Events

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TERAKKO Project "Ekidenart Festival"

Genre:
  • Art Project

Organizers of TERATOTERA, a diverse series of art events along the JR Chuo Line, will hold a one-day “Ekidenart Festival” art-meets-sports relay race event in October. From the starting point of Koenji Station, three teams of artists from various fields (Koji Yamazaki with Yoko Maekawa, Mineki Murata and Toyo Matsubara, plus Masahiro Satsuka) will take turns running a three-part relay course finishing at Nishi-Ogikubo Station, with each team creating/delivering an artwork or performance along the way.


What is “Ekidenart”?
Ekiden is a Japanese-style relay race in which runners cover sections of a course before passing a “tasuki” sash onto the next runner. Art refers to the arts in a general sense. “Ekidenart” is a combination of a relay race with art; participants run while they create art, or create art in between running stints, and then relay the tasuki. “Ekidenart Festival” will be implemented as part of the art project TERATOTERA connecting the stations of the JR Chuo Line, the train line forming the central line of the relay course. Participating artist-runners will practice their art forms such as painting, sculpture and performance while they complete the course that runs parallel to the Chuo Line. Why are we putting Ekiden and artists together like this? This is where the origin of the unique Japanese sport we call Ekiden, and the current situation of the messy business we call art are related.

The overall details of what is probably the world’s first Ekidenart Festival has not yet been revealed. But either way, if the day comes when this event is widely known and the world has come to recognize its significance, the Ekidenart Festival could turn into a familiar leisure pursuit for people at the weekend, for example. Nor is it difficult to imagine there being an Intercity Ekidenart Festival, or an Ekidenart World Tournament.
The pioneering Ekidenart Festival is being held on Saturday, October 13, 2018. There will be three teams of runners for this landmark first event. We will let you know the implementation guidelines at a later date. (TERAKKO iwaosho)

The TERAKKO project
The aim of programs under this project is the cultivation of future leaders to implement and run art projects. Volunteer staff known as TERAKKO gain practical knowledge of the process and skills involved in art projects from planning to fruition, through progress management, operation etc. This year we will implement the “Ekidenart Festival” relay race initiative combining sports and art, with Odori-nembutsu dancing/chanting on the shopping street of Asagaya.

Artists

【Koji Yamazaki + Yoko Maekawa】

【Mineki Murata × Toyo Matsubara】

【Masahiro Satsuka】

Contact

TERATOTERA office
TEL: 090-4737-4798
E-mail: info@teratotera.jp

Venues

Between JR Chuo Line Koenji and Nishi-ogikubo stations (Planned)

Credit

Organized by
Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture), Ongoing (General Incorporated Association)