ABOUT
One Stay, One Art
PARADISE AIR is an artist-in-residence program located in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, conveniently close to yet comfortably removed from the bustle of central Tokyo. The program is held on the vacant floors of a former hotel, a setting afforded to us by the Rakuen pachinko parlor (a pinball-gambling establishment) that occupies the bottom floors of this building owned by Hamatomo Corporation. We launched the program in 2013, naming ourselves PARADISE AIR after this “Rakuen” – “paradise” in English – combined with “AIR,” the acronym for “artist-in-residence.”
Artist-in-residence programs provide artists a place to stay and create art for a given period, supporting their travel and artistic activities. Situated along the old Mito Road, Matsudo thrived during the Edo Period (1603–1868) as one of the route’s “post towns”– stop-off points punctuating major roads – where travelers would stay on their journey between Edo (present-day Tokyo) and Mito. Countless travelers came and went past where Matsudo station stands today, including artists – poets, painters, calligraphers and the like – who would sometimes leave pieces of their own art as payment for lodging. Some of these works can still be found today, preserved in local residents’ homes. In the spirit of this Matsudo tradition, PARADISE AIR operates under the concept of “One Stay, One Art,” and is accumulating its own history as a cultural and artistic transit point where visitors, both from Japan and overseas, can stop off along their artistic journeys.
At present, our activities revolve around three programs: the SHORTSTAY Program, open not just to artists but to curators and researchers too; the LONGSTAY Program, which hosts artists chosen from among applicants for three months, offering all-round support that covers travel, accommodation, language, and of course artistic production; and finally the LEARN Program, which connects artists with the city, encouraging different kinds of learning and interaction. Our goal is to update and add new layers to Matsudo’s culture by letting our artists stretch their wings across the whole city, working in concert with the local residents.
Organized by PAIR
Subsidized by Matsudo City, Agency for Cultural Affairs
Special Supported by HAMATOMO ENTERTAINMENT FIRM
Supported by Matsudo Community Planning Council, Omusubi Estate
Matsudo: A Point of Transit
With a population of approximately 480,000, the city of Matsudo is situated in the northwestern region of Chiba Prefecture. The Mito Kaido highway, JR Joubansen line, and Edo River all run vertically through city center. Matsudo, positioned between Tokyo and Mito, has flourished as an inn town along the Mito Kaido since the Edo period. Pieces of art given long ago by cultured travelers in exchange for lodging now decorate the homes of many Matsudo citizens.
Matsudo now serves as a midpoint between downtown Tokyo and Narita International Airport, and as a result has grown from a rest stop between Tokyo and Mito into a city connecting Tokyo to the rest of the world. Thus, PARADISE AIR serves as a point of transit for traveling artists from all around the world in order to foster a new artistic crossroads for the benefit all those who pass through Matsudo.
About the Equipments
floor space・room | 40㎡ 3 rooms |
equipments | ・bathroom・rest room・air-conditioner・tables・bed ・kitchen(share)・washing machine / dryer(share)・fridge(share)・hot water dispense(share) |
neighboring facilities | convenience store、supermarket、2 minutes to the nearest station on foot(there is a pachinko hall on 1・2F in this building) |
MAP
PARADISE AIR Office
Address: Hamatomo Building, 15-4 Honcho, Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture 271-0091
Access: 3 minutes walk from the west exit of “Matsudo Station” on the JR and Shin-Keisei Line.
Mail: touch@paradiseair.info
Visit
PARADISE AIR facilities are private spaces for artists in residence. It is open to the public only during events. If you would like to visit PARADISE AIR during non-event times, please apply using the application form.
関連団体
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
- Matsudo City
- Hamatomo E.F. (Building Owner)
- omusubi estate
- LABORATORIES