Signature Pavilion produced by KAWASE Naomi

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This pavilion serves
as an experimental ground,
Unveiling "divides" scattered
throughout the world
and through "dialogue,"
we seek to resolve.

Dialogue, it awakens us,
To the possibility of deeper understanding,
That within me, you reside,
And within you, I abide.
Together, we can forge,
A brighter future, side by side.

Now, let us together step forth,
Within this pavilion,
Towards a future free from division.

Highlight of this pavillionTheater

Throughout the 184 days
of the Expo,
Each day marks a historic first:
A dialogue unprecedented
in human history.

In this pavilion,
we pose a different theme
to the world each day.
Every visitor contemplates it,
And together, we witness pairs engage
in dialogue before us all.

It's a serendipitous dialogue
performed only once in a lifetime.
We too cannot foresee its outcome.
You too can volunteer to participate.

We archive all of it,
To be passed down to future generations.

JoinRecruiting Interlocutors

We are recruiting
Dialogue Theater interlocutors ahead of the Expo.
Would you like to apply?

At the Dialogue Theater,
two people will engage in a dialogue
on a different topic every day.
One interlocutor will be selected at
random from that day's visitors.
The other will be recruited in advance.
Those selected after the application and
screening rounds
can join a dialogue quality improvement workshop
where they will hear
producer KAWASE Naomi speak in person
about the experience and method
she has cultivated through film production.
We encourage you to apply.

Around the pavillionMap

A grand Ginkgo tree,
surpassing a century in age,
A wooden school building etched
with countless memories.
In this space tinged with nostalgia,
Your dormant senses awaken,
rich and deep.
  • Two abandoned schools in Nara and Kyoto were taken over and revived as pavilions.

  • It is not just a place to enjoy nostalgia, It will be inherited as a new place that retains traces of the time and memories shared by many people in that space.

  • The landscape within the site is a tranquil space composed of a rich ecosystem, symbolizing the testimony of life.

Former Oritachi
Junior High School Building
Formely located in Totsukawa Village, Nara Prefecture - closed in 2012. The south building, built in 1952, serves as the entrance hall, while the north building, constructed in 1958, transforms into the "Gathering Place in the Forest."
Former Hosomi
Elementary School Nakade Branch
Fukuchiyama City, Kyoto - closed in 2003. The school building, built in 1930, will be moved to the theater building.

Vegetation

We carefully preserve
and transplant native plants
from Nara and Kyoto,
as well as ivy thriving on the walls
of abandoned school buildings,
and Ginkgo trees slated
for removal near the school,
into the pavilion.

This pavillion’s productsDesign

(Logo)

This is a logo design
featuring speech bubbles and spotlights,
shining a light on each individual life
through dialogue.

News

(Aug 1, 2024)Call for interlocutors is now open.

Dialogue Theater will be accepting applications in advance for interlocutors.
After the application and selection process, those selected will be given a lecture by producer KAWASE Naomi on the dialogue methods she has developed through her filmmaking.

Recruitment Page ※Japanese language

(April 19, 2024)Attendant Recruitment Begins

We have started recruiting and hiring attendants for "Dialogue Theater - sign of life -" Please check the application page for details.

Recruitment Page

This time, we are looking for staff to manage the pavilion. We will accept applications for performers at a later date.

July 16, 2024
The application period has ended. Thank you very much for all your applications.

(April 11, 2024)"sign of life" website has been opened.

Partners

  • The logo of Daisel Corporation
  • The logo of Shiseido Company
  • The logo of Takenaka Corporation
  • The logo of Nara Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Sponsorship

  • The logo of UNESCO

*Japanese order

Staff

Group photo of project member

photographed by LESLIE KEE

Planning Director

SUGIYAMA Ou

WORKS
teamLab Borderless: MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM (2018)、
Syn:Unfolded Horizon of Bodily Senses by Rhizomatiks x ELEVENPLAY (2023)、
Mika Ninagawa​ ​Eternity in a Moment (2023)
Exhibition Planning Director

SATOH Tetsuya

(Sony Marketing Inc.)

WORKS
Expo 2020 Dubai Japan Pavilion (2020) 、
Hong Kong Disneyland : World of Frozen (2023)、
Sanfrecce Hiroshima HIROSHIMA SOCCER MUSEUM (2023)
Architectural design

SUO Takashi

(SUO Ltd.)

WORKS
Reigan Cafe (2021)、
Yashima Mountain-top Park (Yashimaru) (2022)
Planting
and environmental design

SAITO Taichi

(DAISHIZEN Inc.)

WORKS
SHIROIYA HOTEL (2020)、
temporary hall for Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine (2023)、
Library in the Earth (2023)
Creative Director

IGUCHI Yuta

(Hakuhodo Inc.)

Art director

KAWABE Kei

(Hakuhodo Inc.)

Copywriter

KAWAKAMI Mai

(Hakuhodo Inc.)

Video Content Creation

HOJO Miho

(Kumie Inc.)

MATSUSHIMA
Megumi

(Kumie Inc.)

Planting
and environmental design

MATSUE Daisuke

(DAISHIZEN Inc.)

SUZUKI Shun

(DAISHIZEN Inc.)

YASUI Masato

(DAISHIZEN Inc.)

Production Management

KAWANISHI Futoshi

(Hakuhodo Inc.)

ISHIKAWA Keijiro

(Hakuhodo Inc.)

IKEMOTO Hiroshi

(Hakuhodo Inc.)

SUGANAMI Marino

(Hakuhodo Inc.)

Content Production

TAKESHITA Hiroki

(TOW CO.,LTD)

KOBAYASHI Takero

(TOW CO.,LTD)

SANPEI Hiroshi

(TOW CO.,LTD)

NAKAMURA Yohji

(TOW CO.,LTD)

WAKABAYASHI Dai

(TOW CO.,LTD)

Thematic Project Producer

KAWASE Naomi

Based in Nara, where she was born and raised,
she continues to make films.

The consistent pursuit of 'reality' transcends
the realm of documentary fiction
and has won numerous awards
at film festivals around the world,
including the Cannes International Film Festival.
Her representative works
include
"Suzaku", "The Mourning Forest",
"Still the Water", "Sweet Bean",
"Radiance", "Vision", and "True Mothers".

While expanding the stage
of her creative activities to the world,
in 2010 she launched the "Nara International
Film Festival"
in her hometown of Nara,
and has also focused on
fostering the next generation.

In 2021, she was appointed
as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
and received the Officier
de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France.