An exhibition titled "Speaking the Unspeakable: 15 Years of Dialogue on Okawa Elementary School" is currently on view at Tokyo Polytechnic University's Nakano Campus Building 6, running through Sunday, March 22, 2026. Organized by eight students from the Art & Media Lab within the Faculty of Arts, Department of Interactive Media, the exhibition addresses the tsunami disaster that struck Okawa Elementary School in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture during The Great East Japan Earthquake, and invites visitors to engage with the event's complex legacy through artwork, archives, and conversation.
As the 15th anniversary of The Great East Japan Earthquake approaches, public interest in the disaster continues to shift. According to surveys by the Incorporated Association 3.11 Memorial Network, visitor numbers at disaster memorialization facilities across the three most-affected Tohoku prefectures have been declining year on year. Against this backdrop, Professor Yasushi Noguchi of the Department of Interactive Media and eight students from his Art & Media Lab spent approximately one year studying the disaster, discussing its multiple dimensions, and producing works that reflect their own perspectives.
The project seeks to untangle the "difficulty of speaking" surrounding Okawa Elementary School, and to explore how multi-layered, multi-voiced memories and narratives can be shared — and how difficult heritage can be carried forward as knowledge for the future.
Student Project Works
"Memory and Choice" — Starting from the question "What if I had lived in this town?", this interactive work places visitors in the role of a "resident" of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Rather than observing from the outside, participants engage as stakeholders, making choices that simulate the process from disaster preparedness through to the moment the tsunami strikes.
Created by: Yukina Yamaoka, Tsubasa Kobayashi, Sakura Komago, Kyoko Toyama (Art & Media Lab)
"Opening Up" — A participatory video installation that projects the mural from Okawa Elementary School at its original scale. Using AI technology and other tools, the mural — which has deteriorated significantly over time — is restored to its appearance when it was first completed. Visitors take part in the act of "restoring" the mural, engaging with the memories and words of the disaster while creating a shared space for hopes directed toward the future.
Created by: Nozomi Nagai, Kaede Iwasawa, Aki Kitamura, Yanlin Wu (Art & Media Lab)
"Words Passed Down" — A record of the dialogues and reflections of students who engaged with expressions of the disaster.
Other Key Exhibits
"Okawa Densho no Kai" Activity Display — Bereaved family members' display space at the Okawa Disaster Memorial Hall is recreated, including children's personal effects and archival materials.
"51 Minutes and 13 Years" (Video Installation) — Actor reenactment footage is presented alongside documentary material, highlighting the issues inherent in the accident. This iteration, shown here with new content added to the 2024 presentation, is a re-staged version of the original work.
"Participants of the 'Speaking the Unspeakable' Exhibition Engage in 'Words' as Dialogue" — A combined book display and workshop program. Visitors browse a curated selection of books and draw out passages, opening up the words held within.
Film Screenings
The exhibition also features two films that approach the tragedy of Okawa Elementary School from contrasting angles.
- "Ikiru" – Okawa Elementary School: The People Who Fought the Tsunami Trial (Director: Kazuhiro Terada): A record of a decade-long legal battle.
"Haru wo Kasanete" / "Anata no Hitomi ni Hanasetera" (Director: Sonomi Sato): A fiction and documentary drawn from the director's personal experience.
- Screening dates: March 14 (Sat) and 15 (Sun), 11:15 AM to 12:45 PM; March 22 (Sun), 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM
Sonae Talk (recorded online talk): March 14 (Sat) and 15 (Sun), 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Film "Ikiru": March 20 (Fri), 12:00 PM to 2:15 PM; March 21 (Sat), 11:15 AM to 1:30 PM
- On March 20 (Fri) only, a 40-minute talk event by Director Terada will follow the screening (with guest Hideaki Tadano participating online).
Events During the Exhibition Period
All events are free of charge; some require advance registration.
Opening Talk 1: "15 Years of Dialogue – The Polyphony and Subjectivity of Narratives"
- Date: March 14 (Sat), 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
- Speakers: Toshiro Sato, Miho Ishii, Tomoko Niwa, Yasushi Noguchi
- Capacity: 100 people
- Registration: https://r-dimension.xsrv.jp/okawa/talk1/
Opening Talk 2: "The Public Nature of Exhibition Practice at Universities — Viewing 'Making an Art Exhibition at a Non-Art University' and 'Speaking the Unspeakable' Through the Lens of Public History"
- Date: March 15 (Sun), 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
- Speakers: Takuya Tokuhara, Masaki Komori, Yasushi Noguchi
- Capacity: 100 people
- Registration: https://r-dimension.xsrv.jp/okawa/talk2/
Workshop 1: "Participants of the 'Speaking the Unspeakable' Exhibition Engage in 'Words' as Dialogue"
- Date: March 20 (Fri/Public Holiday), 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
- Facilitators: Masaki Komori, Yasushi Noguchi, and others
- Capacity: approximately 30 people
- Registration: https://r-dimension.xsrv.jp/okawa/workshop1/
Gallery Tour (Navigator: Art & Media Lab students)
- Date: March 21 (Sat), 1:45 PM to 2:45 PM
- Capacity: 15 people
- Registration: https://r-dimension.xsrv.jp/okawa/tour/
Workshop 2: Role Play "51 Minutes and 13 Years"
- Date: March 21 (Sat), 3:15 PM to 5:15 PM
- Facilitators: Hideto Migyou, Tomoko Niwa
- Capacity: 12 people
- Registration: https://r-dimension.xsrv.jp/okawa/workshop2/
Closing Talk
- Date: March 22 (Sun), 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
- Speakers: Oho Kuwahara, Art & Media Lab students, Tomoko Niwa, Hideto Migyou, Yasushi Noguchi
- No registration required
Please check the official website for the latest event details and screening schedules, as they are subject to change.
Exhibition Details
"Speaking the Unspeakable: 15 Years of Dialogue on Okawa Elementary School"
(Making an Art Exhibition at a Non-Art University, Vol. 4)
- Venue: Tokyo Polytechnic University, Nakano Campus, Building 6 (1-10 Yayoicho, Nakano, Tokyo) — Basement 1F, 1F, and 2F
- Exhibition Period: March 10, 2026 (Tue) through March 22, 2026 (Sun)
- Closed: Monday, March 16, 2026
- Hours: 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM (until 7:00 PM on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays)
- Admission: Free
- Organized by: Art & Media Lab, Department of Interactive Media, Tokyo Polytechnic University
- Co-organized by: Academic Transformation Area (A), Face/Body Design C01 "Dying Body / Absent Body"
- Supported by: Tokyo Polytechnic University
- Planned by: Professor Yasushi Noguchi, Department of Interactive Media, Tokyo Polytechnic University
- Official Website: https://r-dimension.xsrv.jp/okawa/
