museum

Suzu Theater Museum: The Ark of Light

Suzu Theater Museum:
The Ark of Light

The museum in the converted gymnasium of the old municipal Seibu Elementary School in the Otani district of Suzu City in Ishikawa Prefecture is one like no other before it: a museum to preserve, research, and display folk art collected throughout the city in harmony with serving as a gallery to exhibit works by modern artists.
The concept for the Suzu Theater Museum originated with “Suzu’s Great Clearance” project, a gathering of folk art and household items that had been gathering dust in storerooms throughout the city and subsequently preserved and given new value as artworks, an unprecedented undertaking. Born from this unique idea, Suzu Theater Museum sheds light on a new aspect of Okunoto’s lifestyle culture. It also raises an essential question of the deep connection between how art and local culture interact and how folk material is collected and preserved.

“Suzu Theater Museum: The Ark of Light” began with the opening of OKU-NOTO TRIENNALE 2020+.
The museum in the converted gymnasium of the old municipal Seibu Elementary School in the Otani district of Suzu City in Ishikawa Prefecture is one like no other before it: a museum to preserve, research, and display folk art collected throughout the city in harmony with serving as a gallery to exhibit works by modern artists. The concept for the Suzu Theater Museum originated with “Suzu’s Great Clearance” project, a gathering of folk art and household items that had been gathering dust in storerooms throughout the city and subsequently preserved and given new value as artworks, an unprecedented undertaking. Born from this unique idea, Suzu Theater Museum sheds light on a new aspect of Okunoto’s lifestyle culture. It also raises an essential question of the deep connection between how art and local culture interact and how folk material is collected and preserved.

PROGRAM

1

「Soilstory 」

bacilli <Japan>

Soilstory (formerly World Dirt Association)〈Japan〉Installation artwork with video anditems collected in the “Great Clearance” based on traditional farming “Aenokoto” (banquet ritual) with local residents’ “soil memories.”

2

「Forest for gathering」

　Yuki Okawa〈Japan〉

Using old kiriko and ropes made by braiding torn pieces of used clothing,
the artist created a plush forest-like space teeming with memories.

3

「Drifters」

　OBI〈Japan〉

By meticulously arranging a collection of countless utensils in a space reminiscent of a deep storehouse, this installation gives you a taste of Okunoto’s rich history and food culture.

4

「Sea of Argonauts」

　Yoshitaka Nanjo〈Japan〉

Images projected onto a wooden boat and an old piano arranged on a layer of sand
dug up from Suzu’s ancient stratum —the afterglow of memories associated with land and possessions bubbles up to the surface.

5

「After reading ,Looking at there,」

　 Miyuki Takenaka〈Japan〉

An individual’s diary from the “Great Clearance” gives us a glance into the past and present. Aimlessly adrift, the story floats along like a revolving lantern.

05

「After reading ,Looking at there,」

　Miyuki Takenaka〈Japan〉

An individual’s diary from the “Great Clearance” gives us a glance into the past and present. Aimlessly adrift, the story floats along like a revolving lantern.

6

「The missing shade 59-1」
「Seascape （Suzu）」「Untitled」

　Saori Miyake〈Japan〉

This projected image installation was created by arranging old boat parts in a space superimposed by photographs and photograms of boats from the past and present.

7

「Linger quietly」

　Ayako Kuno〈Japan〉

Chips and cracks of battered old farming equipment enhanced with delicately sculpted metal objects evoke Suzu’s agricultural landscape that extended over many generations.

8

「Vowel / Mistpouffer」「Sea clouds」

　Masaya Hashimoto〈Japan〉

Clay collected from former roof tile factories and bones from whales that link together memories of the primeval sea invite you to recall Suzu’s pristine landscape that prevails today along with its history.

Photo：Keizo Kioku

MEMBER

director/superintendent  Furamu Kitagawa
curation/staging  Yoshitaka Nanjo
Folklore and Culture Advisor  Kiyoshi Kawamura（National Museum of Japanese History）
architectural renovation/space design  Yamagishi Aya（cycle architects）
music  Umitaro Abe
special lighting  Yasuhito Suzuki（ＯＢＩ）
modeling/direction support  Takuya Kamiike
video recording  Eizo Workshop
preservation and utilization of folk materials adviser Kawabe Sakiko (National Museum of Japanese History)
graphic/merchandise/exterior neon design KIGI

Suzu Theater Museum: The Ark of Light

Suzu Theater Museum: The Ark of Light

PROGRAM

1

「Soilstory 」

2

「Forest for gathering」

3

「Drifters」

4

「Sea of Argonauts」

5

「After reading ,Looking at there,」

05

「After reading ,Looking at there,」

6

「The missing shade 59-1」「Seascape （Suzu）」 「Untitled」

7

「Linger quietly」

8

「Vowel / Mistpouffer」「Sea clouds」

MEMBER

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▶ Oku-Noto Triennale website

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Suzu Theater Museum:
The Ark of Light

「The missing shade 59-1」
「Seascape （Suzu）」「Untitled」