Memory, Realised in Space. A reflection on the Use of the Terms “Memory”, “History” and “Communal Memory” within the Art Project Art House Project on the Japanese Island of Naoshima

Abstract

Art House Project (AHP) is an art project on the Japanese island of Naoshima in the Seto Inland Sea, run and financed by the Benesse Corporation as a part of the Benesse Art Site Naoshima project. The corporation’s aim is to support the economic and spiritual revitalisation of the archipelago through projects which combine art, architecture, nature and the history of the area. The centre of AHP is a number of old Japanese houses in the village Honmura on Naoshima, transformed into works of art by artists in cooperation with architects. Memory-related terms (such as “memory”, “history”, “communal” and “cultural memory”, tradition and heritage) appear regularly in catalogue texts and other publications on AHP, which leads to the assumption that AHP is connected to memory on several levels. Since the use of these terms is now very often in various contexts and can mark different phenomena, I will try to define the characteristics of the use of terms “memory”, “history” and “communal memory” as well as their role in the AHP. Within this I will show that these terms have a wide conceptual frame, which does not necessarily come from their theoretical definition – and that the semantically open term of memory has an important role in the wider context and goals of the Benesse Art Site Naoshima project.