A sumptuous banquet, a party on top of a mountain and a drum performance concluded the events on the summer session of the Setouchi Triennale 2016, held in Seto Inland Sea last September 4.

Also known as the Setouichi International Art Festival, this triennale displays Japanese and foreign artworks three times a year, every three years. This art event happens every spring, summer and autumn in all the islands comprising the Seto Inland Sea. The said location is a body of water bordered by the main islands of Japan: Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.

For the closing day of the summer session, the theatre group, Yubiwa Hotel, performed their last set of “Sanuki Banquet,” a historical, cultural and environmental performance about the people of the old province in Shikoku Island. It was held at the Takamatsu Port Area wherein local dishes were served afterwards.

Another artist group, Nadegata Instant Party, set up a stage onto Mt. Danyama in Teshima Island. Their performances for the whole summer aimed to rediscover the forgotten magic of the mountain.

Seppuku Pistols, a traditional Japanese music performance group. 
Photo from the official website of Setouichi Triennale.

The musical group, Seppuku Pistols wore farm clothing as they filled the islands of Seto Inland Sea with creative beats using the taiko drums, the shamisen or the Japanese three-stringed lute and other traditional instruments. The group also utilized a boat that took them into an island-hopping musical adventure in Seto Inland Sea.

All these fun and excitement through art materialized to bring back the lost magic of the inland sea. The area used to be a center of trade and transportation because of the number of active ports in the area. But as modernity crept in, together with the aging population of the islands, the sheen of the islands seemed to fade away.

This event is actually an effort from the Setouchi Triennale Executive Committee, not only to honor the artists of Japan and the world, but also to bring back the glamour and the magic of the Seto Inland Sea. This festival has aimed to increase the tourism in the area to help the residents reclaim their fame.

"Chinu - the Black Sea Bream of Uno.” Made from empty can, PET bottles and other recyclable materials, 
this art installation is created by the group called Yogogawa-Technique. 
Photo from the official website of Setouichi Triennale.

Being an art festival, some of the Japanese artists who participated are Keisuke Yamaguchi from Hyogo, Nobuho Nagasawa from Tokyo and Yume Akasaka, among others. Artworks from Germany, France, Australia, Italy and other countries were also distributed among the islands of the inland sea.

These creations can still be enjoyed during the last leg of the event, which will happen this autumn starting October 8 until November 6. For entrance fees, accessibilities and other details, you may check their official website here.

(The article image is the “Voyage through the Void,” an art installation by Nobuho Nagasawa. Photo from the official website of Setouichi Triennale 2016.)