ART
Discovering Art Along the School Route
“Art Takaramichi”
About the Name “Art Takaramichi”
The name was chosen to embody the following hopes.
● A Treasure for the Community
By walking along a school route lined with art every day, we hope children will naturally become familiar with contemporary art and develop a sense of connection to it. We also hope that the artworks will become treasures of the community, cherished and cared for by everyone.
● Like a Treasure Hunt
For those walking along this route for the first time, we hope they will enjoy searching for the artworks as though they were on a treasure hunt—and experience a delightful sense of surprise each time they encounter one.
● Treasured Memories
We hope that the memories of the children who walk this school route will become treasures in their own right. Someday, when they are adults and look back on this time, we hope they will think, “I grew up in a town filled with art.”
Artist: KUBO Hiroko Artwork Title: Orion Stars
The three figures seated on a small hill represent Setouchi’s calm “sea,” mild “climate,” and lush green “land.”
Their forms are modeled after seabirds that can move freely among the three realms of sea, sky, and land.
The colored ceramic tiles covering the figures were carefully applied by hand.
In ancient times, people used the three stars of Orion as a navigational guide at sea. The title expresses the hope that, like stars that have shone since ancient times, the work will long serve as a guide for this place and become a presence remembered in people’s everyday lives.
(KUBO Hiroko)
Artist: ASAI Yusuke Artwork Title: Back-to-Back
The ceramic beast and human, joined back-to-back as two sides of a single whole, stand above countless tiles, some of which incorporate soil from Tsuneishi. Within the circular space, the work reveals different expressions depending on the viewing angle, time of day, and season.
Every tile in the work is unique—the only one of its kind in the world. Each features a different motif and was individually fired by hand, making it extremely delicate.
Please find a favorite and look at it with the same care as if you were gently caressing it.
(ASAI Yusuke)
Artist: ASAI Yusuke Artwork Title: Playing Tag / Whispering
As you view the work, you also see the townscape reflected in the mirror. By painting narrative images on convex traffic mirrors—objects that stand like symbols watching over the town—the work awakens the imagination hidden within everyday life. I hope it will invite viewers to rediscover the landscape as it slowly changes over time, as well as themselves reflected within it.
(ASAI Yusuke)
Artist: SAIJO Akane Artwork Title: Kernos Garden
In Tsuneishi, a seaside town blessed with a warm climate, many varieties of fruit trees grow.
In ancient Greece, people are said to have placed offerings of fruit, flowers, seeds, and other items in an earthenware vessel called a “kernos,” composed of many interconnected containers, and prayed for the crops of the land to flourish.
I created this work as a prayer for the fruits of this land—and all food and living things—to grow and thrive. I also envisioned it as a plaza-like space where adults and children could gather.
The twelve openings around the outside of the work all connect to the large opening at its center. Bring someone along, let your voices resonate through the work, and listen to one another.
(SAIJO Akane)
Artist: TAKEDA Kiyoaki Artwork Title: A Vessel for Art
Tsuneishi lies between the sea and the mountains, with many winding narrow roads and areas of rugged terrain. Scattered throughout the town are plots where construction is difficult and which have therefore remained unused.
The project combines two aims: to create a school route where local residents can encounter works of art as part of their daily lives, and to make use of these roadside sites.
(TAKEDA Kiyoaki)
