Over the long weekend, I had dear family friends over from Hong Kong. We spent a fantasbulous weekend on Salt Spring Island sampling local gourmet food and taking in the local art scene. The wee charming cottage we stayed at had a 180 degree ocean view. That is hard to beat! See the beautiful starts and the moon in the sky, and the vibrant rainbows? That’s right from our balcony!

James told me a lot about the Setouchi International Art Festival in Japan. The idea of the festival is to bring a younger demography back to the ageing rural farming communities. The concept originated 23 years ago when the publishing tycoon Tetsuhiko Fukutake populated the island of Naoshima with his art collection, including artworks by prominent artists such as Yayoi Kusama and James Turrell, and an art museum designed by architecture giant Tadao Ando.

In 2000, a triennial art festival began in Echigo Tsumari, a scenic and mountainous region of Japan that consists mainly of farmland. The public art in this festival is to involve the entire community with contemporary art. Keep in mind that the average age of the population is 55, and most people have less than a dozen English vocabulary. At this festival, the artist is no longer the autonomous genius that designs public art with loft goals. The art projects are a genuine connection between the artist and the local farmers, and that between the city and the rural.

I was so touched by the story–an artist made some larger-than-life colourful metal sculptures of farmers as silhouettes on some farmland on a slope, so that viewers can see the representation of the local farmers miles away. Past the age of 70, the owner of the farmland wanted to retire. However, he had decided to continue farming. He says, if his land becomes barren, the artwork no longer makes sense. Here, the term “the art takes on a life of its own” is more than a mere cliché. The art originates from the people and the land, rather than from the artist’s singular narrow life experiences.

In 2010, the idea has extended to southern Japan. Seven islands and one port city (including Naoshima) are uniting to host Setouchi International Art Festival 2010 (瀨戶內國際藝術祭.) James from Sense Art Studio (my Hong Kong art agent) is responsible for recruiting volunteers from Hong Kong, and has kindly invited me to go. From his enthusiastic descriptions, this can be another life-changing experience!