20 – 25 May 2024
The Forum, Norwich
A display and associated events by the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures in collaboration with Hasedera.
A full report on the activities of the week can be found here.
As part of the Japan in Norwich programme celebrating 25 years of the Sainsbury Institute, a display and accompanying series of events was held in Norwich city centre at The Forum. The displays focused on two of the Institute’s major research projects: Nara to Norwich: Arts and Beliefs at the Ends of the Silk Roads, 500-1000 AD exploring the Silk Roads beyond their current limits of the Chinese and post-Roman worlds; and the Later Prehistoric Norfolk Project which used the archaeology of East Anglia to both bring an international perspective to UK heritage sites, and also investigated the role heritage can play in improving wellbeing.
The Nara to Norwich display explored how objects and ideas travelled the Silk Roads through trade, transport and pilgrimage. Using high resolution maps, the exhibition guided viewers along the routes and also discussed the changing landscapes of the Silk Roads following the introduction of Christianity and Buddhism, as well as the archaeological sites that have contributed to our understanding of this period. The exhibitions also placed Norwich in this international context, tracing the journey of silk to the city which was one of the most important textile centres in the country. This was accompanied by a special display of a high resolution 12m replica scroll from the Hase Temple in Japan showing the Kannon Bosatsu, the bodhisattva of compassion and mercy, which was display in full suspended from the ceiling of the Atrium. The Karyōbinga Shōmyō Kenkyūkai from Japan provided a series of performances of o-shomyo throughout the week at venues including The Forum, St Peter Mancroft Church, and the Sainsbury Centre. A symposium was also held on Saturday 25 May with an international panel of experts which addressed the themes explored in the exhibition.
The Later Prehistoric Norfolk Project undertook two excavations in Norfolk at Arminghall Henge (2022) and Warham Iron Age Camp (2023). Working in collaboration with Cambridge Archaeological Unit and The Restoration Trust, an organisation that uses heritage projects to help people living with mental health challenges, this display explored the significant finds of the excavations and how archaeology and heritage might be used to improve wellbeing. Featuring photographs and artistic responses to the excavations, the exhibition also highlighted the important link between heritage, creativity and wellbeing for participants.
Related Press:
NHK Nara – “声明を世界へ” 長谷寺の僧侶らが海外公演 奈良
BBC Radio Norfolk – Nara to Norwich: Celebrating Buddhism and Japan
That’s TV East
The Nara to Norwich exhibition and associated research project is generously sponsored by the Toshiba International Foundation. This exhibition and associated events were also generously supported by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, the Japan Foundation, and the Nara Visitors Bureau.
