The 1996 Global Youth Exchange (GYE) Program
1. General theme :
"Visual Arts and Technology in the Twenty-first Century"
2. Date :
25 February-10 March 1996 (15 days)
3. Venues :
Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka
4. Participants :
53 persons from 35 countries, including Japan, and one region.
Note: The figure inside the parentheses shows the number of participants from that country. No figure indicates one participant.
Indonesia (2), Philippines (2), Singapore, Thailand (2), China (2), Hong Kong (2), Taiwan, Republic of Korea, India (2), Brunei, Myanmar, Australia, New Zealand, USA (4), Canada, Mexico, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Iceland, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Japan (9)
5. Content of Program
(1) Discussions and public symposium
This year's program focused on the theme, "Visual Arts and Technology in the Twenty-first Century." First, three group discussions were held at a Tokyo hotel. Then, a public symposium was held in Tokyo on 9 March at the United Nations University to summarize these earlier sessions. The symposium enjoyed the participation of Mr. Kenji Eno, Game Creator, as keynote speaker.
A) Discussions in Tokyo (5-7 March)
The participants listened to lecturers speak on the theme of each session and then broke up into three groups for discussions. Opening the session was Ms. Machiko Satonaka, Cartoonist, who delivered a keynote address on how Japanese cartoons and animated films used the artistic sensitivity of film to develop, touching upon other aspects of the aesthetics and the history of cartoons.
(i) Session 1: "The Impact of Visual Arts and Technology on Culture"
Lecturer: Dr. Hiroshi Komatsu, Film historian
Dr. Komatsu described the advent of cinema in Japan, focusing on its introduction as an art form and introduced the current response to cinema of the Japanese people.
In discussion groups, participants talked about the issues of production funding, securing funds, the effect of contents on production companies and distributors, the effect of film producer-technician alliances on sales and distribution and other topics.
After the group sessions, a silent film was screened with live narration by Ms. Midori Sawato.
(ii) Session 2: "Fostering Visual Arts Supporters-An Investigation of the Creators and the Audience"
Morning Lecturer: Xie Fei, Film Director/Professor, Beijing Film Academy Professor Xie spoke about how essential it was for filmmakers to continue to create art film and national film, and to hold fast to their artistic integrity and aesthetic vision.
Afternoon Lecturer: Toshifumi Kawahara, Computer Graphics Producer Mr. Kawahara spoke about the importance of blending art and commercial production in the field of computer animation while demonstrating cutting-edge computer graphics techniques.
In discussion groups, participants discussed the impact of technological innovation and the Internet on the world of film.
(iii) Session 3: "Visual Arts Communication in the Twenty-first Century" Lecturer: Dr. Yasuki Hamano, Assistant Professor, National Institute of Multimedia Education
Dr. Hamano emphasized the importance of multimedia and Internet technologies as a globalizing force and also as a force for reducing the cost of independent film production. Following this, questions were raised as to whether such multimedia and Internet technologies might become isolated from the discussions of specialist groups, the role of politics regarding the environment, etc.
In discussion groups, participants talked about the proper role and value of existence of film in the world of visual arts and the social responsibilities and roles of filmmakers.
B) Public Symposium (9 March, at the United Nations University)
Keynote Speaker, Kenji Eno, delivered a keynote address titled, "A Message for the Twenty-first Century." In it, Mr. Eno spoke about the creation of his games, both on a technological level and in terms of their significance for the emerging art of multimedia entertainment. He described the technological challenges which his company was addressing and described his vision of the future of multimedia entertainment.
The ensuing panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Hiroshi Komatsu, Film Historian and Xie Fei, Film Director/Professor, Beijing Film Academy, and centered around six participants selected as panelists (from New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Belgium and Japan). During the panel discussion, participants discussed the potential of the visual arts in the 21st century and the new responsibilities and changes in society that would come with those possibilities.
(2) Local visits
(A) Local visits (Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima)
(i) Tokyo: NHK Studio Park, etc.
(ii) Kyoto: Nijo Castle, Heian Shrine, Kiyomizu Temple, etc.
(iii) Osaka: IMAX Theater, Osaka Castle.
(B) Homestays
Each participant lived with a different Japanese family in the Kanto area for two days and experienced everyday Japanese life.
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