Talk
Post 3.11: What Can Art Do? Four Years On: Art and the Disaster
28 May 2015
Event times
from 6:30pm
Cost of entry
Free (booking essential - https://www.freewordcentre.com/events/detail/post-3.11-what-can-art-do)
60 Farringdon Road
Address
- 60 Farringdon Road
- London
United Kingdom - EC1R 3GA
- United Kingdom
Post 3.11 is a series of talks showcasing the activities of artists who through various ways, have been engaged with the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the Tohoku region of Japan. The series aims to re-examine the role of artists and art in the aftermath of such unprecedented events.
About
Four years have now passed since 3.11 and despite a new phase beginning in the areas affected, there are still a great number of problems to overcome. Marking the fourth anniversary of the disaster, the fourth session of this talk series will look into artists’ interactions with the affected areas a few years on, as opposed to the immediate response. Considering particularly the context of the ‘post’ aftermath, what does it mean for artists and cultural sectors to be involved at this stage, and what can they achieve themselves?
Broadening the focal point from specifically 3.11 to more global and historical events, the event will also explore how artists can be engaged once time has passed and the dust has settled, fundamentally questioning ‘what can art do’.
Panellists:
Yoi Kawakubo is an emerging artist and photographer, who has been tracing the social and historical impact of the disaster and subsequent nuclear meltdown through his artistic practice. Kawakubo’s interests lie in the themes of the ontology of photography and the boundaries of the medium. Kawakubo was selected as the Art Action UK residency artist for 2015 and will exhibit his work at the solo exhibition To Tell a (hi)Story at the Husk Gallery, Limehouse, London from 16 -30 May 2015.
Prof David Alexander is Professor at the Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction at University College London, and teaches emergency planning and management. Prof Alexander’s research interests include the relationship between the culture and the disaster in the aftermath, focusing on how cultural activities have contributed to the recovery of the disaster. Prof Alexander has conducted research into the Tohoku area and other global areas where disasters have struck.
Eiko Honda is a curator and Fellow of Overseas Study Programme for Artists, Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs. Her recent projects include Noodles Against the Machine: the Politics of Food and Artists’ Resistance in Contemporary Japan (2014), Unlocking the Diary: The Archiving of Nameless Memories (2014) and NOW&FUTURE: JAPAN (2012). She is currently working on Meiji-era naturalist Minakata Kumagusu and his relation to ecological thought today.
Dr Majella Munro is a writer and consultant with expertise on modern and contemporary Asian art. Dr Munro is currently completing a research monograph ‘Close to Nature? Japanese Artists and the Environment from Hiroshima to Fukushima’ focusing on Japanese contemporary artists’ response to 3.11.
Kaori Homma (chair) is Associate Lecturer at University of Arts London a coordinator of Art Action UK, a collection of artists, curators, gallerists and writers who are exploring various means to show solidarity and support for people who have been affected by disasters. The 2011 Japanese earthquake, tsunami and subsequent Fukushima nuclear fallout has been the catalyst for AAUK's activities.
Date:28 May 2015 from 6.30pm
Booking:
This event is free to attend but booking is essential. To book a place, please visit:https://freewordcentre.com/events/detail/post-3.11-what-can-art-do
Image: When the mist takes off the suns, 2014 © Yoi Kawakubo
