La forêt des murmures
Halfway up Mt. Danyama on Teshima island, countless wind chimes are installed in a forest, tinkling in the breeze. On strips of transparent material hanging from each bell are the names of loved ones written by past visitors. The sound of the wind chimes summons up the mystery of the soul, paying homage to the memory of those individuals, expressing both the vitality and transience of human life.
New visitors are invited to leave behind the name of a beloved one. At a later date, this name will be engraved on a strip in the visitor's own handwriting and will start swinging in the breeze, becoming part of the artwork.
On July 18th, 2016, the opening day, an artist talk was held on Teshima by Christian Boltanski. You can access the full text of his lecture here.
Hours ＆ Admission
- Hours：
- 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Closed：
- Please check the Open Days Calendar for opening hours and closed days.
- Admission：
- Admission Fee：Free
Registration Fee*: JPY5,000
*This is the price for inscribing a beloved person’s name on a strip hanging from a wind chime. The name will be engraved at a later date on a strip in your own handwriting. On the day of your visit, you will be handed out a registration certificate (registration takes place at Les Archives du Coeur in Teshima).
Artist
Artist Christian Boltanski
"This artwork is an endless work, it is my hope that the entire forest will eventually echo with the sound of wind chimes. Maybe will it become a place of pilgrimage, where people still come to pray after my name is forgotten." ― Christian Boltanski
Christian Boltanski
Born in Paris, 1944. Explores themes of life and death in a variety of media, including video, photography, painting, sculpture, and multimedia installations. In addition to attempts at recreating personal histories, Mr. Boltanski captures memories of anonymous individuals through cookie tin-boxes, candles, thousands of photos, articles of used clothing, and personal names, among other things, to express the importance, transience, and fading of human existence. Boltanski exhibitions have been held at leading museums worldwide, and the artist has contributed to many international art festivals including Documenta (1972, 1977), Venice Biennale (1975, 1980, 1993, 1995), and Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, Niigata (2000, 2003, 2006, 2009). He is one of the most significant French contemporary artists.
- La forêt des murmures
- 2016
Information
Facilities and Services
For disabled visitors
(1)Accessibility
Because of pieces set outdoors, some places are not accessible for visitors with disabilities and special needs.
We ask for your understanding.
Depending on weather conditions, we may sometimes temporarily close our facilities when difficult to access.
We will support you as much as possible when you visit us, so please contact and discuss directly with our facilities.
(2)About lending wheelchairs, etc.
・Wheelchairs: Not available.
・Writing tools: Not available.
・Multi-purpose toilets: Not available.
・You may enter our facilities with a service dog, a seeing-eye dog, or a hearing assistance dog.
Requests to visitors
When viewing the artworks
- ・Access to La forêt des murmures is through a steep dirt road. We recommend wearing walking shoes to visit this work.
- ・Please be mindful while exploring the island.
About using drone
- ・It's strictly prohibited to operate Unmanned Aircrafts (UAs) /Drone in Benesse Art Site Naoshima premises without our prior permission due to safety assurance reasons for the people, architecture and artworks.
Contact
1771 karato, Teshima, Tonosho-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa 7614662 Japan
Tel. +81-(0)879-68-3555 (Teshima Art Museum)
Fax. +81-(0)879-68-2182
