<Date and time>　
Saturday, November 4, 2023, 14:00-17:00

<Location>　
Hybrid (Keizo Saji Memorial Hall, 10th floor, Osaka University Nakanoshima Center  + Online Webinar)

<Program>
-Greetings
Takuo Dome, Osaka University SSI Director
　　Title: “About the Inochi Forum and Inochi Declaration”
– Chorus 
Tokyo Children’s Ensemble
– Topic provided by
　Yusuke Wajima  (Professor, Graduate School of Humanities, Osaka University)
　　Icebreaker before the presentation of the topic
　Kikukawa Jo (Representative Director of El Sistema Japan)
　　“A cohesive society where everyone is free and can express their creativity: Nurturing the next generation through music”
　　(Activity introduction site  https://www.elsistemajapan.org/  )
　Koto Sato (Social Welfare) L’Arche Kana House Director/Facility Director)
　　L’Arche Kana House Conveying Gifts to People with Intellectual Disabilities”
　　(Activity introduction site https://larchejapankana.localinfo.jp/ )
　Daisuke Suzuki (Representative Director and CEO, Art Rogue Co., Ltd. ) )
　　“Using the Expo as an opportunity to hold the Osaka Kansai International Art Festival as a growth strategy for Osaka and Kansai”
　　(Activity introduction site  https://www.artlogue.org/ )
　Fumiko Matsumoto (Osaka University, Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Global Engineering) Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Institutional Researcher, National Museum of Ethnology)
　　“The power of empathy fostered by art projects: From creativity and tolerance to creative inheritance”
　　(Activity introduction site  https://www.ayakomatsumoto.com/ )
– Panel
　　Panel discussion

*Click on the title to watch the video.

Event report

November 4th (Saturday), Kick-off of the Citizens Circle of the Inochi Forum The 1st Inochi Empathy Festival “A door to a bright future, feel the “inochi” through art” will be held in an online hybrid with Keizo Saji Memorial Hall, 10th floor, Osaka University Nakanoshima Center. There were 90 people at the venue and 38 people online, including SSI Director Professor Takuo Domome and the topic speakers. A summary is reported below.

Takuo Dome, Director of SSI, Osaka University “From SSI to Inochi Forum and Inochi Declaration”

Presenting an image of a mutual assistance society of “Capable” and “Vulnerable” and providing an overview of the Inochi Forum and Declaration
→ Holding a place to “feel” inochi through art

Chorus by Tokyo Children’s Ensemble

A wonderful chorus where the children helped each other and sang together.

Moderator: Yusuke Wajima (Professor, Graduate School of Humanities, Osaka University) Breaking the ice before presenting the topic

Musicology: Study of the places of music and dance as human activities ⇔ Music as an art
he boundaries between performers and audiences, created traditions (Enka) and local culture (as possession, boogie-woogie)
→ Not “things” Music as action, social interaction, ritual, and celebration (eg Brazilian carnival)
“Let life become a celebration”: Anyone can dance in the crowd

Jo Kikukawa (Representative Director of El Sistema Japan) “A cohesive society where everyone is free and can express their creativity: Nurturing the next generation through music”

El Sistema: Ideal music education system (everyone can participate, ensemble playing is given priority)
Developing unique PG programs around the world; Responding to unique social issues in each region;
apan, which started in the disaster-stricken area with a mix of national and private sectors: Anyone Free participation, co-creation and art, children’s rights and dignity, emphasis on stakeholders and local communities (ownership), collaboration with schools and governments → collaboration with the world ⇒ Creating a
free and democratic place where no one is left behind, children → Parents → Community → World
*Five beliefs: Joy, Care, Dignity, Artistry, Responsibility
Issues: Local areas within local areas, extracurricular activities (from school to local area), Minorities → Experience gaps

Koto Sato (Director and Facility Director, Social Welfare Corporation L’Arche Kana no Ie) “L’Arche Kana no Ie Conveying the Gifts of People with Intellectual Disabilities”

Interaction between able-bodied people and people with disabilities (friends): Eating and praying together → Changes due to mutual relationships
Learning “value” through interaction with “friends”, meaning of weakness, support/supported + friendship
(video) Activities that all friends can participate in: band, dance, physical expression, global cooperation

Daisuke Suzuki (CEO, Art Rogue Co., Ltd.) “Using the Expo as a growth strategy for Osaka and Kansai to host the Osaka Kansai International Art Festival”

Art Log: Support from the administrative and financial world aiming for social inclusion and eliminating regional disparities
Japan: Recognition of the importance of art ⇔ Small art market (less than 1% of the world), Tokyo-centric
social issues and indifference →
A proposal for the Osaka Kansai International Art Festival, which takes advantage of the Expo as an opportunity for change , expressing the power of the artist as a canary in the coal mine, and expressing issues (and economic scale)
→ An art fair that is not only a place to view, but also a place to “buy” International expansion
: Encouraging repeat visitors to the Expo, diplomacy through art festivals, economic effects
→ Utilizing the Expo as an accelerator for the future: Towards the future as Osaka, an international art city
← From the Edo period to the Meiji and Taisho eras
Creating jobs and employment once again in the flourishing Kamigata culture : Creation of art-related jobs is necessary to become an international art city

Fumiko Matsumoto (Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Department of Global Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Institutional Researcher, National Museum of Ethnology) “The power of empathy fostered by art projects: From creativity and tolerance to creative inheritance”

Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial Tsumari Triennale: An art festival in an aging/marginal village attracts many visitors and conveys the beauty of the region and nature → Interest in community development through art Transformation of community development and
art project: Quantitative → Qualitative development, economic, social, and cultural value
→ How to achieve social (problem solving) and cultural (identity) value
Social impact: Social and environmental changes produced by investment, empathy
* GCI: Aiming for technology, talent, and tolerance, Japan is a value index of tolerance >>> Self-expression index
Codesign that transcends differences: Empathy between the feelings and problem awareness of the author and himself (viewer)
← Creative inheritance: (Natural) Landscapes, etc.) Existence of a group of works that revive traces of beautiful dreams
⇒ Tolerance (acceptance of differences and weaknesses), creativity (small/valued by overlooking), creative inheritance

Panel discussion

◆Who are you working for? (Who will benefit from it? What is the value for?)
Kikukawa: Our activities are primarily for children. On top of that, the whole local community, including the child’s school and family, can be involved as a matter of their own (⇔Culture and atmosphere for the inner circle of cultural and art circles, competition for children)
Sato: We are the only ones who are like us. I don’t know what to say, but L’Arche is a place where friends take the initiative. Suzuki: (In response to the question that there is often the possibility of becoming a speculation target for wealthy people in the Global North) If we can spread the power and value that we can mysteriously learn from our friends more widely in society, we
can communicate with real people. I want to expand while doing so. Regarding the relationship between social inclusion, social issues, and art, we first discuss the problem of “poor working conditions,” the creation of a place for artists who cannot make a living (there is a fear of a speculative market in the future), and the use of profits earned in the world market to local communities. The cycle of giving back to the community is also important → Establishing the foundation of industry
Matsumoto: When we start (local) community development and art, what artists’ ideas and works reveal and invigorate are the representations of local suffering. The power of. Not only the revitalization of the region (in a developmental sense), but also the digging up of the past. However, in order to achieve this, it is important to note that unless the work is powerful, it will not be able to create a ripple effect.Wajima
: Despite the convenience of the word and framework of art, there are things that are overlooked. Rather, there is a possibility of transformation by hacking the word art and making full use of it.

◆Strategies for sustainability
Matsumoto: All human activities can be art. Activities in various fields can be turned into art by utilizing soft aspects (utilization of agriculture and civil engineering at Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale)
Suzuki: You are truly the one who uses art to the fullest. The producer’s job is to figure out how to create connections with society and the economy. At that time, we focused on regional characteristics and the political and business world, which were originally outside of consideration (the more we do it, the more we move away from art)
Sato: The creativity of art is used to attract people to the field of welfare, where it is difficult for people to enter. Kikukawa wants to make use of his strengths
: I started from scratch by providing support in the disaster-stricken areas, and at first I thought that El Sistema would not be possible in Japan ← Originally, Japan was blessed with a good environment for music education (school education + extracurricular activities) + music school) ⇔ Absence of the idea (rights, dignity, community) that lies at the origin of “music for everyone” → Strong infrastructure + solidify activities based on the ideas of El Sistema

◆ Mutual question
Sato: Feeling guilty about being active in a band in between running a social welfare corporation → Matsumoto, who is strong after being taught the importance of creativity (mainly by Mr. Matsumoto)
: The global expansion of L’Arche and Kana no Ie. What to do about the gap between developments
→ Sato: Searching for Japanese-ness and Japanese-style L’Arche, such as “Chindon Band” and “Bon Odori”
→ Kikukawa: Based on the base of El Sistema as an Inspire program, original composition classes etc. As we continue to develop this, I feel that El Sistema Japan’s activities are helping in areas where adults say “creativity is important,” but school education does not focus on the content. Suzuki
: Self-driving by establishing a new business model (very advanced in Australia and other countries) → How are you trying to do it as a manager?
→ Sato: As a social welfare corporation, we have to think more about management, but I’m not good at it. Structurally, if a lot of friends come, we will receive money (subsidies and disability pensions), so we have no choice but to make them aware of the value so that more people come. People in the welfare world aren’t good at money issues, but they want to think about what to do with the various products they make, such as soap, and if they could teach us,
→ Kikukawa: With top-notch teachers coming to visit us, we can create a structure that normally wouldn’t work. However, they are able to do so with the help of subsidies and assistance through collaboration with local governments and organizations. The only way to expand the circle of support is to tell as many people as possible that this is a wonderful program that will give you strength.

◆Asahi Shimbun from the floor
: The issue of tolerance regarding others. In Mr. Matsumoto’s presentation, he said that Japan has good tolerance, but I also felt that there is a gap with the problem of accepting foreigners in Japan, but I wonder if it is tolerance in a homogeneous community →
Matsumoto: This is the first time I have seen the numbers. I was surprised when I first met them, but at the same time, they have shown a high level of tolerance towards people once they are in the community. At that time, there are also high hurdles to enter. However, that is precisely why the ability to care for and understand others is a characteristic of Japan that can be spread around the world.The
word “dream” was not mentioned in today’s topic, but in order to move forward, I feel that “delusion” is necessary, but what do you think?
→ Wajima: At a social gathering. However, dreams that we all dream together can come true (John Lennon), so I want to use today as an opportunity to expand the circle of dreamers.

Summary of issues

The power of art as a human activity: How to expand the power of art in which everyone can participate + At the same time, bring art closer to society where it can support the lives of the people who bring the power of art
: The power of life An attempt to create a space where people can feel close to art in order to “feel” its power, and an attempt to make its value easier to understand. The point of view of connection with tradition and history
is also the world and region, universality and particularity: This is an issue that is also subject to personalization, and the connection with the power of local culture, nature, and history as a careful selection that leads to greater creativity → A message to the world once again
about the wonder and strength of “life = living”