When it was started in 2015 as the model project for the cultural program of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, TURN was proposed as an “art program for the disabled” in which many able-bodied and disabled people would be able to interact, creating and experiencing art and culture. However, what society should really be aiming for going forward is not an interchange of two separate kinds of people — able bodied or disabled — but the creation of a much richer relationship in which each person can recognize and respect the unique characteristics of others.
So with “interaction” now at this core of this art project to get people of different backgrounds and customs interacting and generating a variety of uniquely individual encounters, TURN aims to bring new cultural experiences to each and every unique individual.
The fundamental element of TURN is the Interactive Program. Artists visit different locations that cater to specific communities such as social welfare facilities and educational support centers, and interact with the people who use and support them. It does not involve the artists making “courtesy calls” or handling any of the medical treatment or education in the capacity of lecturer: it refers to a process of continual searching for moments of communication with the people they encounter and have dealings with.
Also being rolled out in various locations is TURN Fes, a festival where Exchange Programs from different regions are gathered under one roof, and the year-round activity hub initiative TURN Center (provisional).

Supervisor: Katsuhiko Hibino (Artist; Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts)
Project Director: Tsukasa Mori (Project Coordination Division Program Director, Arts Council Tokyo)
TURN Coordinator: Riko Okuyama (Arts Council Tokyo; Curator, Mizunoki Museum of Art, Kameoka)