YAMBARU ART FESTIVAL
2022-2023

Uymam Project

Walking Tour Outdoor Photo Exhibition Shioya Bay, Ungami

Shioya is where we have wanted to stay each time we participate in the Yanbaru Art Festival. The Shioya Bay area is where we have continued our research and field walks in between the production of artworks and exhibition work. The Shioya store and the people in the neighborhood have always welcomed us from Hokkaido with open arms for daily dinners and banquets. We appreciate the dialogue we have accumulated over the years.
We learned about the "Ungami (Sea God Festival)," a traditional event said to have continued for more than 400 years in this bay, as we spent time in the community of neighbors who gathered around a banyan tree in front of the Shioya Bay.
I learned that this place, where I was casually staying, is the place where Shinto rituals and dedicatory sumo wrestling take place. The boats from each village compete for the glory of the fastest and arrive at the beach right in front of you.
It is an important day for families and relatives who have left their villages to come together.
The scene of neighbors who often met under the banyan tree when they were young, the sights of Ungami in their youth, the story of their lives, the figures and words of their grandparents and parents, before and after the festival, the atmosphere of the bay toward the festival, memories, and fragments of faint emotions that were kept in the corner of their hearts...
We hope this exhibition will serve as a record of traditions and an opportunity for visitors to reminisce about "that day, that person, that time" as they walk around the area through the memories of Shioya Bay and the local area.

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  Uymam Project

  PROFILE

  With Shiraoi Town and surrounding areas in Hokkaido as its main activity field, it was launched in 2018 by volunteer residents, artists and directors from inside and outside the area. Uymam means trade in Ainu language. Through research, fieldwork, and other projects, we aim to nurture trade, exchange, and understanding among people, the environment, and within and outside the region. She sheds light on the life of the people who live in the land, the historical climate, the topography, and the memory of the land, and implements various forms of projects to rediscover and reedit regional resources and their values. It was established in 2018 by volunteer residents, artists and directors from within and outside the region, with the main field of activity being Shiraoi-cho, Hokkaido, and the surrounding area. Uymam means "trade" in Ainu language. Through research, fieldwork, and other projects, the project aims to foster trade, exchange, and understanding among people, environment, and within and outside the region. The company practices various forms of projects that shed light on the lives of the people who live on the land, the historical climate, geography, and memories of the land, and rediscover and re-edit local resources and their values.