The night-only light festival "Tanegashima Space Art Festival LIGHT FESTIVAL 2024" will be held.

The "Tanegashima Space Art Festival LIGHT FESTIVAL 2024" (Organizer: Tanegashima Space Art Festival Executive Committee), featuring light-based art installations, will be held on Tanegashima Island for 19 days on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from November 1 (Fri) to December 8 (Sun), 2024. A press conference was held on Tuesday, August 27, ahead of the event.

The "Tanegashima Space Art Festival LIGHT FESTIVAL 2024" is a rare art festival in Japan where visitors can experience light art—artworks created using light that can only be seen at night—in a fantastical space sparkling with a star-filled sky. For its 13th edition, the theme is "Love the Unknown," embodying the festival's mission to provide joyful encounters with the unanswerable, the unknown—things like "space," "art," and "nature."

A record 23 artworks will be exhibited. Sixteen participating artists include renowned light artists (artists who create light art) from Japan and abroad. The festival will be held across three areas: the main venue in the Space Center Area (home to Japan's largest space center, the Tanegashima Space Center) in Minamitanegashima Town, southern Tanegashima; the Beach Area; and the City Area.

Space Center Area: 2023 scene (image shows Yasuhiro Chida's work "Aftereal"). Visitors can enjoy fantastically glowing light art in the darkness of night. For the first time, a "Night Museum" will be held at the Space Science and Technology Museum. An event plaza has also been created, where visitors can enjoy food trucks and other offerings.

Beach Area: The "Cave Planetarium" (image is conceptual) takes place inside sea caves accessible only at low tide. It will be held during the few days each year when three conditions align: nighttime, low tide during a spring tide, and a new moon. If the weather is clear, after enjoying the cave planetarium, visitors can emerge to gaze at a star-filled sky.

At the briefing, Minamitane Town Mayor Hiroyasu Kozono delivered a greeting. "Minamitane Town is a charming place where rich nature and science coexist. Using this town as our stage, we present an art festival upgraded even further from last year. We hope it resonates deeply with your hearts and delivers new inspiration. We will make the utmost preparations to welcome you and convey the charm of Minamitane Town through our hospitality," he expressed his joy and enthusiasm.

Mr. Yasuhiro Chida, who is both a main artist and curator, also took the stage. "Light festivals are art events held frequently in Europe. I participate in overseas art festivals as a light artist, and this time I invited artists who created the wonderful works I saw there. I will also exhibit nine works myself. I believe this will be an art festival everyone can enjoy," he stated.

(Photo left) Yasuhiro Chida: A globally recognized light artist primarily active in Europe. He creates spaces that engage the somatosensory experience using everyday materials and extensive manual labor. Selected for OPTICA magazine's "8 Artists of Light (2022)" and Artdex Australia's "9 World-Renowned Light Artists (2019)." His large-scale retrospective exhibition tours internationally, leading the global light art movement.
Photo right: Mr. Ta Kobayashi, Secretary General and General Director of the Tanegashima Space Art Festival Executive Committee.

In addition to light art installations, the festival features weekly rotating events including music events by artists and performances. A two-day, one-night tour is also available, allowing visitors to enjoy the festival without worrying about transportation (Handled by Nippon Travel Agency). The tour is scheduled to go on sale in early October.

<Event Overview>
Event Name: Tanegashima Space Art Festival LIGHT FESTIVAL 2024
Dates: 19 days during the period from Friday, November 1, 2024, to Sunday, December 8, 2024 (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays)
Hours: 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Outdoor works displayed after sunset)
Location: Minamitane Town, Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture
　　　　　Three locations: Downtown Area, Beach Area, Space Center Area
Admission: Free (Some events, such as the Cave Planetarium, require a fee)
Organizer: Tanegashima Space Art Festival Executive Committee
Co-hosted by: Minamitane Town, Minamitane Town Board of Education, Minamitane Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Minamitane Town Tourism Association Minamitane Branch, Minamitane Town Settlement Promotion Executive Committee, Tanegashima University Executive Committee
Cooperation: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Sponsored by: Kajima Corporation, Penta-Ocean Construction Co., Ltd. Kyushu Branch

Details here: https://satfes.jp/