The Room inside a Room by Oscar Oiwa is a magical work. The concept, as it says, is a room that is inside a room. The artwork isn’t very big but it is something that requires a lot of time to enjoy. It can be difficult to spend a lot of time with the artwork because there just isn’t a lot of space to do so. I was really happy to see it but also sad that I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I would have loved.
The Room inside a Room
The Room inside a Room (Entrance)
When you enter The Room inside a Room, you go through a very short hallway before you get a glimpse of the room. The entire house was still being remodeled during the summer 2016 Setouchi Triennale and may be finished in time for the 2019 Triennale. For now, Oscar Oiwa’s work occupies a single room. When you enter, the magic hits you as you feel as if you have been turned sideways. The artwork is literally a room that has been turned sideways, like most trick art rooms. The main difference here is that he is not really doing anything special with the room aside from keeping it very traditional looking.
The room inside of the room by Oscar Oiwa (Sideways)
The Room inside a Room (Natural)
The main feature of the room is the boards for the closet. The boards have a beautiful image of Meon, the ferry that brings you to Ogijima, crossing the sea. The image itself looks normal but the image also has a secret image within it. The sea is not so much a sea but it is also an octopus! I was never good with seeing hidden images so it took me a while to see this, but when I saw it I was happy to see it.
Details of The Room inside a Room
The Royal Family inside The Room inside a Room
The room itself doesn’t take a long time to see but in order to enjoy it you really need the room to yourself. When I went, there were about 3 other people there and it was too many. The maximum should be 2 per visit but at the same time, it isn’t hard to let more people in either. It just gets hard to take photos as you are only allowed into a small section of the room.
The Room inside a Room (Sideways)
I really hope this is a permanent exhibit and I do hope they will expand on the building. It is a great site and there is a lot of potential in the house. With the growth of Ogijima, I can understand how it may be getting hard to find more locations for the art, but I really hope they can keep expanding and that I can keep enjoying the artwork in the future.
Information
- The Room inside a Room (Official Setouchi Triennale Site)
- The Room inside a Room (Official Oscar Oiwa YouTube Chanel)
- Oscar Oiwa Studio (Official Site)
I can’t tell you how much I love this piece.
Also, I feel I’ve been privileged with this artwork many times.
First, I went to that house (well, the courtyard really) well before it becomes a work of art (there was a small workshop for the locals being held in the small community room next door). Actually, I even photographed the house during my very first visit of the island in 2009.
Finally, I have the privilege to be one of the first persons to have visited it, before opening day in 2016, with the best possible guide (may I plug in the post where I talk about it, the important part is the video : https://setouchiexplorer.com/setouchi-triennale-ogijima-preview/ )
And I agree with you, two or three is the maximum to fully enjoy the piece (they limit it to six, I think).
Actually, while I hadn’t visited it in almost a year, I went two weeks ago, and went there straight from the ferry to be sure I was the first one, well more important, the only one, to visit it at that moment – the Koebi-tai volunteer hadn’t even finished setting up his desk 😉 )
It was nice.
Concerning the future of the artwork, it is set to be permanent. Will the rest of the space in the house be used? I have no official information about it, and Oscar is not very loquacious when talking about future projects, however I deduced that it’s a thought, but nothing more at the moment.
Concerning availability of houses for future projects, I was talking about it with friends living on the island the other day (not about availability for art, but for moving to the island) and the fact is that the number of available houses will increase, no matter what, because of the simple and sad fact that older people will die eventually.
Actually, I always assumed that there were houses for art and houses for future residents, but the difference is quite porous. The house that was used for Water Mirror in 2013 is now occupied by a family who moved in last year. (which makes me realize that I always thought one house used in 2010 and which hasn’t been since appealed to me greatly back then 😉 )
I can’t tell you how jealous I am that you can visit it so often. 😉
Feel free to plug your site. That is where I get some of my information. I did read that one but can’t remember if I commented or not.
For the house availability, that is true. I think more and more of those houses will become available for various things such as more new residents or for artwork. As you said, people move in to old art houses because it is available. Hard to say which will be available for what in the future. Hopefully retirement is kind enough to let you have a place to call your own on that island in the future. 🙂
Actually, I hadn’t been in a year.
The first years I lived around here, I tended to visit a lot of the art a few times a year, but not as much anymore. Especially on Ogijima, I only go when I have friends visiting or such (with of course the exception of Onba Factory).
On the other islands, where I go more rarely, it depends… It depends why I’m on the island that day and how much free time I have basically.
For example, this Saturday, I’ll be on Teshima for the matsuri, I’d like to see an artwork or two afterwards, but as I will probably be there with both kids, it may be difficult. Probably just a drink at Shima Kitchen.
Concerning the houses on Ogijima, I hope I’ll get one before I retire. Actually I almost got one last May. I’ll give you the details in private if you want, but basically it required some renovation and as we were getting our new house in Takamatsu this summer, that wasn’t very realistic to get two new houses at the same time (mostly in terms of budget, but also in available time to take care of them).
I figured it is not so easy to visit the art, especially when you have to pay to visit each one. With the kids and all, it can’t be cheap.
As of the writing of this, you must be on Teshima enjoying the matsuri, but with the rain, not sure how enjoyable it is.
It seems somewhat impractical to get a house on Ogijima when you work in Takamatsu. Not impossible but impractical due to the ferry times. If you had your own boat and a place to moor it in both areas, then it might be feasible as you can just pilot it back to Ogijima after a night out. Drinking excluded. Hope the budget allows that second house in the future. Ogijima may not be great, investment wise, but it would be a nice place to retire.
Actually, it’s free for the kids (ferry is free until you’re 6, the art is free until you’re 15 or so), but it sometimes is difficult to enjoy it with them.
Hana really goes through phases, sometimes she really enjoys the art and learns about it, some other times, she couldn’t care less.
Unfortunately I’m not on Teshima and I’m very sad about it. I hesitated until the last minute, but the rain was quite bad this morning, of course, now, it’s alright (but the matsuri is ending about right now).
If it was on a closer and easier island to access I would have gone, but that was too much trouble.
Now, I can’t miss it next year, after that I can’t see it for another 5 years (that’s the one and only downside of my current job, I can’t take days off when I want)
Living on Ogijima and commuting to Takamatsu every day is not really convenient indeed (I don’t think anyone does, although I think some people do it from Megijima).
Having your own boat makes it more convenient, but still a bit unpractical (especially when the weather is bad).
If I get a house there, it’ll really be for week-ends and such, unless I can move there for good, but my wife doesn’t want to live there full time, so…
It’s always nice when kids are free for anything. I’m sure Hana has enough fun at Onba Cafe anyways. You can enjoy art while the aunties keep an eye on her, no? Well, I know it isn’t nice to burden them with her, especially with all the new kids there these days.
Too bad about the festival. I figured the rain would be a wild card to not going though.
A weekend house would be lovely, but impractical for sure. Maybe a French B&B? 😉