Gen Sasaki and Keiichi Miyagawa
Artist / Kitakyushu, Japan

BLASTED ROCK / The Happiest Place on Earth



Okinawa prefecture constitutes 0.6% of Japan’s land surface, yet as of 2017, about 70% of all United States Forces Japan bases are located on Okinawa, and U.S. military bases occupied about 18,609 hectares, 15% of the main island. Through its long history after Pacific War, issues have weighed on Okinawa inhabitants, such as troubled behavior of U.S. servicemen (1995 Okinawa rape incident, for example), accident and noise problem of U.S. military aircraft and so on.

Over the last five decades there have been various plans for the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, a United States Marine Corps base located within the urban area of Ginowan city. In October 2015, despite strong opposition in Okinawa, the Japanese central government began bank reinforcement work for reclamation to build the base in the Henoko Bay, in Nago city, as a relocation place. Around the construction site, protest campaigns have been given by various action groups such as leftist group, human-rights group and environmental group.

On 31st August 2018 the Okinawa prefectural government canceled its permission for landfill work citing illegalities in the procedure and the reclamation work was halted. The Japanese central government plans to file a lawsuit to suspend the cancellation. According to the plan of Okinawa Defense Bureau, blasted rock for the reclamation in the Henoko Bay will be 21 million cubic meters in the gross and transported from various regions in western Japan. 7.4 million cubic meters of blasted rock, 35% of the amount, will be transported from Moji area in Kitakyushu city.

Music:
The Call of Faraway Hills / Theme song of the film "SHANE" 1953
Music by Victor Young / Lyrics by Mack David
Performed by Tatuo Mihara on the main street "Kokusai Dori" in Naha, Okinawa, 2018




Keiichi Miyagawa
Miyagawa has been running an artist-run-space called GALLERY SOAP since 1997 in Kitakyushu, Japan and has organized many curatorial projects and music events including The Kitakyushu Biennial, co-curated with Takuji Kogo, he is also running an online-based candy factory project internationally, and Yoshitaka Mouri, sociologist, a professor of Tokyo University of the Arts, and has been organizing another project called “HOTEL ASIA” started in Kitkayushu 2011. And he also have curated solo exhibitions of following artists: Dan Graham (USA), Peter Halley (USA), Philip Horst (Germany), Federico Baronello (Italy), Jesper Alvaer (Norway), candy factory (Japan), Hiroshi Fuji (Japan) and so forth.
Keiichi Miyagawa is also a member of artist collective named SECOND PLANET. His works have been presented at Tokyo University of the Arts 2017, Aichi Triennale 2016, LP Art Space in Chongqing 2016, Bangkok University Gallery 2015, Asia Art Archive in Hong Kong 2014, The Kitakyusuh Biennial 2013, The Taegu Photo Biennial 2012, ZK/U Berlin 2012, Hotel Asia Project at Organhaus Chongqing 2012, Maebashi Media Festival 2012, International Curators Forum YOKOHAMA 2011.