*Applications closed on Friday, January 9th, but due to remaining capacity, additional applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Interactive lecture and time setting workshop on art and community by contemporary artist Tatsuo Miyajima to be held in Tomioka Town!
On Saturday, January 24, 2026, an interactive lecture and "Sea of Time - Tohoku" project time setting workshop by contemporary artist Tatsuo Miyajima will be held at "Manabi no Mori" in Tomioka Town, Fukushima Prefecture.
Part 1 will introduce Miyajima's artistic activities, art projects he has undertaken with various local communities, and the "Sea of Time - Tohoku" Museum (tentative name) scheduled to be completed in Tomioka Town in fiscal year 2027. This interactive lecture will explore the changes that can be expected when a museum is established in the town, and participants will imagine a slightly future Tomioka Town together.
Part 2 will feature a time setting workshop for the work "Sea of Time - TOHOKU," which will be permanently installed in the "Sea of Time - Tohoku" Museum (tentative name). Would you like to become an artist and pour your thoughts into a work that will last forever? Please join us!
(Added on 1/10)
*The time setting workshop in Part 2 will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Event Outline
What is the relationship between art, people, and the town? ~Considering the relationship between art and community with contemporary artist Tatsuo Miyajima~
Date and Time
Saturday, January 24, 2026
13:30-15:00 Part 1: Interactive Lecture
15:20-17:00 Part 2: Time Setting Workshop (First-come, first-served)
Time Table
13:00
Reception opens
13:30
[Part 1] Interactive Lecture
Speaker: Tatsuo Miyajima (Contemporary Artist)
15:00
Break / Venue Change
15:20
[Part 2] Time Setting Workshop (First-come, first-served)
17:00
Scheduled End
Venue
Tomioka Town Culture Exchange Center "Manabi no Mori" Main Hall
622-1 Honoka-Otsuka, Tomioka-machi, Futaba-gun, Fukushima 979-1151
Capacity
Lecture: Approximately 150 people
Time setting workshop: 50 people (first-come, first-served)
*For those who applied by Friday, January 9th, an email has been sent, so please check.
*Due to remaining capacity, additional applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Participation Fee
Free
Participation Requirements
Anyone who agrees with the purpose of the project, from small children to adults, is welcome to participate.
Notes
*While anyone who agrees with the purpose of the project, from small children to adults, can participate in "Time Setting," this workshop is primarily for the aforementioned individuals.
* "Time setting" is limited to one participation per person.
*Those who have already participated in time setting and received a certificate of participation cannot change the set seconds. Please be aware of this in advance.
Application Method
Please fill in the following required information on the web application form and send it.
- Name
- Subject: "What is the relationship between art and people? Participation request"
- Content: Please specify the number of participants, the names of your companions, and the program you wish to participate in (lecture/workshop) (both can be attended).
- Email address
Click here for the web application form
*If there are many applicants for the workshop, a lottery will be held.
*Personal information collected will be strictly managed and used only for the operation and guidance of this project.
*Contents are subject to change.
Organizer
Tomioka Town, "Sea of Time - Tohoku" Project Executive Committee, Fukushima Tomioka Cultural Foundation
Cooperation
NPO Invisible
Inquiries
Tomioka Town Board of Education, Lifelong Learning Division
979-1151
622-1 Honoka-Otsuka, Tomioka-machi, Futaba-gun, Fukushima (within Tomioka Town Culture Exchange Center)
Tel: 0240-22-2626
Closed: Mondays (if a Monday falls on a public holiday, the following weekday is also closed), public holidays
What is the "Sea of Time - Tohoku" Project?
Based on the concepts of "it continues to change," "it connects with everything," and "it lasts forever," contemporary artist Tatsuo Miyajima, known for his works using digital counters, created this art project with the hope of commemorating the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake, preserving the memory of the disaster, and creating the future of Tohoku together with the people living in Tohoku and those who care about Tohoku.
The work "Sea of Time - TOHOKU," in which 3,000 digital counters counting from "9 to 1" are installed in a massive water basin, involves 3,000 people, and the speed at which the LED numbers count down is set by each participant to their desired time. Since 2016, workshops have been held throughout Japan, primarily in Tohoku, connecting with participants, and activities are ongoing with the goal of completing the work in 2027. Currently, there are 2,838 participants (as of October 31, 2025).
Additionally, the "Sea of Time - Tohoku" Museum (tentative name), where the work "Sea of Time - TOHOKU" will be permanently installed, is planned for construction along the coast of Tomioka Town, Fukushima Prefecture.
[Flow of the Time Setting Workshop]
- Viewing the "Sea of Time - Tohoku" demonstration artwork
- Sharing impressions of the artwork within each group
Participants freely discuss their thoughts on the artwork.
- Time Setting
Participants write down the seconds they want to set and their thoughts and feelings for Tohoku associated with that number of seconds on a form.
Those who have participated in time setting before will reflect on the seconds they previously set and the thoughts they put into them.
*Participants who have previously done "time setting" cannot change their set seconds.
- Dialogue between Tatsuo Miyajima and participants
Episodes will be listened to based on the content of the forms.
- Listening and sharing someone's thoughts
One representative from each group will share their seconds and episode with the other participants.
*Contents are subject to change.
What is "Sea of Time - Tohoku" Time Setting?
Each of the 3,000 LED numbers in "Sea of Time - Tohoku" counts down at a different speed.
In "Time Setting," participants can set the speed at which the numbers 9, 8, 7, 6... change to their desired seconds (from 0.2 seconds to 120.0 seconds). The LED numbers count down from "9 to 1," then "0" is not displayed and the light goes dark, returning to "9" and repeating the cycle. This flickering of numbers symbolizes the perpetuity of life.
This workshop is an interactive workshop where Tatsuo Miyajima and participants share episodes related to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the time setting seconds.
Participants, as artists of this project, entrust their thoughts to each LED through time setting, and these come together to form one large work.
