Fuyubi Nakamura / A Future for Memory: Care and Healing after 3.11

What would we look for if our hometown were swept away? On March 11, 2011, Japan was rocked by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that caused tremendous damage to the Great Eastern region, especially the northeastern region known as Tohoku. This lecture reflects on the past fourteen years of my engagement with people and landscape affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake or 3.11. Since my initial engagement in Miyagi Prefecture in 2011, my project has involved working with local residents including museum professionals in the disaster areas in Tohoku, as well as various volunteer groups and artists across Japan and beyond.

Series convened by Olivier Krischer and Peyvand Firouzeh, and co-presented by the Power Institute and VisAsia at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Image: Rescued, damaged photos found in Yamamoto-chō in Watari District, Miyagi Prefecture at A Future for Memory at MOA, 2021. Photo by Alina Ilyasova. Courtesy of the Lost & Found Project and the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, Vancouver, Canada.