Three intense days in Japan for the Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation invited by the EU-Japan Fest in Tokyo for the General Meeting held today at the Italian embassy. In the splendid setting made available thanks to the courtesy of Ambassador Giorgio Starace, eleven European capitals of culture, led by the delegations of Matera and Plovdiv, met the main Japanese companies that have supported the culture of their country for 26 years through the capital programmes themselves. After the presentation of the results obtained in 2018 in Leeuwarden and in Valletta, Matera and Plovdiv illustrated their projects for the current year. “Many thanks”, said Salvatore Adduce, president of the Foundation, “goes to the general secretary of the EU-Japan Fest, Shuji Kogi, for his tireless work of weaving between artists, companies and nations that we all consider an example". The director of the Foundation, Paolo Verri, highlighted the importance of always selecting new artistic experiences and allowing them to mingle with local realities, “as will happen thanks to the EU-Japan Passport project that will bring over 50 artists to Matera, of which 5 will be put into the official programme of our event".
Among the names read out by Alberto Giordano, Goodwill Ambassador of the Foundation for relations with Japan, Takashi Kuribayashi, Hisashi Watanabe, Kaori Kato stand out in particular. “But my favourite is obviously the architect Gakutoshi Kojima, the creator of great works in his country, a professor at the University of Tokyo and a very young participant in 1974 in the ideas competition for the Sassi Districts of Matera, from which dozens of suggestions were put forward for the future of the city that is today the European Capital of Culture".
Professor Kojima will be in Matera in the spring and will hold two conferences on the city, one in Tokyo and one in Matera, where he will also take part in a residence and workshops.
The Japanese-themed days also made it possible to meet over 70 operators from the world of tourism invited by the Italian Embassy and by Enit Tokyo to enter into discussions with the Foundation and the Basilicata Chamber of Commerce represented by the President Michele Somma. In addition, two work sessions were held: one with over 300 artists organised by EU-Japan Fest - a Pecha Kucha Night in which, in 5 minutes and 20 slides, the 11 capitals offered a new view of their work, and one with the artists from the collective teamLab with which there are plans to collaborate in the future.
"For a city as small as Matera, it is an incredible opportunity to be here to represent Italy and Europe", Verri said in his address. Italy and Japan have been twinned for a long time. Both based on tradition and innovation, on beauty and design, on culture and nature, they are the ideal setting for hosting large events and to underline how the history of cities is treated with pride and faith in our community of citizens. Now we bring a very important message from the small city of Matera to a global audience: even if we have been called in the recent past 'Italy's shame', even if we are not totally connected by the national railways - but we are 90 minutes from Rome and 120 from London airport - let's try to give answers to two important contemporary questions: Is it possible to produce locally, in a small place in the Mediterranean South, some new cultural masterpieces made directly by the citizens? Can overtourism be treated positively with a different model of engagement? We think so. In close collaboration with other European capitals of culture, with the institutions of Brussels, with our national government and a partner such as EU-Japan Fest we are carrying out more than 90 original projects that are obviously visible and tangible in Matera, but that we have already planned to circulate around the world for the next three years. We are proud to have learned this lesson from EU-Japan Fest: if you want to enlarge and improve your economic network, use your cultural resources to the fullest".