Tamara Schneider – Transitions after Destruction: Artistic Response to the 2011 Triple Catastrophe
Channel: European Network of Japanese Philosophy
Date: 2019-07-08

4th Conference of the European Network of Japanese Philosophy (ENOJP)
Universität Hildesheim 2018
Panel 31: Transformation and -migration

Transitions after destruction: The artistic response to the 2011 triple catastrophe in Japan 

Tamara Schneider (Doshisha University) 

Abstract: Japan has a long history of coping with disasters. The March 2011 triple catastrophe—namely the Tōhoku Earthquake, the resulting tsunami, and the nuclear meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor—had dramatic impacts on Japanese society. The creation of artworks and the expression of sentiments through art is one way of coping with such traumatic experiences. Against this background, in this paper I will identify artworks dealing with the 2011 triple catastrophe and discuss the following research questions: How have Japanese artists reacted to the 2011 triple catastrophe, how has the experience changed their artistic path, and which transition processes can be identified in the artworks themselves? How do respective artworks address and reach society and how do they help in coping with disaster consequences? And how do the artworks relate to the ethics of human-induced transitions of nature? In order to answer these questions I will analyze selected examples of Japanese artworks related to the triple disaster. Following the iconographic approach, I will describe the way of the artistic representation, the techniques, and the medium used in art creation. I will then interpret the artworks by expanding the perspective to an iconological view and by having a closer look at how these pieces of art are deep-seated in Japanese culture and society. I will mainly show that after catastrophic destruction there is an urgent need for creation, not only in material but also in spiritual-artistic terms. I provide a description of how this transition emerges, evolves, and becomes manifest within the artist, the artwork, and society, and show this transition provides room for new mindsets in arts and society. 

This talk took place at the fourth annual conference of the European Network of Japanese Philosophy [ENOJP], 5 – 8 September 2018, Universität Hildesheim, Kulturcampus Domäne Marienburg, Germany.

More informations:
http://enojp.org/
http://chisokudopublications.blogspot.com/
https://enojp4.wordpress.com/

Art Direction: Robin Alberding & Jerome Ebeling (CC-BY 3.0)