Setouchi Triennale 2025 report: Seijima (part one?)
One thing that's difficult about wanting to report on the Setouchi Triennale as it happens is that it's difficult to do so in a timely manner. My days off are devoted to exploring the islands and experiencing as much new art as possible, and that doesn't leave me much time and energy to actually write about these visits.
Fortunately, these reports are not really time-sensitive at the moment. If you're currently in the Setouchi area, you're discovering the art at the same time as I am, and you don't really need my writing right now. And if you're coming at a later date, I have a few weeks before you need me. At least until the summer session starts.
However, there is one destination that is time-sensitive, and that's the area they call the "Seto Ohashi Bridge Area" because it's only part of the Triennale during the spring session.
So today a few words about this area.
First, a little linguistic rant. "Hashi" means "bridge" (and "oshashi" means "great bridge" or "big bridge"), so I never really understood why the English name of the bridge is "Seto Ohashi Bridge". It's basically saying "Seto Great Bridge Bridge". I much prefer to call it the "Great Seto Bridge" or "Great Bridge of Seto".
The same goes for the islands, by the way. Sometimes, I see "Naoshima Island" or "Shodoshima Island" and so on. It takes you a few minutes spent near a Japanese island to understand that "shima" means "island". So, when you say "Naoshima Island," you're really saying "Nao Island Island". It sounds silly, doesn't it? So, keep that in mind when you're talking about the islands. 🙃
Linguistic rant over.
If you've been to the Setouchi Triennale before, this year's "Seto Ohashi Bridge Area" is basically the northern part of the small city of Sakaide. That is, the beginning of the Great Seto Bridge as well as the islands - or should I say "former islands" - around it. These include Shamijima, which has been part of the Setouchi Triennale since 2013, but also Seijima, which has been part of the Triennale since 2019, but not quite officially. Let me explain.