Close up of some of the art work that was featured at the festival; small photographs hanging along strings in the forest.

Okayama Forest Art Festival 2024

In autumn 2024, Okayama Prefecture hosted the Forest Festival of the Arts, an international celebration of art. The festival was held in the northern region of the prefecture spanning across 12 municipalities. The focus was centered around art as a medium to explore the natural beauty of the land, historical areas as well as foster ecological awareness.

The village was offered a chance to host our own smaller art event, which was called Shin-Shin San-San 森々燦々. The goal was to create a cultural space for both the community and visitors. The nature in and around the area provided the perfect backdrop and served as a reminder of how the community lives in such a rich natural environment.

The community, friends and neighbors all came together to celebrate an art experience that welcomed everyone to express themselves and immerse in both art and nature.

Shin-Shin San-San (森々燦々)

The team of Shin-Shin San-San put together a wonderful explanation of the kanji (traditional Chinese characters) as well as the exhibit's concept. The following is from the Shin-Shin San-San homepage:

“Shin” as in woodland 森.
“Shin” is the new 新 perspective with which we see someone else’s world.
“Shin” as in deepening 深 one’s understanding of different worlds around us.
“Shin” as in immersing 浸 oneself into someone else’s world.
“Shin” as in gradually spreading 滲 out and becoming one.

In each world, the sun is constantly shining so we went with 燦々”San-san”.

"We, as in plants and animals and people and all the microorganisms, swim through and enjoy each other’s woodland/world. We see our woodland not only as a physical space where trees grow but also where the worlds of each being come together and interact. This arts festival invites us (humans) to share our unique perspectives and raise awareness about insentient beings’ having their own worlds. For example, the way trees communicate with each other through their roots. Humans are encouraged to let our senses enter into and wander through worlds of different people and beings as if we are swimming and allowing the flow of our consciousness to take us wherever soaking up whatever comes into our being. Each individual’s, plant’s, and animal’s perspective is a window into a world we may have never known."