Together with Matsudo city, whose aim is to become a “creative city” supporting creators and artists, Matsudo International Science Art Festival acts as a citizen-led innovative platform to transform the city into a global case model.
In the age of uncertainty, we aim to nurture our creativity by learning about the affluent future that each of us envisions, the power of imagination from the arts, the technology that makes it possible from science, and sustainability from nature.
This is an innovative citizen-led festival that can be a starting point to test out our possible futures. This is a place of celebration where everyone in the city can experience, test, and discuss their future while trying to do something a little differently than we usually do. As the idea of Matsudo-based artists and several local members involved in creative activities, we started Matsudo International Science Art Festival by consulting the city, saying “we want to create a festival.” We aim to create a place where people can get new ideas and hints from “science” and “art”, feel intrigued by the near future, and try out their proposals.
It is we, ourselves, who create the place. Anyone who loves the city can participate in the festival. Even if they are not living there or not from there, they can bring what they are good at and create something together. This is a DIY festival where citizens, shop owners, companies, schools, and public administration come and work together. Through that process, we hope to nurture an ecosystem (community) in which we can appreciate each other in a non-hierarchical environment while living in harmony with nature.
Having a history of providing lodging, with many inns and hotels, Matsudo has a relaxed atmosphere which is great for testing new ideas, and for people to come and go with an understanding of hosting people from outside the city or the country. Matsudo also reserves Tojo-tei House (important cultural property), the place of tradition and innovation by Akitake Tokugawa, who was one of the global pioneers, always paid attention to new cultures and technologies and incorporated them into people’s lives, as well as creators’ flourishing communities who inherit Tokugawa’s legacy.
While preserving the city’s significant spiritual climate, interacting with technology and art, and bringing nature closer to the people, this festival is an annual event to try out what people want to do through collaborations. Encouraging people to try something outside of the box, the festival offers an opportunity to celebrate challenges and interact within Matsudo, mingle with each other, and transform.
