The Northern Alps International Art Festival is being held in Shinano-Omachi, located in northern Nagano Prefecture, until July 30, 2017. Shinano-Omachi is located at the foot of the Northern Alps, a chain of 3,000-meter-high mountains. Surrounded by clear, icy meltwater and crisp air, the town has long flourished as a post town on the Chikuni Kaido road, also known as the "Salt Road." A total of 36 artists from Japan and abroad are exhibiting works based on the four themes of "water, wood, earth, and sky." Here, we introduce how to get around and what to see to enjoy the Northern Alps International Art Festival in early summer.


●The theme is "Water, Trees, Earth, and Sky"


"The first thing I felt when I visited Shinano-Omachi was the overwhelming flow of water. It was the presence of the various natural elements that have shaped this archipelago," says Kitagawa Fram, General Director of the Northern Alps International Art Festival. The festival is set on the Itoigawa-Shizuoka Tectonic Line, on the western edge of the Fossa Magna. To the west lies the vast Northern Alps, and to the east a series of thousand-meter-high mountains, with the Takase River and Kashima River flowing in a basin sandwiched between the mountains. The artworks are installed in a variety of locations, including dams, lakes, river headwaters, mountains and valleys, and urban areas, and Director Kitagawa says, "We have gathered 100 artists, each with their own unique works that we have never seen before." True to his words, you can see witty, layered works that completely change the atmosphere of the space.



●Enjoy five areas over two days and one night
The artworks are installed in five areas: 1) City Area, 2) Dam Area, 3) Nishina Sanko Area, 4) Source Area, and 5) Higashiyama Area. You can see everything in two days by bus tour, with one day going east and one day going west (you will need to stop off in the city area before or after the bus tour).
You can also plan your own itinerary by combining the shuttle bus (which travels through areas 2, 3, and 4; 5-8 times a day), the shuttle taxi (which travels through area 5; 5 times a day), and rental bicycles.
First, check the latest information at the information center in front of Shinano-Omachi Station and then start your trip. Here we will introduce the highlights of the Northern Alps International Art Festival, following a two-day, one-night itinerary from the official guidebook.


●1) Higashiyama Area - A magnificent panorama of the Northern Alps and a small mountain village

The Higashiyama area is divided into two areas: Takagariyama Summit, which offers a panoramic view of the Northern Alps and the entire Shinano-Omachi region, and Yasaka, also with its intricate web of mountains and valleys. A total of seven artworks can be viewed here.

First, head to the summit of Takagariyama. From the observation deck, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Northern Alps and the entire Shinano-Omachi region. "This is the first view I would like people to see as an introduction to the art festival," says Director Kitagawa.


This view caught the attention of the artist group "Me," who transformed an old vacant house on the summit into the Shinano Omachi Jikkeisha. "Me" member Minamigawa Kenji says, "When I saw the view for the first time, I immediately said, 'Let me do it here.' I wanted people to encounter this view, which is so sudden, yet so materialistic and overwhelming." As viewers are drawn through the artwork, they suddenly encounter a number of mysterious landscapes. Fellow member Asuka Kojin commented, "It's like an optical illusion, where the scenery seems to approach you even though it's far away. But the space itself is spacious. I hope that visitors will calm their excitement as they explore the artwork and enjoy the scenery in a relaxed atmosphere."


Tomoko Fuse's 《Takagari: Dry Landscape Garden with Infinite Folding》, exhibited in a vacant storefront on the same Mount Takagari, is astonishing with its overwhelming sculptural power, overturning the very notion of origami. Its form is almost like a living thing. The infinite possibilities that can be born from a single flat piece of paper are mind-boggling.


In the small village of Yasaka, home to just three households, Swiss artist Felice Varini has created a spatial painting, "Ellipse for the Village." Walking down a gentle slope, irregular fragments of yellow lines catch your eye. Approaching one of the few remaining houses and stopping at a certain point, a geometric pattern unfolding in concentric circles appears, as if the world suddenly regains its coherence. The geometric pattern, with its overwhelming presence, seems to signify that the village is the center of the universe.



"Northern Alps International Art Festival" Guide - Continue to Part 2/3 of the Shinano Omachi Summer Art Trip...