‘Sensorium’ is an exhibition that introduces works by artists who challenge new forms of artistic expression, transcending the traditional boundaries between crafts and fine arts. The title ""Sensorium"" refers to the totality of human sensory experience that encompasses all five senses: sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste. While visual perception tends to be considered dominant in appreciating artworks, in reality, people revive physical or psychological experiences acquired through all five senses from their own memories, project them onto the artwork, and the new experiences gained from the work is then integrated back into the audience.
Craft works have generally been associated with handmade forms, with emphasis on functionality, technique, and the inherent characteristics of the materials such as ceramics, textiles, lacquer, wood, and metal. On the other hand, contemporary art works are generally understood as a means for self-expression or conceptual exploration, and tend to emphasize form, symbolism, and emotional impact.
Rather than categorizing works by the categories of fine arts and crafts, the exhibition ""Sensorium"" focuses on the characteristics that unite them, with the hope to create a ‘circuit' of unified experience through the participation of people.It encourages the conception of creative resonance between the works and ourselves in our minds through viewing, making us recollect and reinterpret our experiences. This fluidity demonstrates the potential to stimulate new perspectives and experiences of seeing the world.
The venue for the exhibition, Sennyu-ji Temple, is the head temple of the Shingon Sennyu-ji sect located in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It has deep connections with the Imperial family and is also called ""Mitera"" (Imperial Temple). Restored in the Kamakura period by Master Gatchirin Daishi Shunjo, it is known as the bodhi temple of generations of emperors, and its abundant natural greenery harmonizes with its spiritual presence. By encompassing the entire realm of human senses, the complete experience at Sennyu-ji Temple will surely be incorporated into the circuit of memorable experiences.