Through the courtesy of the University of Melbourne’s "Asialink" and the Japan Foundation, I was able to attend the "Australia Japan Visual Arts Forum" in Sydney (6/16-17 at the Australian Council for the Arts). The one-and-a-half-day event was held behind closed doors, with - as the title suggests - participants from the Australian and Japanese art circles. The approximately 30 attendees included representatives from organizations supporting artistic activities, public officials in charge of cultural affairs, museum directors, curators, and artists participating in the current Biennale of Sydney.
Frankly speaking, I wasn't expecting too much when I left Japan for Australia. Although there was plenty of time and, as most speakers delivered their speeches in English, no need for consecutive interpretation, a conference with 30 participants just can't be excessively fruitful. Nonetheless, thanks to the almost magical way moderator Alison Carroll, Asialink’s Arts Program director, navigated the event, it was much more than an occasion for simple exchange of diplomatic remarks. Our subjects of discussion were in fact a concrete, substantial and realistic cooperation plans. Playing the roles of a generous mother and an exacting teacher (or trainer) at once, Carroll cut an amazing figure as she reprimanded, encouraged and invigorated the round.
The event started off with overviews of the present state of things in the Australian and Japanese art scenes from each participant’s own point of view, presented along with problem points and strategy suggestions for future operations. Following were four section meetings in which concrete issues were individually discussed. Each of us had to talk about three of the following five topics.
1: Issues for artists in Australia and Japan.
2: Issues for visual arts organizations/institutions in both countries.
3: Collaboration between Australia and Japan in the visual arts.
4: The global position for Australia and Japan in the visual arts - considering the power of US/Europe/China.
5: Regional leadership: rest of Asia Pacific.
Considering the participants' positions, these were all perfectly appropriate issues to discuss. However, with myself being the odd one out as the only participant who is not involved in the "making" of art exhibitions, I was the only one who contributed opinions from the "appreciating" side. Based on their recognition of the current situation from the "making" point of view, all other speakers raised issues related to "making", and made proposals aimed at improvements in the "making" process. I myself on the other hand spoke from my "appreciating" perspective about how I am seeing the current state of affairs, raised issues related to "appreciation", and made proposals aimed at improvements in "appreciation" habits. What I proposed was the establishment of a website for better mutual understanding, and a system designed to cultivate not creators but "spectators". The latter idea I'd like to explain a little more in detail.
In recent years, various fields of artistic expression have been experiencing a dramatic decrease in inventive, original works, while childish, short performance sort of activities have come to dominate the scene. There is almost a trend toward something like a defiant attitude defending such "childishness" that can be observed. Among the many reasons for this that seem plausible, the biggest is perhaps the fact that young creators are lacking opportunities to encounter previous generations' accomplishments and outstanding efforts of their contemporaries. While the situation might be still tolerable in the realms of film, music, literature and architecture, I wonder if the boys and girls have ever heard about Noh, Bunraku or Kabuki… Or how about Shakespeare and Beckett? Pina Bausch or William Forsythe anyone? Been to the Venice Biennale or Documenta?
Up to now, individuals aspiring to become artists have carved out their own original styles in a rather orthodox course of history, based on their experiences as a viewer, listener, reader, or in some cases, reviewer. In this sense, training competent "recipients" (audiences) able to appreciate what they get from the "senders" (creators) is certainly a pressing issue that in my view has to be tackled even before nurturing artists. A connoisseur can contribute to the revitalization of various aspects of the cultural scene, and may ultimately even play a leading part in it himself.
With this idea in mind, I proposed the establishment of an "audience-in-residence" (as opposed to "artist-in-residence") program. Venues for audience residencies would of course be cinemas, museums, galleries, theatres and concert halls. There would be a public call for entries, and a few students who send in the most ambitious applications would be selected and given a list of works they should watch and listen to. They would be given the chance to do so, if necessary in the form of free tickets to otherwise overprized and unaffordable shows, and if possible, even in the form of free airplane tickets and accommodation when traveling to festivals and other occasions abroad. Over the period of one year, the students would be sent to about 100 compulsory events, and asked to write several reviews every month. Particularly well-written reviews would be published on REALTOKYO.
If the program was limited to just a handful of people, expenses involved would be manageable, and if one thought of it as a contribution to the art and culture scene ten, twenty years from now, it would be invaluable also in terms of cost efficiency. "Guidance" from experts will supposedly come and spread naturally as soon as the project is made public on RT, and by publishing reviews, the program’s ripple effect would expand also to the realms of criticism and discussion. Australia and Japan seems to me like the perfect ground for a test run…
As expected, the proposal (especially also the name, "audience-in-residence") proved greatly popular, and to be honest, it’s an idea that has been spooking around in my head for quite some time. At the end of my article in volume 150 of this column (titled "Vanishing Classics"), I wrote, "I hope and pray that this nightmare scenery [the vanishing of classics] may never come true, and I'm already thinking about ways to help avoid it." One of these "ways" is the audience support system. I have already contacted eight experts with the request to join a central committee, and all of them agreed. In order to secure financial resources, we are currently applying for a certain subsidy program. Even in case we don't obtain the necessary funds, I'm confident enough to launch it as my own personal project.
My above-mentioned idea for the setup of a website evolved into a plan for the building of an archive that would cover Australia and Japan at first, and ultimately the entire Asia-Pacific region, with the aim to enhance the mutual understanding of all involved nations' art historical backgrounds. This would go nicely hand in hand with the audience support program. All this is part of an attempt to achieve with a minimal budget a maximum effect in a mission to rescue some tradition and carry it safely into the future. It goes without saying that each of these two projects cannot take off without at least a tiny budget, and as a representative of the "appreciating" front, I honestly ask private and corporate persons alike for their support.
Ozaki Tetsuya / Editor in chief / REALTOKYO