How was Cooperation with the Local Community Achieved?

Careful communicationCareful communication

In any community, there are players who have supported the local arts and culture, and careful communication is essential for a successful collaboration between the everyday, permanent activities rooted in one location and the temporary, out-of-the-ordinary nature of an art festival.
There have been instances in past editions of サイアフ where the Secretariat was criticized for not providing a sufficient level of support when collaborating with multiple arts and culture venues and organizations.In any community, there are players who have supported the local arts and culture, and careful communication is essential for a successful collaboration between the everyday, permanent activities rooted in one location and the temporary, out-of-the-ordinary nature of an art festival.
There have been instances in past editions of SIAF where the Secretariat was criticized for not providing a sufficient level of support when collaborating with multiple arts and culture venues and organizations.

Building complementary relationshipsBuilding complementary relationships

Therefore, for サイアフ2024, the open calls and collaborative projects were narrowed down to a more manageable 28 programs. サイアフ is an art festival primarily centered around exhibitions, but the open calls and collaborative projects allowed for a more diverse range of programs.
These programs featured theater arts themed around welfare, a concert with live electronics, an exhibition showcasing both contemporary and traditional Ainu culture, an initiative in recycling the materials used in exhibitions, outdoor displays using snow and ice unique to northern winters, and a mini ski jumping tournament, to name a few. The inclusion of such genres that cannot be fully covered in the main art festival attracted a wide range of interest from the public. Consequently, a public meeting was organized to foster mutual understanding among those involved in the selected programs, as were visits from the Director and stage talks. These activities were then promoted on サイアフ’s social media platforms, offering publicity support and gaining media attention.
There was also an emphasis on in-person meetings and conversations to create a sense of being “a real part of the festival team.” Director OGAWA utilized his entire stay in Sapporo to visit every open call and collaborative project. Activities such as stage talks and award ceremony judging were also implemented to deepen the collaborative nature of the festival.Therefore, for SIAF2024, the open calls and collaborative projects were narrowed down to a more manageable 28 programs. SIAF is an art festival primarily centered around exhibitions, but the open calls and collaborative projects allowed for a more diverse range of programs.
These programs featured theater arts themed around welfare, a concert with live electronics, an exhibition showcasing both contemporary and traditional Ainu culture, an initiative in recycling the materials used in exhibitions, outdoor displays using snow and ice unique to northern winters, and a mini ski jumping tournament, to name a few. The inclusion of such genres that cannot be fully covered in the main art festival attracted a wide range of interest from the public. Consequently, a public meeting was organized to foster mutual understanding among those involved in the selected programs, as were visits from the Director and stage talks. These activities were then promoted on SIAF’s social media platforms, offering publicity support and gaining media attention.
There was also an emphasis on in-person meetings and conversations to create a sense of being “a real part of the festival team.” Director OGAWA utilized his entire stay in Sapporo to visit every open call and collaborative project. Activities such as stage talks and award ceremony judging were also implemented to deepen the collaborative nature of the festival.

Providing a theme and encouraging new creationsProviding a theme and encouraging new creations

The title for open calls, “Let’s Upaste” was driven by the motivation to jointly create サイアフ with the local community. Upaste is the sub-theme for サイアフ2024 in the Ainu language, deriving from the term Upas, meaning ”snow.” It encapsulates the idea of “running together into the future while we recognize one another.” By focusing on the keyword “future” in the open calls, the aim was to encourage community members to contemplate their visions of the future and inspire new actions. Having a common theme permeating the art festival and open calls was valuable in the sense that both the Director and curators of the art festival, alongside the local community, were able to address current societal challenges and Sapporo’s regionality from numerous angles with their own standpoints and values.The title for open calls, “Let’s Upaste!!” was driven by the motivation to jointly create SIAF with the local community. Upaste is the sub-theme for SIAF2024 in the Ainu language, deriving from the term Upas, meaning ”snow.” It encapsulates the idea of “running together into the future while we recognize one another.” By focusing on the keyword “future” in the open calls, the aim was to encourage community members to contemplate their visions of the future and inspire new actions. Having a common theme permeating the art festival and open calls was valuable in the sense that both the Director and curators of the art festival, alongside the local community, were able to address current societal challenges and Sapporo’s regionality from numerous angles with their own standpoints and values.