2016年6月24日金曜日 - 
Alan Wiren: Naoshima
There
is a tiny island in the Seto Inland Sea that is internationally
famous, but little known among the Japanese. It is called Naoshima. I visited
there a few years ago and I hope I will have the chance to return. About two thirds of the island is a copper refinery, but the remainder has a remarkable
history that has brought about a surreal
present.
Naoshima
is home to an international camp, where children from all over the world come
and learn together in a unique and beautiful environment. The island also houses
two modern art museums. Both of which were designed by Andoh Tadao.
Benesse House is a combination of museum and
hotel, meaning if you stay there, you can stroll
around the museum after hours if you like. The aptly named Underground Museum is almost entirely
underground, but is entirely lit by natural light. Unlike
most museums, the exhibition spaces were designed specifically for the artworks
they display. The first, for example, is a large open space with a giant, granite ball at its center. The stone is polished
to mirror smoothness and reflects the wooden posts, inlaid
with gold, which are placed at regular intervals around the perimeter. The light enters through a horizontal slit in the ceiling parallel to the course of the sun across the sky.
No two moments ever are the same in that room.
For
years Benesse House displayed modern art in the traditional manner until one
special exhibition was designed to utilize
both the inside and the outside of the building. That set the tone for the
future. Now Naoshima is home to an ever-increasing
number of site-specific artworks:
creations that both incorporate and are part of the surrounding landscape.
Picture yourself in a jacuzzi at night, listening to the surf on the beach
nearby, watching the stars above, and surrounded by stones carefully placed to
focus the internal energies of the earth at your location. This is the Cultural
Melting Bath.
Abandoned houses
in the island village and a temple on a peak have been transformed into
artworks where the nature of human perception
is often an integral part of the design.
Two more nearby islands now provide permanent venues
for creative works in the same spirit, and during several annual events the art
spills out onto other surrounding
islands. I hope it will not be too much longer before I once more board the ferry on my way to become part of the
art.
internationally：国際的には
little known：あまり知られていない
two thirds： 3分の2
copper refinery：銅の精錬所
remainder：残り
remarkable：注目すべき
surreal：シュールな
wealthy：裕福な
eventually：最終的には
governor：知事
sympathetic：賛同して
bond：結束
haven：安息所
stroll around：周りを散歩する
aptly：ぴったりに
Unlike：～とちがって
Granite：花崗岩
inlaid with：～で象嵌になっている
perimeter：境界線
horizontal slit：水平に切れ目が入っている
parallel：並行して
utilize：利用する
ever-increasing：増え続ける
site-specific：その場所に特化した
Abandoned houses：秋や
Perception：知覚
integral：不可欠な
venues：開催地
spills out：飛び散る
board：～に乗る