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Contents

Foreword Riko Okuyama －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－ 04－－－－－－－－－－－－－－ 08
About TURN －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－
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TURN NOTE －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－
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Profile of Authors －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

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Foreword
Most people won’t be very familiar with the Cultural Program of the

And so TURN took a new direction with the following aim:

Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. But with its implementation
stipulated in the Olympic Charter, its place and role are by no means small.

As an art project centering on interaction whereby people with different

TURN project was started in 2015 as one of the Leading Project for the

backgrounds and customs engage with each other and generate a variety

Cultural Program. But if we look back on the concept of TURN at the time, itof uniquely individual encounters, the aim of TURN is to create new cultural

was envisaged as a new framework for “art programs for the disabled” thatexperiences for each and every unique individual.

would promote artistic and cultural activities for disabled people in the runup to 2020, and be something that many able-bodied people and disabled

The artists we approach with this concept visit various facilities that havepeople could experience together in the future.

likewise been approached, i.e. those catering to specific communities suchas social welfare facilities and educational support centers (I use facilities

However, what society should really be aiming for going forward is notin the broader sense, not just in the sense of welfare facilities). There,

fellowship between the two fixed types of people ― able-bodied or

the artists experience repeated interaction with the people who use anddisabled ― but surely the creation of a new approach to the relationship,

support the facilities.

one through which we can establish a mechanism for appreciating each
person’s unique characteristics and respecting each other? To draw an

What we think of as interaction under the TURN project has neveranalogy, imagine society as being made up of individual dots with their own

involved the artists making courtesy calls or sharing responsibility for any

brilliant colors which, when they come together, form not just density but

rehabilitation or instruction in the capacity of lecturer. We think of it as a

resolution rich in expression.

process of continual searching for moments of interaction with the people
encountered. However, it is not easy for the artists and facilities, or for us

Indispensable to such an approach is patiently taking the time required to

as attendants, to always be in sync or to always be looking in the same

meet people head-on, the integrity that motivates somebody to do this, anddirection with regards to the method and stages of engagement, longterm

the creation of a tolerant atmosphere incorporating both these elements.

objectives, etc. We all have our own unique environment and background,and compelling motives. What’s more, our expectations of a person and

Before TURN became a model project, Katsuhiko Hibino, Tsukasa Mori andwhat we project onto them act on our subconscious, casting a shadow overmyself took part in an exhibition jointly held during 2014-2015 by four

the collaborative nature of exchange when it feels as if there’s an obstacle

dedicated Art Brut museums in Japan and The Nippon Foundation called

between us and others.

“TURN – From Land to Sea (Exploring People’s Innate Capabilities)”, which

4is where the name TURN comes from. I often recall the exciting day we

For that reason, during the first year we focused on experiences rather thanrealized the word TURN could function as a new guide for our project.

words. We wanted to find TURN not in the flowery language of persuasion

5

but from the experience of putting ourselves in a situation and in the time

Exploring people’s innate capabilities; recognizing their uniquethere, and the physical experiences of talking, feeling and the like. In thischaracteristics; sharing with others in a uniquely individual encounter. I

way, projects under the Interactive Program established various places

always thought this process was difficult to express in words, but by going

were brought together under one roof for the first TURN FES (March 2016),

around and around inside everyone’s minds, through dialogue and throughgiving artists who responded to the call of “engage and experience” andiscussion, the days each person spends TURNing are now turning into

opportunity to start talking about their experiences at the facilities.

words. We decided to begin documenting the resulting words as faithfully tothe original words as possible. “TURN NOTE” is the product of this. We have

In its second year, TURN saw some big changes early on. To coincide withgone for a notebook-like collection of diary entries. Of course, we were

the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics and Paralympics,“TURN in BRAZIL” wasnot able to include every word: this is just a small fraction of them. But noimplemented in the host country of Brazil. The language barrier produced

matter who it was who happened to be in that place on that day, Reading

completely different relationships between artists and facilities to those inthese words will probably cause that person to try to recall and chew overJapan, and a new interrelation was created through the help and support ofwhat they were thinking. And even if they don’t, we hope the thinking

many people.

triggered by these words imbues them with meaning for that person.

Because some of the so-called “art meets facilities” initiatives in Tokyo got

We would like to commit words to paper in this way every year. Some years

off to a late start compared to other areas, TURN was at the stage wherefrom now, I believe something will materialize from this accumulation oflocations had yet to be agreed upon. In the following year however, in one

words by all the people who experienced TURN.

fell swoop it spread its field of vision and activities as far as the other sideof the world.

TURN.

There is no equation or solution for any of this, however.

I wonder what people imagine when they see the word and speak it aloud?

For that very reason, it is the unique backgrounds and compelling motivesof those involved which exert considerable influence on the carefully
considered decisions we make on TURN activities, and which become the

Riko Okuyama
TURN Coordinator
January, 2017

vital means by which to make these decisions. The second year was not
only filled with possibility and expectation, but involved discord and unease,
hesitation and anger as different thoughts and ideas were jumbled together.
This is surely what provides the energy that shapes the TURN project.

67About TURNSOCIALLY INCLUSIVE ART PROJECT

T

U R N

TURN 20162016 April
May

Start of “TURN in BRAZIL” Interactive Program in São Paulo,
BrazilJuneFirst “TURN Center (provisional title)” Conceptualization
Meeting, subsequently heldmonthly until December

TURN is an art project focusing on the interaction of people of different
backgrounds and customs, and the variety of uniquely individual encounters
this generates. It was started in 2015 as the Leading Project for the cultural
program of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Under its Interactive Program as its fundamental element, artists visit
different locations that cater to specific communities such as social welfare

AugustSeptember“TURN in RIO” held (Paço Imperial, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

October“TURN in BRAZIL” Report Sessions (The National Art Center,
Tokyo)

November

TURN presentation by Katsuhiko Hibino at “BIENALSURACTIONS ” (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

facilities and educational support centers, and interact with the people who
use and support them.
Through TURN FES, a festival where Interactive Programs from different
regions are gathered under one roof, and the year-round activity hub

Katsuhiko Hibino proposes “TURN LAND ”concept at “TURN
Center (provisional title)” Conceptualization Meetings

initiative TURN LAND, organizers aim to bring new cultural experiences toeach and every unique individual.

2017 January

Concept announced for “TURN LAND” (formerly “TURN
Center” ) at the “Interim Briefing: Seeing, hearing andspeaking about interaction in the TURN Project”

March“TURN FES 2” to be held at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum(to be confirmed)

Supervisor: Katsuhiko Hibino (Artist; Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts)
Project Director: Tsukasa Mori (Project Coordination Division Program Director, Arts Council Tokyo)
TURN Coordinator: Riko Okuyama (Arts Council Tokyo; Curator, Mizunoki Museum of Art, Kameoka)
Organized by: Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundationfor History and Culture), the nonprofit organization Art’s Embrace

Start of second year of the Interactive Program

TURN resulted from a joint exhibition held during 2014-2015 by dedicated Art Brut museums inJapan and The Nippon Foundation called “TURN – From Land to Sea (Exploring People’s Innate
Capabilities)”. It began in 2015 as one of the Leading Project with a key role in the cultural
program for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

89Explanatory notes*This book is based on the following documents from TURN project (dating from between June
2016 and January 2017).
Interactive Program daily report;
Daily reports by participating artists on exchanges at various facilities.
TURN Center Conceptualization Meeting;All minutes from 8 conceptualization meetings from June 2016 onwards, attended mainly bymembers of the facilities participating in Interactive Program and TURN Secretariat with the aimof establishing TURN Center (now called TURN LAND).
Interview;
Transcripts of interviews with Katsuhiko Hibino after his return to Japan from TURN in
BRAZIL project.
TURN in BRAZIL Report Session;
Transcripts of “TURN in BRAZIL Report Sessions — TURNing on the other side of the world”,
held over three days between October 21 and 23 at The National Art Center, Tokyo.
*This book is based on information current as of January 31, 20171011

Spending time with Takeshi

The space we find together

I challenged Harmony members to tackle this question“what is self” through words, images or any other media.
I asked everyone to collect artworks, texts, creations
that tells us more about this “self (island)”. These will all
be considered for an artistic folio for “TURN FES 2”. The
contents and details of this publication are in progress,
but it will be created in the space between myself andHarmony. There will be a fresh new creative approach
which is only possible in the space found together, notjust the summary of the individual parts.

In the evening, in a room lit by the setting sun, Takeshi spent
20 or 30 minutes with me with an attendant staff present.
He was swinging in a hammock next to me, but showedinterest when I started playing on the organ, getting out of thehammock and banging on the keys. I took over and turned it
into a tune, and then Takeshi banged on the keys again….we
kept a repeat of this up for a while. I can’t play the piano but it
felt like my fingers were dancing on the keyboard.

James Jack (Artist )Kaiji Moriyama (Dancer and Choreographer)from Interactive Program daily reportfrom Interactive Program daily report

June 29, 2016

July 9, 2016Collaboration
To look and be looked at

Ms. Kubota says her art output isn’t very good, and it
bothers her.
She’s constantly thinking about the relationshipbetween the artists and people with severe intellectual
disabilities. The pieces inevitably end up belonging to
the artist.
In my case, I’m always thinking in the back of my mind
what expressions I might find when I’m here, but I
remind myself I’m not spending time here with that as
my objective.
But to use the relationship with Takeshi as an example,
I think the easiest relationship to establish is one ofcollaboration. Collaboration means an equal relationship.
Sometimes you succeed and sometimes you fail. But
there is always meaning in failure, too. Being “on adifferent page” is meaningful as well.

I was interested in both the bodies of
the users and the bodies of the staff.
I got a real sense of a person as abeing that is looked at, as well as one
that does the looking. I’ve certainly
done a lot of observing, and I’m sure
I’ve also been observed a lot by many
people from the facility.

Kaiji Moriyama (Dancer and Choreographer)

Kaiji Moriyama (Dancer and Choreographer)from Interactive Program daily reportfrom Interactive Program daily report

July 10, 2016

July 12, 2016

Where is “the right direction” ?
Expression
There’s something I don’t quite understandin the bewitching ring of the word “welfare”.
For example, some people with HIV mightwish to be cured, but some may just decide
to live with the condition. But in some ways
welfare definitely suggests “healing”, ortaking someone as far as possible in the right
direction. I don’t really know where that “right
direction” is.

I think the act of expression is fairly exhausting. I always
feel that things like making something, or performing
music or acting are quite tiring things to do. Somepeople come to us wanting to do these things, but we
do get service users who give up and disappear. It must
get tough. Some people stop coming because they feelpressure to do something when they come to the Ars
Nova facility. Even though we don’t tell people they haveto do something, they sometimes impose a task uponthemselves. Ars Nova isn’t an actual workshop, but somepeople feel they can’t stay unless they do something.

Midori Kubota (Chairperson of Authorized Non-Profit Organization

Midori Kubota (Chairperson of Authorized Non-Profit Organization

Creative Support Let’s)
from TURN Center Conceptualization Meeting

Creative Support Let’s)
from TURN Center Conceptualization Meeting

July 29, 2016

July 29, 2016

There are places where the staff have created awelcoming atmosphere for people whatever theircondition, and I think that takes quite a high level ofskill. They behave in a way that makes it possible tocreate a welcoming situation, by being consciously
aware of the people there.

Questioning assumptions

A welcoming situation

For TURN Center concept, it is fundamental
that everyone can be an individual, and thatassumptions will be questioned. Also, thatpeople encounter choices in life. Because of
their disabilities, the circumstances are suchthat people cannot bring much experience tothe workplace; some of them can be lacking
in their experience of things we’ve done
as a matter of course. We’re always very
conscious of trying to counterbalance this insome way in our work.

Marina Yamaguchi (Manager at Jun Kitazawa Office Yakumo)

Hideaki Kurosawa (Kyosaren Recycled Bottle Washing Center)from TURN Center Conceptualization Meetingfrom TURN Center Conceptualization Meeting

July 29, 2016

August 25, 2016

TokyoParty in question vs. user vs. other

When I organize “Delusion Karuta” playing card
tournaments away from the facility, or when we’re insocial situations, we meet all different sorts of people.
With no awareness that something applies to themselves,people talk to me about delusion, or someone comesto meetings saying he/she was just thinking of jumping
in front of a train. With this, the dividing lines start tocrumble between the party in question (i.e. the person
something applies to), the user (i.e. of a facility/service)and those who fall into a different camp. At such times I
became conscious that although people already getting
support from the welfare system are important, it would
be good to think about the people who don’t as well.
Moreover, say one of our members wants to play music,
and goes ahead and plays music. At some point theyreach a dead end, and fall into what we call detachedself-sufficiency. They only open up by getting involved
with people on the outside. So I have some vague ideas
of connecting the world outside the facility with the world
inside, or maybe creating occasions when there’s noboundary between the outside and the inside.

Particularly in big cities like Tokyo there are plentyof people with some sort of minority element. But
circumstances may not always make it easy for each ofthem to meet. Even if there is no mutual understanding tobegin with, I think you are more likely to meet people whowant to understand in cities rather than in rural areas.

Katsunori Shinzawa (Director at Harmony)

Kageki Asakura (Shure University staff member)from TURN Center Conceptualization Meetingfrom TURN Center Conceptualization Meeting

August 25, 2016

August 25, 2016

My first impression of an initiative to gather together
people from different backgrounds was: “Hang on —Brazil’s already like that.” There’s a compartmentalized
situation to some aspects of Japan, particularly inwelfare, stemming from the belief that people of asimilar minority find life easier together. The TURN
project was an attempt to do away with some of that
pigeonholing. But Brazil was mixed to begin with. So
we found there was quite a lot to learn from Brazil.

The sharing of time

BrazilThe aim of TURN is not to introduce Japanesetraditions, nor is it to present on-site caremethods of welfare facilities and hospitals.
I knew in Rio we had to properly demonstratethat the project was a so-called art program.
And looking back on the journals andcomments of the artists, the most important
thing for us was not the creation of things
but the sharing of time. In demonstrating
that, and looking back over the shared time,
I can say that TURN’s significance lies in themutual exchange of time.

Katsuhiko Hibino (Supervisor of TURN)

Katsuhiko Hibino (Supervisor of TURN)

from interview excerpt

from interview excerpt

September 17, 2016

September 17, 2016

Getting close to people

Removal of as many assumptions as possible
If you take the interpretation of TURN too far, anything
and everything could become a TURN project, so you haveto narrow it down and come up with a definition. There
are TURN-like elements to what I do in rural areas. Artists
visit so-called minorities, or should I say people andplaces removed from mainstream society, to reevaluate
and rediscover them, and communicate what they find.
Nowadays there are plenty of regional art festivals likethis in Japan, but I think the next stage for art is to go
into the minds of the people when you go into a place.
You get close to a place by staying in deserted houses
and closed-down schools, but you don’t get close to thepeople that way. I think you can only do that by putting
the time in.

When I think about it now, rather than wondering
why this sort of thing happened, or feeling
frustration at not understanding it, I realize I still feel
exasperation and regret that I was unable to react
in that moment. Although my body experienced
surprise, I think my response was blocked by aconscious effort to process the situation. Unless
I can identify a response other than the twoalternatives of understanding or not understanding,
I probably won’t be able to face up to what
happened. In that sense, it’s an unknown world fromthe minute I step foot in the door. I must remove
as many inner assumptions as possible. If there isanything I can lean on, it’s my body alone. So withmy head already bursting with theoretical words
that jostle harmoniously with feelings of excitement,
I went through the entrance.

Katsuhiko Hibino (Supervisor of TURN)

Kentaro Onishi (Dancer)

from interview excerpt

from Interactive Program daily report

September 17, 2016

September 23, 2016

A place where wide-ranging
interaction is possible

The way to dialogue

There are plenty of despondent people. Unless a numberof these people get involved and we can extend ourreach, our campaign and activities will be hit fairly hard.
Sometimes people say to me that people who isolatethemselves from society have it easy, but I think people
who say that must be fairly weary and demoralized bysociety themselves. Although they might oddly enoughbe a minority themselves, dialogue with people like thiswho vilify others is impossible, even if you make a faircase, because their arguments are pointless. I believe thatpeople divided at present might be able to open a way todialogue through artistic expression.

Welfare beneficiaries are not necessarily welloff, so people won’t be able to visit facilities if
the fees are too expensive, or if it costs too muchmoney to get to them. So unless we make ourfacilities an arena for a wide range of interaction,
where people can get involved without physicallycoming along, through the internet or othermeans, they will remain rather difficult to use.
Realistically I think keeping down costs is a really
important factor. But in terms of places where
people can meet, of course there are ways to meet
people which are probably unique to Tokyo. And
regardless of whether someone has a disability ornot, I think facilities should increase opportunities
for interaction between a variety of people. If avariety of people come, you know you can expect
certain risks and operational difficulties.

Kageki Asakura (Shure University staff member)

Kageki Asakura (Shure University staff member)from TURN Center Conceptualization Meetingfrom TURN Center Conceptualization Meeting

September 23, 2016

September 23, 2016

Tired of poster child status

Welfare in the wider sense

From an era when we didn’t have a solid systemof social security, welfare services have steadily
undergone segmentation with each change in law in
a bid for improvement, and continue to be focusedon change. What is unfortunate in Japan is that while
there has been progress in some areas, welfare has
consequently become service- and system-oriented,
and hasn’t easily absorbed organic change by people.
It seems to me that because things have to be labeled
black or white in this system, a situation has arisen
whereby the people in-between those who should
receive welfare services and who shouldn’t are deemed
non-existent. But I think since the broader meaning of
the word “welfare” was originally not about welfare
services but about better lives for people, I hopethrough TURN we can create a new blueprint to renew
awareness of welfare in the wider sense, and bringabout its restoration.

I think artists who get involved in this project should
be artists who want to think about relationships withothers. Of course this does not mean they have tobe this sort of person. We often hear people say it isupsetting to be thought of as a disability, or as so-andso the hikikomori. Calling them representative is thesame thing: they get tired of being the poster child for aparticular disability or the poster child for a hikikomori.
More to the point, it upsets them. I want to avoid that inwhat I do. Something else that we often hear is that it
distresses them to be over-praised. Visitors praise themwith good intentions but the people in question realize
their visitors are exaggerating. I think it’s less hurtfulto tell people you don’t understand when you actually
don’t understand.

Riko Okayama (Coordinator of TURN)

Kageki Asakura (Shure University staff member)from TURN Center Conceptualization Meetingfrom TURN Center Conceptualization Meeting

September 23, 2016

September 23, 2016

Who is the “party in question” ?
I’ve always thought we have to listen to the voice of the“party in question” but who is that, I wonder?
There is also the issue of how you determine the party
in question. Rather than doing something in terms of
the party in question, it might be better, since everyone
basically has their own viewpoint, to start with theapproach of canvassing general opinion on the very
concept of a party in question. Either way, although TURN
Center was founded as a reflection of various opinions,going forward I want it to be an arena that continues toincorporate the viewpoints of a variety of people andevolves accordingly.

Appetite and Dysphagia
When an elderly person has dysphagia [difficulty in swallowing],
eating is an action that exists side by side with death.
Nevertheless, the thing that remains until the end is theappetite. There are people who, just before death, ask for beeror elderly people who are happy to eat tempura. In fact, it’s
because they have dysphagia that they want to eat the foods
that they used to love.
But when people reach old age, dangers are often removed,
and in many cases people are not allowed to use the gas intheir homes. Some people eat nothing but cold bread and thelike, since they don’t use cooking equipment. When I hear thiskind of thing, I feel it’s extremely important to provide good,substantial lunches and make sure that food for people withdysphagia is high-quality and tasty.
Incidentally, I’ve heard that when people reach an advanced
age, their sense of taste gradually dulls, and eventually the only
taste remaining is sweetness.

Tatsuya Yamada (Staff member at Ota City Support Center for People

EAT & ART TARO (Artist)

With Disabilities)
from TURN Center Conceptualization Meetingfrom Interactive Program daily report

September 23, 2016

October 5, 2016

“KI-AN-BON” : The easy-feeling book
Eating with memory and trust

I’ve heard various stories about liquor.
Of course, there are many people who
are ordered by the doctor to abstain fromdrinking. But I’ve heard that there are elderly
people who actually become intoxicatedwhen given plum juice and told by staff
members, “This is liquor,” and “Today is
special because it’s New Year’s Day, but it’sa secret — don’t tell the others.”
Their relationship of trust with the staff
changes the way things taste. It turns plumjuice into liquor.
In the case of dysphagia diet [difficulty inswallowing patient food] as well, this sortof management is important. I heard thatcertain foods prepared for people withdysphagia are molded to look like the foodsin their original form. I imagine that, becauseof their form, the foods are associated withthe person’s original memory and taste goodto them. It may be that the logic in their
method for seeking tasty food becomes alittle different.

Mr. Nakayama has a book,
one that he wrote and crafted all by himself.
His pen name is Senseki Nakayama.
The book, titled “KI-AN-BON” [The easy-feeling book],
is a collection of 3.5-inch x 5-inch photos with plenty ofaccompanying text (in beautiful, handwritten characters, no less)about his thoughts and discoveries and experiences.
It’s his “life’s work,” he says — he knows that it can help others
and make him feel better, too.
When he’s feeling down or anxious, he turns back to his bookand read about all the things he’s learned.
It’s like he wrote it to get himself back together.
The words on the pages are so honest and sincere.
As I read through the work,
my mind taking solace in the comfort of the writing,
Mr. Nakayama handed me a copy and told me to keep it.

EAT & ART TARO (Artist)

Kazue Kawase (Photographer)from Interactive Program daily reportfrom Interactive Program daily report

October 5, 2016

October 7, 2016

TURN identity

Mr. Nakayama

Mr. Nakayama’s photos are incredible.
Everything he shoots—from the food he eats
and the rooms in his house to the views from his
window and the people he works with— resonatesin his work, showing just how conscious andrespectful he is of his subjects.
He had a quiet, gently demeanor, answering all of
my questions about his work in a slow, thoughtful
cadence.
Seeing the care that he put into his photos, I could
feel a kind of inspiration start to stir inside me.

Our belief in the vital necessity of expression and art
is a premise that shapes everything we do. Ms. Kubota
from Creative Support Let’s was talking about how
difficult it is to express yourself—how that process canunintentionally force things on others. Mr. Shinzawa
from Harmony, on the other hand, said that we can see
the simple act of being as a form of expression. Making
things together, making things to connect with others,
discovering new possibilities through the liberating
dimensions of art, using the unique features of artistic
expression to make our voices heard on a broader,farther-reaching scale — that’s what gives TURN its
identity. That’s the kind of vision I want to associatewith our organization.

Kazue Kawase (Photographer)

Riko Okuyama (Coordinator of TURN)

from Interactive Program daily reportfrom TURN Center Conceptualization Meeting

October 7, 2016

October 13, 2016

We said that it would be great to make TURN a school
where you could learn what you want to know about,study what you want to study, and explore a world
where there aren’t any right or wrong answers. There
were lots of different ideas for the curriculum: things
like social studies classes that focus on failure, artclasses with disabled instructors, and classes forlearning the techniques that go into providing support
for creative projects — an area that people may
have been involved in but never actually learned thespecifics of. Another part of the school concept was
guidance counseling; people wanted a system thatwould give them the opportunity to scout out a wide
range of different options.

A place where new,eye-opening encounters await

School“TURN FES” in March 2016 brought people fromso many different facilities and communities
together. Not only did we meet people fromoutside our normal circles and learn new thingsfrom each other, but we also got the momentum
going toward our next gathering. “TURN Center”
should have that kind of boundary-spanning,
network-forming capacity — I want it to be aplace where new, eye-opening encounters arealways ready to take shape.

Marina Yamaguchi (Manager at Jun Kitazawa Office Yakumo)

Katsuhiko Hibino (Supervisor of TURN)

from TURN Center Conceptualization Meetingfrom TURN Center Conceptualization Meeting

October 13, 2016

October 13, 2016

Seeking out TURN

A resounding sense of welcome

The tabletop was full of markers, permanent markers,
pastels, colored pencils, crayons, and more, leaving
little room for anything else.
“You can put your stuff over here,” Ms. N said.
She must’ve seen me looking around awkwardly.
Another voice chimed in. “Have a seat,” Ms. I smiled.
That’s when I finally realized something: If you go
somewhere new and all you think about is stayingout of people’s way and trying to be as discreet as
possible, you end up feeling— and looking—pretty
stupid. The people wanted me to feel comfortable, notself-conscious. It was a resounding sense of welcome.
The people there were all doing their own paintingsand drawings. It was amazing—they were all in theirown, individual worlds, releasing their boundlesscreativity. Everything I saw was so intriguing, so
captivating, so engrossing that I couldn’t help but
stare. That lit the fire under me, I guess. I decided tostart putting my own illustrations on paper and see
how I measured up.
I spent the rest of the time immersed in my drawings,
never even saying a word.

TURN project is about seeking out TURN and always goingout in search of the next thing. It can feel like there’s an
end goal, I suppose, but there really isn’t. For an artist, a
project normally ends when the creation is complete. Whenwe were in São Paulo, too, the artists would tell me thatthey’d “finished” their works—but I’d find myself secondguessing them, wanting them to understand that the effort
was just getting started. Their individual works may havebeen complete in terms of actual creation, of course. They
weren’t wrong, in that sense. What we’re trying to do
through the TURN project, though, operates on a different
focus—something that goes beyond the act of creative
production. I tried to help the artists understand thatconcept.

Kentaro Onishi (Dancer and Performance Artist)

Tsukasa Mori (Project Director of TURN)

from Interactive Program daily reportfrom TURN in BRAZIL Report Session

October 13, 2016

October 21, 2016

Just like handling thread

Art has the power to translate value. Artists have the power
to discover beauty and wonder in the things that lie hidden
under the weight of our world, escaping our modernday consciousness. When artists spend time in “minority”
communities, places that tend to be less visible than others,
they start to see new potential and new value that they’dnever encountered before. The experiences they get in
unfamiliar contexts open their eyes to the diverse mix of
issues facing us as a society—and can even shed light on
possible solutions. To me, driving that process is the biggest
goal for the whole TURN initiative.
Welfare has been a big element of the TURN project, butthat doesn’t change what TURN has always been, first andforemost: an art project. As we continue to push TURN
forward, I’m excited about using our efforts to help art playa more central role in society, more vital identity, and show
people what it can do. There are still so many possibilities
to explore.

I was trying to bundle 240 threads into a 25-meter-long cord. I was
short on time and feeling frantic, so I just decided to yank the threads
into place at the end—and when I did, the threads got so tight that I
ended up cutting my finger. “I came all the way to Brazil to do this?
Slice my finger open?” I thought. Half resigned at half at a kind of odd
peace with what I’d managed to do, I lay my hand on the thread. Rightthen, as I looked on, the threads somehow fell into a natural order andtook a clean, tidy shape. That was quite a TURN for me—the parallels
between that miniature miracle of thread and my relationships withthe kids from PIPA suddenly came into sharp focus. Thread changes
slightly depending on the weather, humidity, and light. When I was out
running with the PIPA kids, which was part of my morning routine, I
could make out little changes happening.
Just like thread responds differently based on how I handle it, the kids
behaved differently depending on how I felt when I was with them.
If I were in a bad mood when I spent time with them, they’d always
get wound up and go overboard. If I were in a good mood with a clear
state of mind, they’d be calm and even hang around me like they weremy little brothers and sisters. It was like I was looking in a mirror. My
feelings shaped how the thread behaved. My moods shaped how thekids behaved. Different reflections producing different results—it was
impossible not to see everything overlapping.

Katsuhiko Hibino (Supervisor of TURN)

Yasuaki Igarashi (Artist)from TURN in BRAZIL Report Session

from TURN in BRAZIL Report Session

October 21, 2016

October 22, 2016

Giving art a new identity

As if we were tuning in

Every heart and every mind represents
a world unto itself

The next morning, I ran around with the kids from PIPA
again. My mind was moving about as fast as my feet.
People’s hearts and minds change, I thought. They say
every person represents a world unto himself, but I don’t
think so: Every heart and every mind represents a world
unto itself. When your heart changes, so does your viewof the world— and that’s what makes it possible for theworld itself to undergo transformations. Today, I think myview of the world changed.
Depending on how you look at things, your entire viewof the world can change. That morning, when I started
to see how shifting my perspective on the world wasjust the same as taking a new angle on my threadwork
or connecting in a different way with the PIPA kids, theworld looked different to me. I was running with thekids — the same thing I’d done the day before — but witha totally different mindset.
I learned something valuable from my thread and theautistic kids from PIPA: The world might not seem like itchanges very much, but taking a different perspectiveon things makes it possible to nudge the world in new
directions.

When we’re interacting with the people with disabilities,
things usually don’t go well if we try to impose things on themaccording to our own fixed ideas, for example our rules orsensibilities. At times like that, if we change things gradually—
as if we were taking a step back or tuning in —we find a pointof connection. There are times when we really experience thekind of feeling that Mr. Igarashi was talking about.

Yasuaki Igarashi (Artist)

Kenji Takano (Director at Atelier La Mano)from TURN in BRAZIL Report Session

from TURN in BRAZIL Report Session

October 22, 2016

October 22, 2016

A new type of platform
The expanding role of art

TURN has a double structure. It’s the “art program”
of artist Katsuhiko Hibino, and at same time it’s a“platform” in which artists besides Mr. Hibino as wellas other people from diverse backgrounds can takean active part. This role as “platform” is particularly
important. In the upcoming Cultural Program of theTokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I think
it will be a mechanism in which a wide range of
people can be involved in art, not just as viewers or
consumers. I also think it might function effectively
when we introduce current Japanese culture to people
overseas in the future.

It’s true that TURN is a program in whichpeople share time and experiences withothers who come from different situations andperspectives; but ultimately, the traditional
culture and arts, workshops, artworks andexhibits at the center remain as experienceand memory. These experiences eventually
return in each person, with his or her individual
perspective, and ferment; and they becomeaware of and awaken to the “people’s innate
capabilities.” I had the feeling that this is the
TURN model, you might say, or TURN’s place insociety, and tried making a diagram of it.
After this “TURN Model BRAZIL,” a different
model may be created. However, it seems tome that it will be worthwhile to thoroughly
examine and report on its meaning, since I
don’t think there has ever been a time when
the role and position of art in society havebeen as extensive as they are now.

Yoshiyuki Oshita (General Manager and Principal Consultant, Center for
Arts Policy & Management, Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., Ltd.)
from TURN in BRAZIL Report Session

Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto (Director of Center for Arts and Culture,

October 22, 2016

October 22, 2016

NLI Research Institute)from TURN in BRAZIL Report Session

I may had done TURN when I was 12

The power to transformthe foundations of society
TURN aspires to be neither a mere art project nor anext-generation social welfare program. TURN has
the power to reinterpret or recreate the foundationsof society, and I hope we will take it to that point.

Since I was 12 years old, I’d been spending time at “Mizunoki.”
The only people who crossed paths there were residents—
people with severe intellectual disabilities— and staff members.
I thought, this is such an lovely place, you can spend time herein various ways, the scenery is pretty, it’s very pleasant, so
why aren’t there other people here? In my child’s heart I felt
an intense unease. I think the feeling of wanting to change asituation was what led me to my current work. It’s a feeling I’ll
continue to treasure. The thought that I must had done TURN
when I was 12 suddenly came to me as I was winding yarn alittle while ago.

Katsuhiko Hibino (Supervisor of TURN)

Riko Okuyama (Coordinator of TURN)

from TURN in BRAZIL Report Session

from TURN in BRAZIL Report Session

October 22, 2016

October 22, 2016

“ Calling out ”
Be overwhelmed by the intense realitythat the body perceive

In work situations, for example, I often observe this kind of scene.
Let’s say some sort of group activity time (like a meeting) is running a little
over. When that happens, there are people who frequently point at theirwatches and raise their voices, people who start walking around the work

When I return from Komone Fukushien, I experiencean extreme kind of exhaustion (I think this feeling istremendously important, so the word “exhaustion”
alone doesn’t describe it adequately). I often comeacross examples like Mr.K, and in those cases it’s
akin to the feeling of receiving a physical shockfrom coming into contact with an incredibly intense
presence or signal. There are times when I’moverwhelmed by a sort of intense reality that the bodyperceives and that reason (the process of thinking andunderstanding with the brain) can’t keep up with.

space, looking restless. Quite a few people feel anxious or uneasy because
things are “different from usual.” In this type of situation, there are times
when the intention or meaning behind this behavior can’t be fully grasped
right away. At that point the staff members put in a comment.
A comment to that person and to everyone. And they do it very calmly andcasually. That’s “calling out.” With that brief comment, that person andeveryone else calms down.
Something that is different from usual, some sort of commotion, feelings ofanxiety… These things are all intuitive, and directly connected to the emotions.
Things that are unseen, things that are difficult to grasp. When you put theminto words or calls of encouragement and bring them out into the open,
everyone can verify the situation.
“Calling out” is not a function limited to staff members. Some of theparticipants take on this role as well.
“Are you OK?” “That’s the spirit!” “Don’t be angry.” There are people who
observe the situation and sensitively direct comments or encouragement
like this towards the assembled group.
It’s also possible to rephrase and explain in this way. Communication isn’t
one-to-one; there’s always someone in between. At Komone Fukushien,
carrying out a conversation is like drawing a circle.

Kentaro Onishi (Dancer)

Kentaro Onishi (Dancer)

from Interactive Program daily reportfrom Interactive Program daily report

November 14, 2016

November 18, 2016

The workshop was a great success
Dual role

Things get really lively at lunchtime. Everyone seems
to have a good time. It’s a very enjoyable time for thefacility users, a time that provides some variety in thecycle of work and rest. When someone gets overexcitedand can’t calm down, we on the support staff help
them. If there are people who feel it’s too noisy and areable to go somewhere else, that’s OK.

Ms. Kondo who holds a Kodomo Shokudo(Children’s Restaurant) and I were talking about
what Kodomo Shokudo is.
She said, “They say they create a place wherechildren can feel at home, but it also becomes aplace where the adults who create it can feel athome. Those people can spend time there, too!”Her comment was very straightforward.
What it comes down to is whether we do what
we can when we sense that another person
really needs something.
And that there’s a dual role in that situation.

The workshop was a great success. This is the fourthyear since I became a 2nd-floor staff member, but I was
surprised by the facility users’ unexpected movements.
I was amazed by people’s range of motion (especiallyelderly people), ideas about movement, capacity
to accept even unexpected developments, ways ofswitching emotion on and off even during work. It was
surprising how people put things on, moved freely, andenjoyed the spotlight!

Noriko Takada (Staff Member at Komone Fukushien)

Daisuke Nagaoka (Artist)from Interactive Program daily reportfrom Interactive Program daily report

November 28, 2016

December 1, 2016

Like a land that rises from the sea
only on the night of the full moon

The way we do things is very time-consuming
and leisurely. That’s why such a suddenchange is quite difficult. But the facility users
don’t mind when people from outside cometo the facility, and they feel it’s all right towork with them in making things. On the other
hand, I think our way of doing things is reallyinefficient, so we’ve talked about the possibilityof Harmony taking on some part of TURN LAND
if we can work, without being hurried, together
with people who can create relationships oftrust. It would be difficult to do this all the time,
but with this “LAND” that rises from the sea
only on the night of the full moon, I think it will
be OK.

Key phrases about communication styles

These are the (personal) key phrases about communicationstyles that come to mind when I go to Komone Fukushien:- It’s never one-to-one. Someone will always help. (In otherwords, at least a triangular relationship?!)- When I try to “understand” the other person, I can’t meetthem halfway. (I can’t be “natural,” and it seems to me that“friendliness” is lacking...)Kentaro Onishi (Dancer)

Katsunori Shinzawa (Director at Harmony)from Interactive Program daily reportfrom TURN Center Conceptualization Meeting

December 12, 2016

December 19, 2016

TURN LAND
When I hear the word “Center” I always think of abuilding or structure, but I think “LAND” has more of afeeling of an area where people come and go. The image
in my mind is that there are various people coming andgoing— some disembarking on the island and others
boarding the boat and leaving — creating an atmosphereof being in an area.

I want to let people know
about the reality of facilities
I think the social welfare facility has one of the mostimportant roles in society. In talking about the concept of“TURN LAND” with the people at these facilities, I had thethought for the first time that it isn’t because of artists
alone that TURN project opens up. You could say that thesepeople also have the spirit to show with appealing qualities
that their world will become an indispensable part of life…
I thought it would be a good thing if we could create theconcepts of this LAND.
I’m sure the desire to tell people about the reality of facilities
as clearly as possible is something we all share. For me,
though, this is the first endeavor to do so as a cultural projectrather than a social welfare project. When you consider thatTURN hopes to have a situation where there are people atfacilities who are not in a relationship of caring for or being
cared for, perhaps this situation can actually be created bya time frame which differs from that of conventional facility
management.

Katsuhiko Hibino (Supervisor of TURN)

Riko Okuyama (Coordinator of TURN)

from TURN Center Conceptualization Meetingfrom TURN Center Conceptualization Meeting

December 19, 2016

December 19, 2016

For the staff

Meeting styles

Staff members sometimes have trouble talking to one
another. But when I was visiting a facility, I heard thatwhen an artist with no knowledge about the facility
asks basic questions about their daily work and thefacility, it’s as if a blockage was suddenly removed. Thisis surely one of the roles that TURN fulfills.
I hope that, for the facility staff, interaction with artists
in the programs of TURN and TURN LAND will be an
occasion to feel joy in knowing that “there are people
who seek us out,” and an opportunity to talk about
things they can’t or don’t tell their work colleagues.

In terms of compatibility with a workplace,there are cases when the process ends
at the applicant screening stage becauseof the word “disability.” But sometimes aperson is matched with a workplace based
not on information in documents, but on the
feeling that “You’re a good person, so comeand work for us.” This sort of meeting style,which has “I” as its starting point rather thanobjective indices like “ability” or “aptitude,”is absolutely fascinating.
It starts from a mutual feeling of wanting
to work together; and to me, thinking about
doing something interesting with this person
is a tremendously creative, thrilling activity.

Katsuhiko Hibino (Supervisor of TURN)

Katsunori Shinzawa (Director at Harmony)from TURN Center Conceptualization Meetingfrom TURN Center Conceptualization Meeting

December 19, 2016

December 19, 2016

Is TURN the work of artists ?

Last November, I went to a TURN presentation in Buenos Aireswith Mr. Hibino.
On that occasion we had a meeting with the artist Christian
Boltanski, and he asked us the following question.
“I understand what you’ve told me about TURN. I think it’s
wonderful. But is that the work of artists? Isn’t it the work of
psychiatrists and therapists?”
It was such a simple and important question that all we could
do at that time was take it in.
Now we’ve renewed our resolve to continue asserting, throughthis project, that “this is the work of artists, and this is art.”

Riko Okuyama (Coordinator of TURN)
from an e-mailJanuary 4, 2017

Profile of Authors

60

Kageki Asakura

Kazue Kawase

Noriko Takada

Tatsuya Yamada

Member of staff at Shure University who provides
learning support activities for young people withlife challenges such as hikikomori social
withdrawal and non-attendance at school. Shure
University has been part of the TURN project since2015, sharing a series of exchanges with artist
Satsuki Imai.

TURN participating artist and photographer. In
2015 she made repeat visits to Kyosaren Recycled
Bottle Washing Center where she encountereddisabled people in their work and daily life.

Support staff member at Komone Fukushien
involved in the daily care and employment
support of people with mental illnesses. Having
joined TURN in 2015, she is currently in charge of
exchanges with Kentaro Onishi.

Staff member at Ota City Support Center for
People With Disabilities. As part of employment
support for the disabled, he gathers people ingeneral employment for his weekly Tamariba
hangout event, which has been the subject of
exchanges with artist Manami Kakudo since 2015.

EAT & ART TARO

Midori Kubota

Kenji Takano

Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto

TURN participating artist who develops
food-themed art projects throughout Japan. His
ongoing research for TURN includes exploringcookery classes for the mentally-handicapped,cafes with sign language as the official language,
and traditional diner-style restaurants operated
by care services.

Chairperson of Creative Support Let’s (authorizedNPO). She took part in TURN FES with artist Tohru
Nakazaki in 2015, and throughout 2016 attended
TURN Center Reporting Session.

Director of Atelier La Mano. He runs craft
workshops for the disabled and able-bodied froma 90-year old Japanese house. He joined TURN in
2015, and is involved in the Interactive Program
and the Center Conceptualization Meeting.

Director of Center for Arts and Culture, NLI
Research Institute. Speaker at the TURN in RIO
conference and the TURN in BRAZIL Reporting
Session.

Yasuaki Igarashi

Hideaki Kurosawa

Daisuke Nagaoka

Katsuhiko Hibino

TURN participating artist. In addition to his
exchange with Atelier La Mano since 2015, in2016 he conducted an exchange with the PIPA
rehabilitation for autistic children in São Paulo as
part of TURN in BRAZIL.

Head of General Affairs at Kyosaren Recycled
Bottle Washing Center, a bottle cleaning outfit
that provides employment support for thedisabled. He joined TURN in 2015 and took chargeof interactive activities with photographers
Masanori Ikeda and Kazue Kawase.

TURN participating artist. He looks at therelationship between memory and the bodythrough pencil drawings and the video animations
he creates with them. From 2016 he began aseries of exchanges with Kodomo Kaigi, an
enterprise created by three Ota-ku organizations
who supervise cafeterias for children.

Supervisor of TURN. Artist, Dean of the Faculty ofFine Arts and professor in the Department ofIntermedia Art at Tokyo University of the Arts.

Yoshiyuki Oshita

James Jack

Kaiji Moriyama

Tsukasa Mori

General Manager and Principal Consultant, Center
for Arts Policy & Management, Mitsubishi UFJ
Research and Consulting Co., Ltd. Speaker at the
TURN in RIO conference and the TURN in BRAZIL
Reporting Session.

TURN participating artist who develops
locally/socially-engaged art projects. Since 2015
he has had a series of exchanges with Harmony.

Dancer and choreographer. He has been involved
with TURN since 2016, visiting numerous support
facilities for the disabled and interacting withpeople there through dance.

Project Director of TURN and Project Coordination
Division Program Director, Arts Council Tokyo.

Kentaro Onishi

Katsunori Shinzawa

Marina Yamaguchi

Riko Okuyama

Dancer and performance artist. In 2015 he took
part in TURN FES with Emi Tomizuka. In 2016 as aparticipating artist for TURN he had a series of
exchanges with Itabashi-ku Komone Fukushien.

Head of Harmony, a facility where people withmental illnesses such as schizophrenia can live
as they want to. He has been involved with TURN
since 2015 through exchanges with James Jackand Sam Stocker.

Manager, Jun Kitazawa Office Yakumo. She
develops art projects in hospitals, schools,
housing complexes, etc. Based on her experiencein preschool children’s rehabilitation and special
needs education, she joined the project as amanaging member for TURN Center
Conceptualization meetings.

As Coordinator of TURN, she handles projectplanning and coordinates the Interaction Program.
She is also active as Curator at the Mizunoki
Museum of Art, Kameoka, operated by an
Syokaen Social Welfare Corporation providing
support services for the disabled.

61

TURN NOTE
Words from TURN 2016
March 1, 2017
Editorial Supervisor: Tsukasa Mori (Project Director of TURN, Arts Council Tokyo)
Editor: Emi Sato
Developmental Editor : Riko Okuyama (Coordinator of TURN, Arts Council Tokyo)
Editorial Cooperator: Arts Council Tokyo (Satsuki Asano, Rina Furuya, Maria Hata), the nonprofit
organization Art’s Embrace (Airu Kiyotake, Eriko Amo, Kanako Iwanaka)
Design: Tetsuya Hoshino
Translation: Office Miyazaki, Inc.
Printing: Yamada Photo Process co., Ltd
Published by :Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)
Kudan First Place 8F, 4-1-28, Kudankita, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0073
Tel: 03-6256-8435 / Fax : 03-6256-8829
Email: turn-project@artscouncil-tokyo.jp
URL: www.artscouncil-tokyo.jp
TURN official site: http://turn-project.com/©2017 Arts Council Tokyo
Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture
All rights reserved