating one tunic apiece, and they were presented

fascinating painted landscape.

as a group of collections adhering to a brand concept, followed by a photo shoot.

For preschool children, crafts can be burdensome, as they still have trouble working with things like tape and scissors.

We incorporated several mechanisms in order to boost creativity. First, to be free from ordinary social roles andBy contrast, the helium balloons they worked with here were literally weightless, and they were free to move their hands

titles and enable free and equal communication, participants chose a Russian-style name and called one another by

and bodies as they wished. It was great to use these in a workshop where kids had some of their first experiences with art,

these names. The participants, ranging in age from their teens to their 60s, were entertained. I believe that creating an

but it was also important that for both parents and children there was no clear yardstick for one’s skill, and words fromentertaining environment like this is the most important factor to increase creativity.

parent to child were not evaluations like “You drew that really well, good job,” but rather judgment-free comments like “Liftit up high” or “What a long line!”
I believe that children do not start out with a distaste for art (drawing, making things), but statistics show that more

The idea of creating a fashion collection was one rule we used to make the creative process more challenging. Each
person was guaranteed autonomy with their work, but overall they had to build relationships with others in order toachieve a balance of consistency and variation. They explored the ideas of fellow team members and leaders, whom they

than half of adults dislike drawing. I think this is because people’s drawings are compared or evaluated, and they are

were meeting for the first time, and sought an optimum overall balance of what they wanted to do and what they weremade to feel inferior. Another reason I’ve heard is that people get frustrated when they are unable to draw things the way

required to do. Participants seemed to discover the pleasure of overcoming language barriers to gradually comprehend andthey want. This is a form of self-criticism, but I believe it comes not truly from within, but from a surrounding environment

create something together.

where people insist on realism. In the future, I would like to continue holding workshops where the point is not toevaluate, but to have fun, and hopefully come away with just a little sense of the workshop’s unspoken meaning. I believethat such opportunities for pure experience, free of judgments and assessments of individuals, are what make workshops
held at museums, not at school, so valuable.

94

Essay

95

Is painting something you learn in a class? No way!

Sparking Insight and Inspiration

Yuumi Domoto

SPREAD [Haruna Yamada, Hirokazu Kobayashi] My First Art Experience: Drawing and Sculpting With a Professional Painter! (2014)

 Life Type: Get to Know Yourself and Others Through Design (2015)
 Next 10 Years — My future designed with color and form — (2017)

Did you realize that this workshop was ostensibly for children and was actually for adults? Participants who came hoping

We conducted two workshop at The National Art Center, Tokyo, in June 2015 and January 2017. The first one, in

to attend a class and learn something, like how to get “good at painting,” must have been disappointed. Children will

2015, was actually our first full-fledged workshop in Japan in three years. This was because after the Great East Japan

enjoy painting freely even if left to their own devices, so they don’t need to be taught anything. In this workshop we just

Earthquake of March 2011, under such trying circumstances for people in the affected regions and throughout Japan ingave them an environment where they could paint freely. We unleashed them, and their eyes sparkled with joy as theygeneral, we perceived significant problems (as well as potential) relating to our workshops, and felt unable to conduct

played with the paint. They did not learn to paint better than usual, in fact they probably did worse than usual (ha ha),them. The two major problems lay in creating appropriate environments for the programs, and in the prevalence of quickwith a sort of reversion to infancy occurring. However, I wanted the adult participants to gain the sense that children needand easy, “try your hand at making XYZ” type workshops.

such a free environment.
The children painted freely without a determined theme. We avoided giving them crayons and colored pencils geared

Our idea of a workshop does not consist merely of making something (in some cases, in fact, there may be no final
product at all), but rather of experiencing something in a way that broadens your thoughts and perceptions. To do thistoward fine lines, and prepared only brushes as thick as thumbs and five colors of poster paint. As they were unable torequires not only a level of depth to the program, but also an environment where participants can concentrate without

paint things in detail, they could turn their minds to the texture of the paint, and enjoy mixing and making new colors. It

being distracted by extraneous information, and the workshop leader does not act as a “stopper” when the doors of themay have seemed to the adults that they merely mixed and muddled the colors, which in many cases became a mass ofsenses open little by little. No matter how wonderful a program is, if such an environment cannot be created, external

gray in the end. However, the children were enjoying the drama in each step of the process, rather than trying to paintinterference will have a catastrophic effect. We do not deny the efficacy of short workshops where people make things,“well” or produce a beautiful result. Sometimes the outcomes reflected what was in their hearts, and sometimes they

but in Japan’s hectic contemporary society, the word “workshop” has come implicitly to mean such immediate, easily

were shaped by their emotions. If you are an adult and you cannot understand what is going on in this process, you should

accessible experiences, and we felt there was no scope for the time-consuming processes we wanted to pursue.

realize the problem is that you lack imagination.
Besides paint, I also brought scraps I found around the house. Even if these look like a heap of trash to adults, children

However, things seem somewhat different in Europe, which we visit several times a year. Compared to other cultures,the Europeans seem to have maintained a tradition of taking the time to ponder and debate life’s mysteries. When it camefind in them connections to their daily lives, and their imaginations are fired up. It was a lot of fun for them to seek andto workshops, as well, we found it was possible to enjoy programs where time was devoted to thought and action onfind objects familiar from their everyday lives, paste them on and paint them.

intangible subjects. Thus we decided to resume our workshop activities in Europe, and conducted week-long programs

I think it is very important to experience the pure “joy of painting” in this way. If in this process you find something
you really want to render properly, you can always focus your attention on that later.
Another important thing to remember is that what a child is really trying to express is a unique “something” thatexists only inside his or her mind.

at the University of Milan and the University of the Republic of San Marino, followed by one at the Milano Salone.
Participants had highly positive responses, saying they were deep and emotionally enriching experiences (the positive
nature of Italians helped as well), and this feedback gave us confidence. We also grew as a result of getting to know Abe
Masayo, who leads wonderfully well-constructed workshops.

For example, there was a child who drew a picture of Mount Fuji. When asked about it, she said “It’s the mountain we

After these experiences, we finally felt ready to conduct our first workshop at NACT. Hearing about the history

see on the way back from _____ Park." It is a part of her internal landscape. In a situation like this, if children ask for helpof workshops carried out at the Center thus far and the approaches used, we got a sense that we would be able toexpressing themselves, help them to depict what is inside their minds, but never draw a model for them to copy. It is also

accomplish what we set out to do. We carefully planned and prepared for both of the two programs with a mixture of

not good to ask leading questions, like “So what is there in front of Mt. Fuji?” At this point, as well, children begin to see

apprehension and conviction, and happily, only the sense of conviction lingered after the events. Aesthetic appreciation

their parents’ world, not their own world.

and the processes of making things spark insight and inspiration. Then you think things over for yourself, share them with

There were many children who looked perturbed on being told to “paint freely.” Many children are alreadyothers, rethink them, and look toward the future.

accustomed to doing everything as they are told, with every minute of their day planned out in advance. When asked to

The first workshop was entitled Life Type: Get to Know Yourself and Others Through Design , and the second Next

paint whatever they want, these children aren’t sure what they want, and look at their parents’ faces for help. And parents

10 Years–My Future Designed with Color and Form– . Although they were two different programs, in both cases what we

provide unnecessary advice, like “Why don’t you paint this?”wanted participants to undergo was something that occurs in the midst of a process. At the start of the second workshop we

Let’s leave them alone instead, give them plenty of unstructured time and space. And, create a space where they canvisited the DOMANI exhibition, on view at the time, and warmed up by finding colors and forms in the works. Participants

paint anytime they want––it’s crucial for their psychological formation. Then just listen, and really hear, what your child iswere able to express a wide range of opinions and let their imaginations take wing. An environment like this one, where

saying. It’s quite difficult to do this simple thing, but please do your best. I believe it will surely lead to genuine growth.

exhibitions in museum galleries can be incorporated into a workshop program, is highly appealing and enables a more

There were a lot of things I wanted to convey to workshop participants, but I believe that more than any sermon I

comprehensive experience. Also, because the venue is an art museum, we were able to publicly exhibit what participants

could deliver, it was effective to have lots of people participate and learn from one another. We appreciate everyone's

had created afterward, a very significant accomplishment and, surprisingly, an unprecedented one. We hope NACT will

staff. Personally, I had the opportunity to learn many things and I am very grateful. Thank you for inviting me to conduct

continue doing things like this, of which only a museum is capable. This is the museum with the highest recorded number ofthis workshop.

visitors in Japan. We are certain that continuing to hold workshop programs here, with an unwavering faith in the importantrole they play, will have an enormous positive impact on the social environment surrounding creativity in Japan.

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Steel, Shape, and Sound: Connecting Hands, Eyes, and Ears

Fear

Kenichi Kanazawa

Kotaro Sekiguchi

 Steel, Shape, and Sound: Connecting Hands, Eyes, and Ears (2016)

 Making Art with Newspaper and Packing Tape (2016)

Steel plate, a standard industrial product, is the starting point of my work. The black oxide film on the surface resulting from

A workshop is a terrifying event!

heat in the manufacturing process gives a presence to the rectilinear industrial product that almost seems like life force.

There are many uncertainties.

While utilizing these qualities of steel, I have used the method of composition to explore the essence of the material and its

I usually teach at a school for children with special needs, and I know in advance who the class members are going to berelationship to space. In 1987, I found another approach to steel work when I meet the composer Yoshimura Hiroshi. I

each day.

began making Sound Fragments , a work that discovers various sounds made by pieces of steel fragmented into various

I know their strengths and their preferences and so on, too.

forms, when I participated in Yoshimura’s exhibition Sound Garden . When producing the work, I listened to the sounds

I know all about the people who will be supporting us, the ins and outs of the place where I teach, and everything.

made by various shapes, and got drawn into the process of finding shape in sound. Through differences in the vibration

But with a workshop, I do not know what kind of people will come until the very moment they arrive!

of sound, which moves the body, tactile actions, and tools used to make sounds, various timbres concealed in steel were

What’s more, I cannot predict how the day will progress, especially when I incorporate new activities for the first time.

drawn forth. My hands, eyes, and ears became connected in the world of sound that steel created. In the latter half of the

And the participants even look different to me depending on all sorts of factors, including the weather, the barometric1990s, museums increasingly held public outreach events such as gallery talks and workshops, and I was frequently askedpressure, and the time of day. There’s no end of things to be nervous about!

to conduct workshops when showing work in exhibitions. I began actively conducting them as part of my artistic practice.

So, why do I conduct workshops in the first place?

Fragments of Sound is a work that took shape through audience participation, and the nature of the work itself is related

When I make my own work, I always shut myself up in my own world.

to the workshop that grew out of it. This workshop is like a retrospective on what I have experienced and thought about

In my daily life, I live side by side with others, making all sorts of compromises – adjusting my behavior to those around

during my creative process. I’ve conducted workshops several times, using a process of trial and error, exploring how tome, striking a balance, gauging what kind of moods my wife and daughter are in – but everything changes when I get into

communicate and work with materials, shapes, sounds, and the relationship between art and music. At the exhibition

the studio.

Kanazawa Kenichi: Fragments of Sound and Workshop held at the Kawagoe City Art Museum (in my hometown) from 2006

There I am a king in my castle, the absolute ruler of a one-man dictatorship.

to 2010, I conducted an experimental workshop jointly with musicians and performance artists who work with the body,

However, I noticed at a certain point that while making newspaper and packing tape art by myself is fun, doing it with lots

and each time I summarized the contents and reflected on the outcomes in a report. The cumulative results, both successesof other people is even more fun!

and failures, became the foundation of subsequent workshop activities.

If you’ve tried it yourself, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

For the workshop Steel, Shape, and Sound: Connecting Hands, Eyes, and Ears, I built on the experiences I have

There is no end to the surprises that await you when you turn mundane materials into art, and it’s always a joy to turn theaccumulated thus far. For practical reasons, I was unable to conduct the “Fragments of Sound” workshop I usually do (gasflat into the three-dimensional.

cutting) at the museum, and I brought in previously produced fragments instead. In the morning, we explored the weight

Also, when I was studying sculpture at university, I had a sense of shame.

and texture of steel, made sounds with it, and listened intently to the sounds. In the afternoon, we first created drawings

If you make a sculpture and painting and put it in a gallery, you’re finished presenting your work.

with Cray-Pas as a preparation for musical improvisation using the fragments. Rather than having any particular image in

You don’t have to be there to see people’s reactions and have these reactions strike you in the gut.

mind, participants simply drew lines of varying weight, velocity, and texture, based on the relationships among hand, Cray-

On the other hand, musicians, actors and dancers have to perform something live, on the spot, and directly experience

Pas, and paper. Then, pairs of participants faced one another across a single drawing, and drew on it at the same time.

people’s reactions, even if these are something like “Bo-ring!” or “This is no good!”

The goal was to convert these drawings into sounds. The activity also “broke the ice” between participants, the members

I really admired performing artists for having the courage to keep on doing what they do despite this pressure.

fused into a group, and it led smoothly into the ensuing section. Finally, each of the participants tried improvising sounds

There was no such pressure with sculpture, and I felt like I was a bit craven compared to them.

individually based on what they had already experienced, and to wrap things up, we used the minimalist musical approach

But by doing workshops, I was able to assuage this sense of guilt.

of pattern creation to improvise music first in groups of three or four and finally all together.

Let the participants judge: is making art with newspaper and packing tape exciting, or dull?

It was the first workshop in a long time where I felt such joy and fulfillment, and I felt my eyes reopen to what had

And what about this Kotaro Sekiguchi guy?!

honestly become a slightly routine workshop for me. Why? The shared atmosphere of a workshop is formed by a variety

The answers to these questions come forth spontaneously and I have to accept them.

of factors including its contents, the curiosity and excitement of the participants, the venue, the number of people, andSo, I have to face my fear and overcome it.

their openness to one another. These combine to greatly sway the quality of the workshop even when the program is the

And I believe that in the process of overcoming people’s resistance lurks the potential to make them feel somethingsame each time. There was a very nice flow from the tense sound-making of the morning to the afternoon drawing andextraordinary.

final group improvisation, and way the group progressively warmed up and opened up to one another was tangible. Each

The workshop I did at the Center this time was actually relatively easy to plan out and turbulence-free, compared to some.

time, I meet new participants and grapple with a range of issues within the workshop context, and for me the process has

If I have the chance to do another one, I want to get more adventurous, so that nobody can predict what will happen.

the same significance as that of producing works of art. Moving forward, I am sure conducting workshops will continue to

Although I’m sure I’ll be absolutely terrified!

be a key part of my practice as an artist. I am deeply grateful for the cooperation of the museum staff, whose preliminary
discussions and help with preparations ensured the workshop was carried out smoothly and without interruption.

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NACT Staff (Retiree*)Canon Inc. has generously supported the Education & Public Programs of NACT.

Emiko Inoue*
Yuko Kinouchi *Masaya Sawada
Akane Trii *Hanako Nishino *Takako Masumi
Yusuke Minami
Yayoi Motohashi
Natsumi Yoshizawa
Nayuko WatabeInternHidemi Momma (FY2009-FY2010)
Kei Asai (FY2010-FY2011)
Sakie Takasu (FY2011)
Hiroko Tsuda (FY2011)
Yumiko Tachibana (FY2012-FY2013)
Marona Higuchi (FY2012-FY2013)
Shiori Sato (FY2014-FY2015)
Ayaka Takenoshita (FY2015-FY2016)
Yui Morisaki (FY2015-FY2016)
Rika Takahashi (FY2016)

Art-tastic Adventure
The National Art Center,Tokyo Workshop Reports April, 2011 - January, 2017
Edited by

The Section of Education & Public Programs
Takato Masumi (Section Manager and Curator)
Natsumi Yoshizawa (Chief Educator)
Nayuko Watabe (Educator)
Masaya Sawada (Educator)

Translated by Christopher Stephens, Takayoshi Watanabe
Designed by

Takenori Oshima (cover)
Design Office SPIKE (text)

Printed by

Noto Printing Corporation

Published by

The National Art Center, Tokyo
7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8558 Japan

Published in Japan, March 30, 2017
© 2017 The National Art Center, Tokyo