Ishinomaki and Regeneration
To follow on from the discussion about wicked problems in the ‘Transition Design: Social Design and Design Thinking’ class, we researched the different counter measures being implemented to address the issue of diminishing communities. We looked at infrastructural changes such as the extension of Ube airport to include international flights, policy changes to incentivise people to have children in their hometowns through financial packages and childcare, and the development of satellite towns where people could live and commute into Tokyo. There are a plethora of approaches to tackle such problems, but rather than considering diminishing communities in statistical and qualitative terms, we looked at the qualitative approaches that enable communities to not just not disappear, but to be enriched. Without falling into a nostalgic narrative of communities lost, saved or liberated (Wellman, 1979), we hoped to find a case detailing the importance of a connection to place, stories and local knowledge whilst simultaneously emerging as something new.
With a deep interest in cultural production, we decided to look at the role of art as a restorative or regenerative force in Ishinomaki. Art, beyond the agency of the artist is often used in such a way to actively regenerate areas (Coaffee and Cameron, 2005). It has been argued that public art can help develop a sense of identity, develop a sense of place, contribute to civic identity, address community needs, tackle social exclusion, promote social change and act as an educational tool (Hall and Robertson, 2010).
Ishinomaki is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture. It was devastated by the triple disaster of March 2011. Before the event, like many ‘communities on the edge’, the town faced depopulation through aging, internal migration and economic stagnation. Since March 2011, Ishinomaki has seen ‘an influx of short-, mid-, and long-term volunteers and young ambitious individuals who have moved from urban areas to initiate their own revitalization or social business projects’ (Klien, 2016: 39). Many post-disaster initiatives were introduced including NGO’s, new creative labs, bars, restaurants and festivals including ‘Stand Up Week’ and The Reborn Art Festival.
The Reborn Art Festival was held for 51 days in Ishinomaki and Oshika Peninsula from 22nd July to 10th September 2017. Scheduled at a time when the region was going through a period of rebuilding, the organisers encouraged those visiting the festival to encounter new people and ideas that wouldn’t be found anywhere else in Japan. The event was not just about the reconstruction of the Tohoku region, but also a chance for visitors to reconstruct themselves (Reborn, 2017). The festival focused on 3 main themes; art, music and food, interlinked with local culture and the environment. Artworks were created by renowned artists from around the world in collaboration with domestic artists. Many artists developed work in situ, co-producing work with local citizens.
With a deep interest in cultural production, we decided to look at the role of art as a restorative or regenerative force in Ishinomaki. Art, beyond the agency of the artist is often used in such a way to actively regenerate areas (Coaffee and Cameron, 2005). It has been argued that public art can help develop a sense of identity, develop a sense of place, contribute to civic identity, address community needs, tackle social exclusion, promote social change and act as an educational tool (Hall and Robertson, 2010).
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Reborn Art Festival Promotion
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Ishinomaki is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture. It was devastated by the triple disaster of March 2011. Before the event, like many ‘communities on the edge’, the town faced depopulation through aging, internal migration and economic stagnation. Since March 2011, Ishinomaki has seen ‘an influx of short-, mid-, and long-term volunteers and young ambitious individuals who have moved from urban areas to initiate their own revitalization or social business projects’ (Klien, 2016: 39). Many post-disaster initiatives were introduced including NGO’s, new creative labs, bars, restaurants and festivals including ‘Stand Up Week’ and The Reborn Art Festival.
The Reborn Art Festival was held for 51 days in Ishinomaki and Oshika Peninsula from 22nd July to 10th September 2017. Scheduled at a time when the region was going through a period of rebuilding, the organisers encouraged those visiting the festival to encounter new people and ideas that wouldn’t be found anywhere else in Japan. The event was not just about the reconstruction of the Tohoku region, but also a chance for visitors to reconstruct themselves (Reborn, 2017). The festival focused on 3 main themes; art, music and food, interlinked with local culture and the environment. Artworks were created by renowned artists from around the world in collaboration with domestic artists. Many artists developed work in situ, co-producing work with local citizens.
Much
like other initiatives in the area, it reverberated the idea of newness and
sustainability, capturing flows of the creative classes seeking to
reject the salaryman lifestyle of Tokyo. The base of volunteers was 44% from Tokohu whilst 38% of volunteers arrived from the Kanto region. The vocabulary of those moving to Ishinomaki were of ‘‘quality of
life’, ‘perspective’, ‘responsibility’, ‘contribution
to the community’, ‘social business’, and the notion of ‘being part of a whole’ (Klien, 2016: 48). Through the condition of tabula rasa, Ishinomaki was able to promote a re-thinking of established ideas, in large part due to a paradigm shift, departing from a classical economic growth
model to embracing the more precarious, networked economy based on sharing
and getting by, for improved life quality, more self-determination and a higher
purpose. This is key to the success of the initiative, blending locals, non-locals, different social strata, traditional and progressive thinking.
Ishinomaki,
unlike other areas hit by the disaster appeared to capture something in the
Japanese mentality, ‘exude[ing] hope and dynamism’ (Klien, 2016: 42).
This energy and support wouldn’t have occurred at such an
extent or with such speed without the regenerative energy and optimism as a consequence of the disaster. Destruction and a consequent 'blank slate' encourages change and momentum through 'a positive atmosphere of change,
renewal, and innovation' (Klien, 2016: 44).
References
Cameron, S., and J. Coaffee (2005) Art, Gentrification and Regeneration – From Artist as Pioneer to Public Arts, International Journal of Housing Policy, 5, 1, 39-58.
Hall, T., and I. Robertson (2010) Public Art and Urban Regeneration: Advocacy, claims and critical debates, Landscape Research, 26, 1, 5-26.
Cameron, S., and J. Coaffee (2005) Art, Gentrification and Regeneration – From Artist as Pioneer to Public Arts, International Journal of Housing Policy, 5, 1, 39-58.
Hall, T., and I. Robertson (2010) Public Art and Urban Regeneration: Advocacy, claims and critical debates, Landscape Research, 26, 1, 5-26.
Klien, S. (2016) Reinventing Ishinomaki, Reinventing Japan? Creative Networks, Alternative Lifestyles and the Search for Quality of Life in Post-growth Japan, Japanese Studies, 36, 1, 39-60.
Reborn Art Festival. http://www.reborn-art-fes.jp/en/about/ Accessed: 21.12.2017
Wellman, B (1979) The Community Question: The Intimate Network of East Yorkers, American Journal of Sociology, 84, 5: 1201-1231.
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