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Odawara Art Foundation Enoura Observatory Opens to the Public from October 9, 2017

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Odawara Art Foundation Enoura Observatory Opens to the Public from October 9, 2017 PRESS RELEASE May 2017 Media contact: [email protected] For general inquiry: [email protected] ODAWARA ART FOUNDATION ENOURA OBSERVATORY OPENS TO THE PUBLIC FROM OCTOBER 9, 2017 Odawara Art Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of its new home, the Enoura Observatory. After more than 10 years of planning, preparation and construction this multidisciplinary arts facility will open to the public on October 9 this year. The Enoura site, situated on a hilly citrus grove in the Kataura district of Odawara, offers breathtaking panoramic views of the Bay of Sagami. The facility was envisioned by contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto as a forum for disseminating art and culture both within Japan and to the world and will comprise a gallery space, two stages, a tea house, and other features that make the entire premise into a truly magnificent landscape. The foundation will exhibit a selection of Sugimoto’s artworks in the 100-meter gallery and present events and programs on the outside Stone Stage and Optical Glass Stage. The Odawara Art Foundation looks forward to welcoming many guests to the Enoura Observatory. Concept Throughout human history, art has embodied the pinnacle of our mental and spiritual evolution. When we first became self-aware beings, art commemorated this awakening in cave paintings. Later, art went on to manifest the forms of the divine, and splendidly symbolize the might of kings. Today, as we stand at a critical point in our evolution, art has lost its onetime clarity of purpose. What should art today express? We cannot answer this question simply, but what we can do is return to the wellspring of human consciousness, explore its sources, and chart the course it has followed thus far. This is the mission the Odawara Art Foundation had in mind when we designed Enoura Observatory. At the dawn of history, when the ancients first gained self-awareness, their first step was to search for and identify the place they occupied within the vastness of the starry firmament. This search for meaning and identity was also the primal force behind art. The winter solstice, when new life is reborn; the summer solstice, when the great pendulum of the seasons swings back again; the spring and autumn equinoxes, milestones at the midpoint between extremes. I believe that if we turn once more to our ancient observation of the heavens, we will find glimmers that point the way to our future. Hiroshi Sugimoto Founder, Odawara Art Foundation About Hiroshi Sugimoto Hiroshi Sugimoto’s signature practice spans the mediums of performing arts, photography, sculpture, installation and architecture. His art deals with history and temporal existence through a variety of subject matters He explores issues surrounding time, empiricism, and metaphysics that bridge eastern and western ideologies while examining the nature of perception and the origins of consciousness. Sugimoto was born in Tokyo in 1948 and moved to the U.S.A. in 1970. He has lived in New York City since 1974. In 2008, he founded the New Material Research Laboratory, an architectural design office, and in 2009 he established the Odawara Art Foundation. Sugimoto was awarded Mainichi Art Award in 1988, Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography in 2001, the 21st Praemium Imperiale in 2009, Medal with Purple Ribbon by the Japanese government in 2010, and conferred the Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (The Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government in 2013. 2 Enoura Observatory <Overview of Facilities> Site Address: 362-1 Enoura, Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan Owned by: Odawara Art Foundation Main purposes: Host cultural events, exhibitions and performances Concept by: Hiroshi Sugimoto Designed and supervised by: New Material Research Laboratory Detailed design and contract administration by: Tomoyuki Sakakida Architect and Associates Co., Ltd. Constructed by: Kajima Corporation Special support by: Japan Society, NY <Visitors’ Info> Open: Thursday - Tuesday Closed: Wednesday Visiting hours: Three entrance times a day from April to October / 10:00, 13:00, 16:00 Two entrance times a day from November to March / 11:00, 14:00 A limited number of guests will be allowed admittance at each entrance time. Each visit is for a maximum of 2 hours. The Observatory sits on 60,000 square meters of land. Only 10,000 square meters is developed land while the remaining 50,000 square meters is forest and farmland. For visitors to better experience the site and capture the feeling of the pre-modern era, we decided to limit the number of visitors admitted at a time. It is estimated that each person will enjoy approximately 760 square meters of personal space while exploring the site. All visits to the Enoura Observatory are by appointment only. Reservations can be made through the foundation’s website (http://www.odawara-af.com) after July 20, 2017. Admission: 3,240 yen *There will be no discount price for groups. *Due to the unique nature of the premises and for safety reasons, visitors must be twelve years or older. We thank you for your understanding. 3 Upcoming schedule for 2017: After July 1 Start accepting requests for media and interview requests on site by appointment Thursday, July 20 Enoura Observatory will begin accepting advanced online reservations for the general public Friday, October 6 Press preview at Enoura Observatory (tentative) Monday, October 9 Enoura Observatory’s first day open to the public (reservations required) More information can be found on the foundation’s website. Upcoming Exhibition: At the time of Enoura Observatory’s opening in October, 2017, works from Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Seascape series will be on view in the Summer Solstice Observation Gallery. Caribbean Sea, Jamaica, 1980 Sea of Japan, Oki, 1987 Boden Sea, Utwill, 1993 <Access> By train: The nearest train stations are Nebukawa Station or Manazuru Station (both on JR Tokaido Main Line) 1) Nebukawa Station on JR Tokaido Main Line Plans are being made for a shuttle bus to run between the station and the Observatory, which will take approximately 7 minutes. For those who prefer to go by foot, it takes 40-45 minutes up a mountain road. However, it is highly recommended that visitors use the shuttle bus or taxi. 2) Manazuru Station on JR Tokaido Main Line It is approximately 12 minutes by taxi from the station to the Observatory. By car: Parking is limited. Please book a parking spot when making a reservation for your visit. 4 Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Thoughts on Odawara I owe a lot to Odawara. For one thing, my earliest childhood memory is of the sea, seen from the window of the Shonan train running on the old Tokaido line from Atami to Odawara. When the train came out of the twin tunnels, there was the vast Pacific Ocean, extending away to a sharp horizon line that snapped my eyes wide open. In that moment I also awoke to the fact that I was me, and that I was here on this earth. I am fond of asking “What if…” about history. What if the Tokugawa shogunate had selected Odawara as its base of power instead of Edo? When the Tokugawa clan moved to the Kanto region around 1600 after the downfall of Odawara Castle at the hands of Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590, it seems that Odawara, formerly the seat of power of Kanto’s most powerful and prominent clan, the Hojo clan, would have been the most attractive site for the Tokugawa shogunate’s own castle. However, the first shogun, Ieyasu, chose Edo, then just a sleepy hamlet, no doubt because he wanted a clean slate for urban development. I am sure, however, that Odawara must have been a tempting option for Ieyasu, as there was already a magnificent castle there for the taking. If he had chosen it, today Odawara would be the capital of Japan, a thicket of skyscrapers rivaling Manhattan or Hong Kong, and what we call “Tokyo” would be nothing more than the middling, provincial bayside city of Edo. Personally, I am glad that Ieyasu made the decision he did. Had Odawara become the capital, its marvelous natural scenery would be utterly ruined, and I would not have had that primal encounter with the ocean as my first memory. As if guided by an unseen hand, I was drawn to this place of memories. In a sprawling mikan citrus grove in Enoura, I established the Odawara Art Foundation with the aim of conveying the essence of Japanese culture to a wider audience. While Odawara was passed over in favor of Tokyo as the site of Japan’s capital, Odawara has the potential to be the capital of communication of our culture to the world. This is because the unique character of Japanese culture, a continuous legacy dating back to the prehistoric Jomon period, has been the art of living in harmony with nature. The Japanese people developed a unique culture incorporating the worship of myriad deities and spirits of the natural realm. In today’s grim world of rampant materialism and consumerism, when so much of this natural splendor has been destroyed, it is the revival of these ancient Japanese traditions that we need most. 5 Architectural Overview by Hiroshi Sugimoto Backing onto the Hakone Mountains and overlooking Sagami Bay, the picturesque Enoura district of Odawara is an important natural heritage site. The Odawara Art Foundation’s complex, entitled Enoura Observatory, comprises multiple structures: an art gallery, a stone stage, an optical glass stage, a tea house, a garden, several gates and an offices block. Each of the structures incorporates traditional Japanese building styles and methods, bringing them to life to provide visitors with an overview of Japan’s architectural history.
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