Can art be useful? Looking for connections in everyday life

Guests from Japan and abroad get together to join a conversation about the concept of “useful art.” The event is part of the “YCAM OpenLab 2022: The Ubiquitous Art Center” conference style event that is held with the aim to take a new look at art, research and development, and the position of public cultural facilities today.

Held as part of YCAM’s 20th anniversary program in October 2023, YCAM OpenLab 2022 functions as a platform for sharing views and opinions on the roles and functions of art centers as “places for generating and distributing knowledge,” in the form of discussions and displays. At this talk session that functions as a pre-event, participants exchange their own personal views on the concept and practical examples of “useful art.” While exploring the potential use of art as a tool in fields such as politics, economy, health and environment, they envision a model for art centers where such values are being generated. (Japanese-English simultaneous interpretaiton available)

[Keijiro Suzuki joins the discussion via video conference]