Underground Park

Sapporo, home to a long season of falling snow, has one of the largest underground urban spaces in Japan. But how can this realm be creatively utilized?

The “Underground Park” is a platform for social experiments where projects are assembled to utilize the underground space for the future of Sapporo.What kind of new shared utilities and ideas for sustainable structures could be conceived?

During the Sapporo International Art Festival, a series of experimental projects will be conducted here to utilize the underground urban space from various angles.

Exhibition of Works Climatic Reflector

Artist	Mitsubishi Electric Corporation / Integrated Design Center + Keio University Akira Wakita Laboratory
Location	Aurora Plaza in Sapporo Underground Shopping Center “Aurora Town” (Odori West 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo City)
Date and Time	Sunday, February 4 to Sunday, February 11, daily from 17:00 to 20:00
More information	https://2024.siaf.jp/en/event/39/

Climate change frequently headlines the news, yet it’s often challenging for many to internalize it as a matter of personal concern. Are we actively addressing climate change, being involuntarily drawn into it, or are we detached? When we come across social media posts addressing these issues, it’s sometimes hard to discern whether the concern for climate change is genuine or if it’s more about a self-congratulatory of one’s engagement with the issue. Even the concept of ‘eco’, which should embody a sacred and non-consumable attitude towards the environment, has been somewhat commercialized on social media platforms. It’s a realization that some people may only fully grasp the seriousness of climate change when they step back and objectively observe their involvement with it. This piece has been created as a tool to visualize this ‘active engagement with climate change’ of individuals, reflecting on such nuanced understanding.

Demonstration Experiment Tour Unknown Sapporo Underground Tour

Organizer	Ezosika Travel Co., Ltd.
Cooperation	Snow Countermeasure Office, Sapporo City Construction Bureau / Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation / NoMaps Executive Committee
Location	Sapporo Underground Shopping Center / Sapporo City Central North Melting Snow Tank / NTT underground pass, etc.
Date and Time	① Monday, February 5, 14:00-16:00 (Tentative) ② Saturday, February 10,  9:00-13:30 (Tentative)
For more details	here* 2days have reached capacity

Ezosika Travel, known for planning and implementing local and niche content, will conduct two underground-themed tours exclusively for the Sapporo International Art Festival. The first day features a tour unraveling the history of Sapporo’s underground led by local history expart Satoru Wada, an expert in Sapporo’s history and geography. The second day’s tour explores the giant snow-melting tank under Sapporo Station, not usually open to the public, and the “Toudou”, a network of underground passages owned by NTT, spread throughout Sapporo City, exploring their possibilities of uses. Join us in exploring the lesser-known underground of Sapporo and together, let’s discover its future and potential.

Student Exhibition Local Creators Exhibition

Organizer	NoMaps Executive Committee
Participants	Hokusho University / Hokkaido University of Science / Hokkaido Information University / Hokkaido High Technology College / VR Art Appreciation Society
Location	D-LIFEPARK (D-LIFEPLACE Sapporo, Basement 1st Floor)
Date and Time	Friday, February 23, 11:00-18:00 Saturday, February 24, 10:00-18:00
For more details	here

In the underground spaces of central Sapporo, students from universities and vocational schools and creators in the Sapporo area will showcase their works, media arts with a focus on technology and video. The exhibits will include games, three-dimensional works, video projects, electronic devices, AR/VR, and combinations of these elements, as students challenge themselves in creating works using new technologies. This experimental exhibition in the bustling underground spaces aims to generate new encounters and inspirations.

Demonstration Experiment Chi-Ka-Ho Childcare Space in Winter

Organizer	Hoiku Kakeru / Sapporo Ekimae Dori Machizukuri Co., Ltd. / NoMaps Executive Committee
Location	Sapporo Ekimae Dori Underground Pedestrian Space Chi-Ka-Ho, in front of Hulic Square Sapporo(1-1, Kita 3 Jonishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo-shi)
Date and Time	Friday, February 23, 11:00-17:00 Saturday, February 24, 11:00-17:00
More information	here

In the heart of Sapporo, the Chi-Ka-Ho (underground pedestrian space) welcomes back its childcare space, a mobile nursery room, after a six-month break since NoMaps 2023. The Hokkaido-based childcare group Hoiku Kakeru will create an interactive area where children can play and explore, bringing in toys and educational materials used in actual childcare settings.
Furthermore, the event will feature engaging toy workshops led by experienced toy instructors and captivating picture book readings by childcare professionals. Additionally, the weekend will offer unique activities, including an art space and a kendama booth, exclusively available on these days.
This initiative aims to transform Chi-Ka-Ho into a family-friendly hub, offering a welcoming and creative environment for children and their families.

Music Event “Underground Park” presented by O.O.T.C.

Organizer	O.O.T.C. / NoMaps Executive Committee
Venue	Sound Lab mole
Date and Time	Saturday, February 24, Doors and Show Start at 23:30
For more details	here

A one-night underground park emerges at "Sound Lab mole", a subterranean music space in the heart of Sapporo City!
Together with the local Sapporo music event "O.O.T.C.", we will host the final music event of the arts festival.
The guests include Sapporo-born techno musician Yoshinori Sunahara, and Taisei Kondo (from No Buses) with his solo project Cwondo. The underground park created by numerous local creators including PARKGOLF and BUDDHAHOUSE will adorn the final night of the arts festival.