We are pleased to announce Small Fires: Yume Park, an exhibition featuring the collaborative work of artists Corin Hewitt (US) and Umico Niwa(Japan/US), taking place at Numanohashi residency in Tokyo, Japan. The opening reception will be held on May 30th from 4:00 to 7:00 pm, with the exhibition continuing on May 31st from 1:00 to 7:00 pm. 

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Small Fires: Yume Park is the second part of a collaborative initiative conceived by artists Corin Hewitt and Umico Niwa, realized through direct engagement with children. It is part of an ongoing series of collaborative projects developed under The Opening, a nonprofit organization based in Richmond, Virginia and led by Hewitt. 

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The larger project of The Opening integrates artworks into environments already designed for intentionalized risk loose parts play (see Note 1), spaces akin to adventure playgrounds (see Note 2), where children are free to invent their own forms of play using open-ended materials. Trained playworkers help to support this play as they allow for productive risk while helping the youth avoid unforeseen hazards. These experiences are documented by cameras worn by children on their bodies and are edited by Hewitt into larger video works. Materials and traces that remain after the events may also be returned to the artists to serve as the foundation for future installations.

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In 2024, Hewitt and Niwa conducted the first, fire-centered “play action” with elementary age youth at a public park in Richmond, Virginia, USA. This term (“play action”) is a term that Hewitt has been using to refer to a form of short-term, experimental, process-driven play events in which artists introduce artwork into the spontaneous and creative activities of children, transforming play into a space for both interpretation and expression. 

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As part of the Japan-based iteration of the project, Hewitt and Niwa undertook a residency in Tokyo, collaborating with Kodomo Yume Park and Hitoshi Shimamura (see Note 3), one of Japan’s leading advocates for children’s right to play. Together, they conducted a play action with children at Kodomo Yume Park in Kawasaki City. Niwa’s sculptural work was installed in the park, and children—unaware that the structure was an artwork—interacted with it freely while wearing GoPro cameras to document their play. The resulting exhibition is presented on the second floor of the Numanohashi Residency house, a Showa-era building where the artists stayed. It features an immersive installation composed of selections of the video footage from the children’s perspectives, combined with sculptural elements assembled by Niwa from the remains of the play action.

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Notes: 
Note 1 – Loose Parts Play
Loose Parts Play is a form of child-led play that involves open-ended, reconfigurable materials without predefined purposes. Children are free to combine, manipulate, and transform these materials in imaginative ways, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and exploration. Within The Opening’s framework, this approach is integrated into play environments that contain artist-made installations, encouraging deeper interaction between play, material exploration, and artistic engagement/expression.

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Note 2 – Playgrounds / Play Parks
Outdoor play spaces, originally begun just after WWII,  where children create their own play using available salvaged materials such as wood and rope, as well as dirt, water, and fire. These spaces emphasize autonomy and experimentation over strict safety, promoting creative development through risk and freedom. 

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Note 3 – Hitoshi Shimamura
Representative and Founding Director of TOKYO PLAY. Lecturer on children’s play at Otsuma Women’s University. A prominent figure in Japanese playwork, Shimamura has worked at sites including Hanegi Play Park and Kodomo Yume Park. He completed his playwork training in the UK and has held leadership positions internationally, including the International Play Association (IPA)'s Regional Vice President in East Asia.

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For more information, please visit https://www.theopening.info