OMA: Uganda Workshop
On January 20, modern artist Tatsuo Miyajima conducted an art workshop in Uganda. ASHINAGA Uganda is an international NGO that works with HIV/AIDS orphans in Nansana Town, a 30-minute drive from the capital city Kampala. The workshop went forward thanks to the cooperation of ASHINAGA Uganda, who helped arrange use of their facility for this program. Following is the summary of the workshop activities.
The workshop started under cloudy, rainy conditions. 15 orphans from ASHINAGA Uganda and 15 orphans from the southwest part of Uganda, Rakai, gathered in Nansana for the workshop. The children divided into groups of two, with the Rakai and Nasana children paired off together.
Preparations for the workshop were made the day before, with Mr. Miyajima making final preparations as the children were divided into groups. The plan for the workshop program was to minimize the use of tools and to cut out silhouettes from thin blue sheets. The sheets and paints were brought in from Japan by Mr. Miyajima.
This workshop was designed by students from the Tohoku University of Art & Design and Kyoto University of Art and Design. Mr. Miyajima manages the program, but is also the executor and collaborator for these students; thus he needed to bring to fruition the ideas that the students had decided upon.
“An egg is hatching – something is coming out of the egg… something has been born… OK, so please lie down on the blue sheet.” We asked the children to imagine they were something that had been hatched from the egg, and their respective partners cut out a silhouette during the exercise.
Mr. Miyajima is well-known for his cool, edgy modern LED(Light Emitting Diode) art, but in this atmosphere, where he encouraged the children step by step during the workshop, the mood was rather warm and soft.
The children at first seemed apprehensive, but once the workshop got under way, there was no need to explain about the art. The children began to trace their partners, who had crouched on paint, and some of them had a look of worry on their faces. Gradually, a sense of excitement was filling the air.
The next step for the orphans was to write down a dream or a hope in letters or images onto the silhouette that had been cut out earlier. They were encouraged to write anything, so they took their brushes and paints and drew something that they liked. One child drew a scene of playing ball and soccer, another drew colorful flowers, while another drew an image of a house. We were trying to get the sense of what the children were feeling as they drew the pictures.
When everyone finished, it was now time for displaying the completed collective piece of artwork. The rain had stopped so we were able to hang the works outside. As soon as the sheet was hung and displayed, the children’s faces lit up, as if to say, “Wow!”. On the 10 meters long sheet, silhouettes of 15 children were visible. The final piece had both an aesthetic of scale and also an aesthetic of the individual, with each silhouette symbolizing a child’s thoughts and dreams.
How the children reacted to or whether they enjoyed the workshop is not really the question, as they may not have an answer. Instead, we look forward to their future, in 10 years or 20 years, wondering how today’s event will be reflected in them.
Two days following the workshop, there was an exhibition of the children’s work for the community. It was a small, one day exhibition, but over 100 people, including the participating children visited. Many who helped on the day of the workshop were there.
We look forward with hope that this event may have created some influential wave of motion for the children who participated. We plan on taking back the experiences that we gained during this workshop and to give thought to the lessons and messages we learned.
When the workshop finished, it was time for lunch. The children’s eyes now turned more serious as they looked at the food poured onto their plates. We heard that the children in Rakai rarely have an opportunity to eat rice. The trip from Rakai is a big trip for these children, and must have been a valuable experience for them. Some of the children from Nansana are unable to eat three meals a day. One of the worthwhile points of the workshop may well have been the fact that the orphans were given the opportunity to do something together with everyone and eat meals together. Also, the time shared among the children and adult was valuable. We felt that, in addition to the art experience, meeting and spending time together with people is a most primary tool of communication—invaluable—and also is something that leaves a lasting impression.