The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011.Great East Japan EarthquakeThe earthquake, described as a "once-in-a-thousand-years" event, had a significant impact on Tohoku, including Towada. Meanwhile, Oirase is home to a complex and diverse ecosystem shaped over "tens of thousands of years." The art festival was realized to express these various forms of time in the lands of Lake Towada and Oirase, and to present the relationship between this era and art, as well as future possibilities. A diverse group of artists participated under the direction of Hiroshi Fujiwara, the deputy director and artistic director of the Towada Art Center.



The exhibition features 13 artists, including filmmaker Marcus Coates, Shinpei Takeda, known for his works that use radioactively contaminated soil to create prints on silver halide photographic paper, and Naoko Miyagoshi, who has garnered attention for her works that visualize time, such as objects made of naphthalene that replicate everyday items. These works are presented in the Towada Art Center, which has individual exhibition rooms like houses, and in venues utilizing the natural environment of the great outdoors.

Furthermore, a book titled "Towada, Oirase: A Journey Through Water and Land," edited by Hiroki Sugawara and featuring new novels by emerging writers such as Sen Ishida, Masatsugu Ono, and Erika Kobayashi, along with a gravure spread of Towada Oirase photographed by Naoya Hatakeyama, has also been published.



The "Towada Oirase Art Festival" allows visitors to experience the "time" expressed in the artworks, as well as the flow of "time" inherent in the locations of Oirase Gorge and Lake Towada, through various art forms including music and novels, not just visual art. It is an ideal destination to enjoy the autumn art season amidst scenery that transitions from autumn foliage to the first snow.