Kyu Banke Jutaku

Kyu Banke Jutaku, an enormous wooden structure, is a testament to old Omi merchants’ glory. It’s one of the main sightseeing spots in the old town of Omi Hachiman, where many tourists on tour buses visit in the season. This area is designated as Traditional Architecture Preservation District, where architecture from the modern and contemporary history mix with vestiges of the castle town by Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

Choe U Ram, Kenji Shimada

Inside the building there was a huge, mechanical steel flower on the earthen floor. This is a work by a Korean artist Choe U Ram, and has been set up as imaginary creature sucking energy of the city to enlarge. Also, there was Kenji Shimada‘s work underneath. This collaboration was called NARA meaning “city” in Korean, and brought up tales of of an episode in which the Korean Embassy was eager to stay in Omi Hachiman even if it meant straying from the route to Edo.

Akio Nishida

On the second floor, a curator of Japan Museum Contemporary Toy, Akio Nishida‘s wooden toys were in line. Visitors could touch them each in their own way.

Gabriela Morawetz, Pancho Quilici

A video installation visualizing an internal world was at the back of the geometric construction made of bamboo, cotton and red strings. This was a collaboration between Pancho Quilici who has a motif of geometric image and Gabriela Morawetz who expresses lyrical and internal world using various mediums including photography and video.

There were many other exhibits in the old town of Omi Hachiman. Jean-Pierre Tenshin was doing a retrospective exhibition of his past works at Kawara Museum where you could see Hachiman Kawara (roof tile) and traditional handicrafts in Omi Hachiman.

Yoshihiko Tatsumi

Along with a Hachiman moat between Kitari Tei and Kawara Museum, something like gill net was set up at a place that seemed unusable. Blue light started turning on at the evening. It was a work by Yoshihiko Tatsumi. Walking from Kitari Tei to the opposite of the old town, there was a cafe called Hamagura in an renovated old storehouse. Joze Slak who showed a work at Kanekichi Bettei was exhibiting another work here too.

Yuto Hirakakiuchi

Further way along with the moat, there was a tea space Saraku in another renovated old storehouse. Yuto Hirakakiuchi was exhibiting small work there, shooting a look at the climate of Biwako. There was also another work with the same theme, about 2m of photographs at Taneya.