SHA-KO-SEKI in Futaba
I have created 300 "SHA-KO-SEKI", themed on the sea in Futaba-machi, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. This project was part of the "Messenger in Residence" program organized by Team Hiraku Futaba for the fiscal year 2023. I visited the site at the end of February and then created the pieces in my atelier. This town was one of the areas that had been designated as a difficult-to-return zone and off-limits for nearly 11 years due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident that occurred in March 2011. Many people suddenly lost their homes and had to leave this place. I decided to create a work of art based on the theme of the sea in order to provide them with emotional support, even if only in a small way. I decided to install the finished this works in a facility in town. Not only former residents of the town, but also anyone who visits the town can exchange letters with the artwork, writing about their memories of the town. I hope that many people will know about the present situation and the future of Futaba Town through this artwork.
SHA-KO-SEKI in Futaba
I created 300 SHA-KO-SEKI based on the sea of Futaba, Fukushima. The project was part of the 2023 Messenger in Residence program organized by TEAM HIRAKU FUTABA. I researched the area at the end of February and then produced the works in my studio. Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident of March 2011, Futaba was one of the areas designated as a difficult-to-return zone and closed to entry for nearly eleven years. Many people suddenly lost their hometown and had to leave. Wanting, in however small a way, to deliver a work that could support them, I chose the town's sea as my subject. The completed works were installed at a facility in Futaba, where former residents and anyone visiting the town could exchange a letter about a memory of Futaba for one work. Through this project, I hope more people will learn about Futaba's present situation and its future.
Episode
Futaba Town, once bustling with life, became deserted after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. I must confess, I remained oblivious to the gravity of the situation until I was invited to join this program.
Recently, I visited Koriyama Beach, just a short drive east from Futaba Station. The once lively sandy shore facing the Pacific Ocean now appeared somber, with its darkened hue, and the sea wore a tense, leaden color. This beach used to be a summer destination for families, a place for daily strolls, perhaps even a site for heartfelt promises. Many were abruptly forced to abandon such cherished memories, and there are still those who cannot or choose not to return home. Witnessing this, I couldn't simply turn a blind eye. A sense of loneliness and sorrow enveloped me as I captured moments with my camera.
"Don't forget your hometown's sea. Even if you wander far, it will always watch over you. Don't worry." These words echo the sentiments of the townsfolk who reluctantly left their beloved shores. I felt a calling to this sea, to create and share artwork that could offer solace to their weary hearts.
Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, Futaba was one of the areas placed under an evacuation order and closed to entry for more than twelve years. Until I was invited to this program, I am ashamed to say that I knew nothing of its history or current situation.
For my research I visited Koriyama Beach, about a ten-minute drive east of Futaba Station. Facing the Pacific, the sand was dark and the sea a taut, steely gray. Families may once have come here to swim in summer; some people may have walked here every day, and others may have made private vows in this place. Many were suddenly forced to leave a landscape filled with such memories, and even now there are people who cannot return—or have chosen not to return—to their hometown. Feeling a loneliness and sorrow that could never be dismissed as someone else's concern, I pressed the camera shutter.
“Please do not forget the sea of your hometown. Even if you go far away, this sea will watch over you. You will be all right.” I felt called to this sea in order to create and deliver a work that might offer support to the townspeople who, despite their wishes, had been forced to leave this place.
Fieldwork
[About the location of the artwork]
The artwork will be installed in the old Futaba Station building around May 2024. You can take one of the artworks home in exchange for a letter you write about your memories of this town at the site. Please fill out the designated form and drop the letter in the dedicated box. Your letter may be included in a collection of my work and shown to the public. Please understand this beforehand. For more information, please contact the Hirak Futaba Secretariat.
Hirak Futaba Secretariat
E-mail: info@hiraku-futaba.jp
Website: https://www.hiraku-futaba.jp
About the Installation Location
The works are scheduled to be installed inside the former Futaba Station building around May 2024. Visitors may take home one work in exchange for a letter describing a memory of the town. Please write your letter on the designated form and place it in the box provided. Submitted letters may be included in a publication and made public. Thank you for your understanding. For details, contact the HIRAKU FUTABA office.
HIRAKU FUTABA Office
E-mail：info@hiraku-futaba.jp
Website: https://www.hiraku-futaba.jp