Showcases

Date:
October 29 (Tue) – November 3 (Sun, National Holiday)
Venue:
Hall B5 / Lobby Gallery

In the Lobby Gallery, a variety of programs expressing "Culture and Home" will be showcased, including exhibitions of works by artists from Japan and abroad, workshops, film screenings, talk events, and Rakugo performances.
An opening performance will be held at Hall B5 on November 1, following the opening ceremony.

Photo of works in the showcase. There is a white tree-like tube in the center, from which white paper is blown out and scattered. Artist Yasuhiro Suzuki's work “Blinking Leaves”

“Blinking Leaves“ Square Event
Courtesy of SPIRAL/Wacoal Art Center
©Katsuhiro Ichikawa

Opening Performance

  • Date and Time: November 1 (Fri), 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
  • Venue: Hall B5

Kyle Kihira is a unique pianist with an abundance of sensitivity. Known for his performance of music for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and composition of film music, he will open the international conference with his original tone and skillful performance.

Performer
Portrait of Kihira Kyle. A young man with short black hair. He is dressed in white, facing forward.
Kyle Kihira
  • Pianist
  • Composer
©Yuji Ueno

Lobby Gallery
Floor Map

  • 08~13
    Artwork Exhibition
  • 14~15
    Talks, Screenings, and More
  • 16~18
    Equipment Exhibition and Experience
  • 19~20
    Networking
  • 01~07
    Communication Lab

Artwork Exhibition

08Sachi Hasegawa (Sculptor)

  • Stone Sculpture Works

The tactile experience of the work—its texture, size, temperature, and weight—is something one can only understand by touch. Is there a difference between the visual experience of a work of art and its tactile experience? Experience sculptures not just visually but also through touch.
Exhibited Work: "rope" and others

09-1Yasuhiro Suzuki (Artist)

  • Artworks

Yasuhiro Suzuki is an artist known for questioning the way we see the world through works that give fresh perspectives on familiar, everyday events. His work "Blinking Leaves" features eyes drawn on leaves that spin and flutter down. As these blinking moments cascade before your eyes, you realize there are times when you're not truly seeing, even as you look, revealing the precariousness of perception.
Exhibited Works: "Blinking Leaves," "Underfoot Observation Deck," and others

10Katsuya Ise (Artist)

  • Knitted Works

Since 2017, Katsuya Ise has been involved in the TURN Program at the welfare facility "Nishiogi Fureai no Ie," creating knitted works together with elderly residents. The life-size humanoid figures reflect the artist's acceptance of mistakes, such as missed stitches, as part of the creative process, and serve as a record of his interaction with the elderly participants.
Exhibited Works: "Freestyle knitting Macaroni / Body"

11Learn About "Creative Well-being Tokyo"

  • Panel Exhibition

This exhibition showcases the progress and future outlook of the "Creative Well-being Tokyo" project, undertaken by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture.

12Carmen Papalia × Coco Tape

  • Photography and Film Work

This exhibition documents the experiences of artist Carmen Papalia using the product "Coco Tape," a tool designed to guide visually impaired individuals, during his stay in Japan. It also highlights differences in accessibility approaches between Japan and Canada. The exhibition further explores his thoughts as a non-visual artist.
Photography: Hajime Kato (Photographer), Yasuhiro Moriuchii (Filmmaker/RAKUDA STUDIO)
Cooperation: PLAYWORKS, Tokyo Arts and Space (TOKAS) Residency

13Accessibility Initiatives

  • Photography Works

The photography series introduces accessibility improvement efforts being promoted by Tokyo Metropolitan Cultural Facilities across all of its facilities.
The image shows backstage tours of the Tokyo Bun-ka Kaikan using assistive technology, concerts at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater that accommodate guide dogs, and "FLAT DAY" at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum where parents with infants can enjoy exhibitions together. Other facilities, including these, ensure that people from all walks of life can access and engage with arts and culture, regardless of their circumstances.
Photography: Masanori Ikeda (Photographer)

Talks, Screenings, and More

09-2Yasuhiro Suzuki: "Poems of Likes and Dislikes Workshop"

  • Workshop

"What do you like? What do you dislike?" This workshop begins by asking participants these questions. Participants' answers will be compiled into a collaborative poem. The poem will be displayed on the wall, allowing everyone to contribute to the creation of the artwork. Of course, one person's like could be another person's dislike, and vice versa. Through this activity, participants will experience a world where the meaning and value of likes and dislikes shift, challenging the certainty of their own feelings.

*Workshop for everyone to create a “Poem of likes and dislikes” with the artist while engaging in dialogue. Reservations required
Date and time: October 29 (Tue) and October 30 (Wed), 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. each
Venue: Conference Room G505 Target age: 15 years old and up
Capacity: 15 people for each session

14What is "TURN LAND"? Welfare Facility × Art Project

  • Report

October 29 (Tue), 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
The "TURN LAND Program" involves welfare facilities and social support organizations collaborating with artists on art projects. The Yanaka no Okatte Association, which operates the program in collaboration with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Arts Council Tokyo, will discuss the changes art can bring to welfare facilities based on real-life examples. The project will also introduce innovative management methods as an art project office and approaches to providing information accessibility.
Report by: Emi Tomizuka Program Director of TURN LAND PROGRAM

  • Standing Room Available

14Efforts to Improve Web Accessibility

  • Report

October 29 (Tue), 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Cultural facilities and arts organizations are increasingly being called upon to improve web accessibility. This report will introduce the process of improving web accessibility and share insights from practical experience on the future of web design.
Report by: Shunya Hagiwara, Risei Sato / Shunsuke Sakurai, Arts Council Tokyo

  • Standing Room Available
  • JSL interpretation

14Screening and Talk: Documentary "Homescape Dialogue"

  • Screening and Talk

October 30 (Wed), 3:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
A documentary exploring the concept of "home" for people with overseas roots who are living and working in Japan. This ambitious documentary features interviews with three individuals who left their home countries and now live in Japan, asking them what "home" means to them. After the screening, there will be a discussion with the director and guest speaker Takashi Serizawa (P3 art and environment director) and Tae Yoshihara.
Director: Yuji Sakamoto

  • Standing Room Available
  • JSL interpretation

14Screening and Talk: Documentary "Utau Kanata"

  • Screening and Talk

November 1 (Fri), 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
"When I first came here, I couldn't tell who had a disability and who was a staff member," people recall with a smile. This documentary follows the everyday lives of the people at "Mugiwara-ya," a disability welfare service workshop in Maebashi City, Gunma, as the director explores the relationship between people, the world, and visual representation. A talk with the director will follow the screening.
Director: Itaru Matsui
(15: During Mugiwara-ya with Conova, a live video connection project between Mugiwara-ya and the venue will be held.)

  • Standing Room Available
  • JSL interpretation

14International State of Accessibility

  • Lecture

November 1 (Fri), 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Linda Rocco, an observer and member of the production team for "My World, Your World," which is being held on the same floor, will report on international accessibility issues, focusing primarily on Europe. She will also share stories related to this exhibition.
Speaker: Linda Rocco, etc.
*EN/JP interpretation

  • Standing Room Available

14Shokichi Shunputei: Rakugo Performance

  • Rakugo

November 1 (Fri), 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
November 2 (Sat), 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
*JSL interpretation
November 3 (Sun, National Holiday) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
*JSL interpretation
A rakugo performance by a storyteller who is involved in creating picture books that can be enjoyed by the visually impaired, as well as promoting universal design for rakugo. The performance will be part of "Rakugo Space Ochiba," a project designed to immerse people in rakugo within the city.
Program: Shibahama
Cooperation: ADD.LIVE Architects + Rakugo Space Ochiba

  • Standing Room Available
  • JSL interpretation

15Mugiwara-ya with Conova

  • Live Video

A spatial connection product, "Conova," will be set up between the welfare service workshop "Mugiwara-ya" in Maebashi City and the Tokyo International Forum Lobby Gallery. The project will connect these two distant spaces, showing the art activities of Mugiwara-ya users and their interactions with the local community.
Cooperation: Yaginome, Tokyo University of the Arts , Snow Peak Solutions

Equipment Exhibition and Experience

16QD Laser

  • Equipment Exhibition and Experience

Experience "RETISSA ON HAND," a handheld retinal projection device that eliminates visual challenges and aims to enhance everyday life by projecting images directly onto the retina, unaffected by visual acuity.
Cooperation: QD Laser, Inc.

17FILLTUNE

  • Equipment Exhibition and Experience

Experience "FILLTUNE CLEAR," the only auditory support device proven effective for sensorineural hearing loss, offering fully wireless auditory assistance.
Cooperation: FILLTUNE, Inc.

18WHILL

  • Equipment Experience

Introducing "WHILL," a short-distance mobility device developed to create a comfortable and livable society, particularly in suburban areas where the number of elderly people facing difficulties with daily mobility, such as shopping, is expected to increase. This device requires no license and can be driven on sidewalks.
Cooperation: WHILL, Inc.