Since the beginning of the year 2020, the earth has been covered by an unknown plague, a new coronavirus. All of us humans are trying to overcome a common difficulty. The coronavirus seems to be a warning that we should reconsider our coexistence with other living beings.

We are now at a turning point where we need to rethink our attitudes and practices from the ground up. Now is the time for activities such as “Spirit of North,” which seeks to understand each other’s positions and differences and to draw out the deepest resonance of the spirit.
In our exchange activities with Scotland in the UK this year, we were prevented by the Corona disaster from “meeting” in person, which is essential for exchange, and we are trying to find possible ways of exchange within this constraint.

Four Japanese with close ties to Tohoku and other northern countries, and four from Scotland, the northern part of the UK, have been paired one-on-one and have been in ongoing communication for six months. They are attempting to find a mentality that resonates with each other across the distance between the eastern and western fringes of the Eurasian continent, and to reflect what they gain from this in their work. Their expression will be the fruit of their communication, in which they sincerely seek to know each other because they are unable to meet.

As highlights of the exchange, please look forward to four events connecting venues in both countries, or connecting venues and artists’ studios online, as well as lectures and discussions at the symposium.