Central East Tokyo × Tokyo Artpoint Project
CET090718

Date: 2009.7.18 Sat 11:00〜24:00
Venue: Offices, stores and galleries in Kanda, Bakurocho, Asakusabashi and Nihonbashi (CET area) and others

CET area tour by Real Tokyo Estate
Exhibition of the works by CET related artists

Central East Tokyo（CET）, the annual composite festival of art, design and architecture, collaborates with Tokyo Artpoint Project! CET, aiming to regenerate hollowed urban spaces emerged in the crevice of major commercial development, has named Kanda, Bakurocho, Asakusabashi and Nihonbashi area as CET area and recruited studios, galleries, stores and offices as well as organizing annual festival to develop a unique and exciting neighborhood. The members of CET acknowledge that the neighborhood of vacant buildings without energy has been altered gradually.

For this 1DAY event, exhibitions and lectures at galleries, cafes, offices and refurbishing buildings within the area, party on the blocked street by the local neighborhood association x CET, "LIFE ON BOARD@CET" cruising and various other events were took place.

Agata / Takesawa bldg. where "Gallery αM" and art café "Bakurocho ART+EAT" locate. Area map was given out at ASYL BSMT, the information center. CET's painting division, Jun Tsuzuki, Naoki Sato, Magic Kobayashi, Masanori Ikeda and Hitoshi Odajima organized a painting exhibition, and Yoshihide Otomo's "ENSEMBLES 09" were held in the same building.

CET area developed as wholesale district since old days. However the number of vacant buildings has been increased. Today, often creators tenant old buildings and renovate the spaces for their studios and offices. "Open office" gave us the opportunity to look into such creative spaces utilizing characteristic of old buildings, such as ex-textile wholesale store or ex-milk shop. "PIT STOCK", developer specialized in renovation, opened the renovated building, originally a scarf wholesale store built in 1961 and now used as residence as well as office spaces, to the public. Grand floor is the gallery space "GALLERY PISTA" where juniors of Kogakuin University exhibited their concepts for "Tokyo Museum". Inspired by bidding to host Olympic in 2016, "TOKYO APPEAL 2016 by Kogakuin Univ." introduced the students' ideas to turn Tokyo into more attractive city. Their provocative proposals for the use of city spaces were quite energetic and impressive.

Recently, many contemporary art galleries have moved to this area as well. A number of participants visited galleries like TARO NASU, moved from Roppongi in 2008, and Roentgenwerke on this occasion. The walking tour by Real Tokyo Estate gave an introduction of the aspects of this profound area. The tour visited the spaces they produced, including just opened "Gallery αM", contemporary art gallery run by Musashino Art University, Agata / Takesawa bldg. where "Bakurocho ART+EAT" locates and wholesaler street in Bakurocho. By actually walking around the area, the participants were able to see how the town is changing on their own eyes.

At "CET09 OPEN MEETING", Tsukasa Mori, director of Tokyo Artpoint Project, joined CET'S director team and discussed the potential of CET area and direction for the future programs. Orientation for "Shikkai-ya", newly launched internship program hosted by Tokyo Culture Creation Project and Community Art Funabashi, and "Tokyo Artpoint Project" lecture also took place. The guest speakers for the lecture were Daisuke Kishii, playwright as well as director of PLAYWORKS, Takashi Usui from Artists in the Children's Center, and Junko Kumakura, professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. Kishii and Usui shared their thoughts from their own experience of working in Tokyo ("What's the Tokyo art scene needs" by Kishii / "To create artists presence" by Usui). Kumakura, in accordance with her contributed essay, introduced the community art in England as a case study for "radical community art". Also mentioning to Kim Ito's "Oyaji Café" at "Festival Tokyo 09 Spring", she brought up the question: what type of radical community art would develop and be accepted in Japan.



"CET09 OPEN MEETING" took place in the refurbishing building When night falls, with the cooperation of the local neighborhood association, the street in front of Agata / Takesawa bldg. was blocked, and then, party started. DJ and VJ performance comfortably cooled down the heat of the participants who had walked around the area all day. We are hoping that the participants were able to discover and realize the charm of CET area through this 1DAY event. There was a strong sense of new community developing among local residents and creators who recently moved in the area to work, interacting and utilizing old buildings and resources. We will continue to aim to establish artistic and creative livelihood in Tokyo urban space.