※The event has been rescheduled to Saturday, October 11, 2025, and registration has reopened (Updated September 2, 2025)

※The “Searching for Words of Light” workshop scheduled for Sunday, August 24, 2025, has been postponed due to an extremely high risk of heatstroke based on the heat index forecast for that day. (Updated August 24, 2025)

“Words of Light” is one of the terms coined by W. H. Fox Talbot (a British physicist) to describe the relationship between photography and the natural world that gave rise to it, before the spontaneous images depicted by light came to be called “photography.”

Our lives are filled with objects that serve various purposes, have different designs, are the result of biological processes, or have holes in them due to damage.Even if they are obscured by other light in everyday life, the images formed by the “pinhole projection phenomenon” (the principle of the pinhole camera) within these holes are indeed present here and now. It is as if light is whispering a secret monologue unnoticed by humans.

In this workshop, we will explore the streets and search for various ‘holes’ that are too large to be called “pinhole” but are still present in our surroundings, and investigate the images of light they project.Why not join us?

*The pinhole projection phenomenon is a natural phenomenon that occurs when light passes through a small hole.

For example, if you close a wooden shutter and there is a small knot hole in the shutter, the outside scenery and sunlight will be projected through the hole onto the opposite wall, shoji screen, or floor as a small image. This image is an “inverted image” with the top and bottom, left and right reversed.

This is due to the property of light traveling in a straight line. Only the light that passes through the hole travels in a straight line, so light coming from above the hole is projected downward, and light coming from the left is projected to the right, resulting in an image that is inverted in all directions. The mechanism of cameras and pinhole cameras utilizes this phenomenon.

Event Overview

• Date: Sunday, August 24, 2025, 1:00 p.m.〜5:00 p.m.
  October 11,2025 ,1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Venue: Former Inohana Post Office/No parking available (Address: 1-4-21 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba)
• Participation Fee: Free
• Eligibility: Those with ties to Chiba City (3rd grade elementary school students and above)
• Capacity: 10 participants
• Items to Bring: Writing utensils, digital camera (smartphone acceptable), comfortable clothing, hat
• Inquiries: Chiba International Art Festival 2025 Suzuki Project Contact: Naoshima (ws@chiba-triennale.com)

Schedule for the day

1:00 p.m. Meet at the former Chiba Inohana Post Office
1:10 p.m. Orientation
1:30 p.m. Make a camera obscura
2:30 p.m. Walk around looking for holes and peek at the images of light inside them
4:30 p.m. Summary
5:00 p.m. Dismiss

Participation and Application Method

Please apply using the application form.
〈Application period: August 7(Thu) to August 23(Sat) October 10(Fri), 2025〉

Other

We will display photographs of the holes we found together with everyone at the workshop inside the former Inohana Post Office.

Heatstroke Prevention Measures

Please take measures to prevent heatstroke, such as drinking plenty of fluids and wearing a hat, according to the conditions. If you feel unwell, please notify a staff member nearby.

Photography and Video Recording

Photography and video recording will be conducted on the day for promotional and record-keeping purposes. Media outlets may also conduct interviews and filming. Photographs and videos taken may be published on the Chiba International Art Festival website, social media, brochures, and other promotional materials, as well as on television, magazines, and other media. We kindly ask for your understanding in advance.

application form