The "Setouchi ' ' Museum of Materials" at Miyaura Gallery Rokku has reopened as the "Setouchi 'Kanzo Kei' Museum of Materials" for a limited time (weekends from August 14th to September 12th, and August 23rd and September 6th only)!Please note that due to the current spread of COVID-19 and to prevent further expansion, admission is currently limited to Naoshima Town residents only.

In last week's opening, Director Shitamichi, an artist, explained the "karami" landscapes he first noticed immediately after moving to Naoshima. He also touched upon the efforts of his predecessors, such as Tsuyoshi Ozawa, who created "Slag Buddha," and the Inujima Seirensho Art Museum. It is said that he spent about a year researching and collecting materials for approximately one year, focusing on landscapes made from the slag discharged from copper smelting, the main industry of Naoshima, alongside island residents. Director Shitamichi then expanded his research beyond Naoshima to nationwide landscapes that utilized karami, resulting in the exhibition and creation of the "Setouchi 'Karami Landscape' Archive." It is likely that few island residents are aware that houses with roofs tiled with karami tiles produced on Naoshima still exist in other prefectures due to the smelting operations. Furthermore, some materials have been reborn into different forms beyond building materials.

After seeing this exhibition, if you stroll through Naoshima's Honmura and especially Miyaura districts, you'll see islanders using discarded bricks for various purposes like walls and stoppers everywhere. "Unnecessary things" are created to obtain "necessary things," and how to utilize them is an inseparable part of humans coexisting as part of nature. The everyday scenery starts to look a little different.

During this period, a photographic exhibition on European slag heritage is being held as a collaborative project at the local Art Island Center. It seems like it would be interesting to see both.

More detailsHere(Benesse Art Site Naoshima "Miyauura Gallery Rokku" Page)