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Special
Report: Kids Workshop: Midwinter Stars in the Midsummer Sky, Night Birds in the Midday Sky
As part of the Program to Develop the Sensitivity of the Next Generation of Leaders, Hara Museum ARC organized three bus tours, the first of which was a workshop led by one of the artists featured in the then-current exhibition, Kazz Sasaguchi. This one was for children during summer vacation in July. To prepare, Sasaguchi made several trips to the museum, but a decision was made at the last moment to postpone the workshop out of consideration for the safety and concern of the participants about the new wave of Covid.
After reconsideration of the timing, number of participants and safety conditions of the venue, the event was set for September 4. A call was sent out once again for participants consisting of parent-child pairs (one adult and one child). On the day of the event, a shuttle bus took participants from Tokyo to Hara Museum ARC where they toured the exhibition and attended the workshop.
Held in two parts under the theme, “Midwinter Stars in the Midsummer Sky, Night Birds in the Midday Sky,” the first part was a workshop in which “midwinter constellations” created by Sasaguchi were superimposed on the midsummer sky. The other was a workshop in which “night birds” that fly without notice in the sky were created and displayed under the mid-day sun. The inspiration for the workshops came from the fact that they were originally planned for the summer vacation season and the title of the then-current exhibition, Grasping at Clouds.
The participants created their “night birds” in pairs consisting of parent and child, or adult and child. Using paper and wire, they were asked to create birds shaped the way they imagine birds who were unseen but certainly present would look like. The body, wings, beaks and overall size of the birds took shape amidst lively discussions about such things as “What do they eat?” and “Are their wings big?”
Once the completed “night birds” were set up in the front garden of the museum, the children had the chance to run around like “night birds” under the “midwinter constellations,” flapping their wings under the midday sky as visions of a world unseen ran through their heads.
Event Information
Date and Time: September 4 (Sunday), 2022 8:00 am (departure from Tokyo) to 19:30 (return to Tokyo)
Venue: Hara Museum ARC
Target: From 4th grade to junior high school-age students
Number of participants: 18
Supported by: MRA Foundation
Instructor: Kazz Sasaguchi