“Forest Path/Room of a forest path” is the one artwork that I basically missed. I heard something about it from the tour guide when I was on Oshima but I couldn’t understand him completely, or enough to realize what he was saying. Seizo Tashima created Forest Path and honestly I had a hard time just seeing it as being a type of artwork/park. There are actually 2 parts to this artwork but you really need to learn about them beforehand to understand what you will see.
Forest Path
From what I understand, Forest Path is a small garden between two dormitories. It was not really interesting because a lot of the plants seem to have died or were in need of time to grow properly. It looked mostly like a dirt patch, but unless I am making a mistake, it wasn’t something that I would care for again. If I get a chance, I’d like to try to see the Forest Path more honestly in the future.
Room of a forest path
The second part of the installation is an actual installation. “Room of a forest path” takes place in the southern most dormitory and it was actually hard to tell what it was. It was part of another installation by Seizo Tashima which made me very confused. The “Room of a forest path” is basically a collection of seeds and leaves and displayed in the residence. It was really nice to see but with the limited time I had, I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked.
Room of a forest path
“Forest Path/Room of a forest path” is a curious work that would have been a lot better with more information. Even with a little research, it is hard to understand what is what before you go. I definitely missed parts of the art and with the timing of everything so it was difficult to truly appreciate everything on the island.
Room of a forest path
Information
- Forest Path/Room of a forest path (Official Setouchi Triennale Site)
- Seizo Tashima (Official Site – Mostly Japanese)