We are proud to announce that the Japan Foundation London will be welcoming Prof. Simon Kaner from the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC) to deliver a special talk on 'How Japanese Arts and Cultures Can Make Us Happier'. SISJAC were a recipient of the Japan Foundation Awards 2024 for their work in helping to promote Japanese Studies and Japanese arts and cultures.

Talk Description:

Artistic and cultural activity is intrinsic to being human. Engaging with such activity, whether visiting a museum, gallery or heritage site, attending or taking part in a performance, or creating one’s own works, improves our well-being. Taking examples from a range of recent projects undertaken by the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures at venues including Stonehenge, the British Museum and an old shoe factory in Norwich, this talk will explore how engaging with Japanese arts and cultures makes us happier. It will also consider how we can best exploit the Digital Revolution to bring what the Chief Executive of Arts Council England, Darren Henley, describes as the ‘Arts Dividend’ to new global audiences.

About the Speaker:

Professor Simon Kaner, MA (Cantab.) PhD, FSA, is Executive Director of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, where he is also the Head of the Centre for Archaeology and Heritage. He is Founding Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia. He has curated a number of exhibitions, including at the British Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich. His current research projects include Global Perspectives on British Archaeology and The Shinano-Chikuma River Project: investigating the historic environments of Japanese longest river drainage. In 2011 he was awarded the 10th Miyasaki Eiichi Togariishi Jomon Prize.

Booking Details
This event is Free to attend, but booking essential.

If you are unable to attend in person, this talk will also be livestreamed.