OMRON Sponsors KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival 2023

• April 13, 2023

OMRON Corporation (HQ: Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto; President and CEO: Junta Tsujinaga) is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival 2023, which will be held between April 15 and May 14, 2023. This marks OMRON’s ninth sponsorship of this popular event since 2015. The program OMRON supports this year is Heartstrings by Kazuhiko Matsumura, a photojournalist for Kyoto Shimbun newspaper, in which he conveys what he learned through photographing people with dementia—the very theme for his new series of photographic works and one of the common issues in a super-aging society. By resolving social issues through its business as a means to practice its corporate philosophy, OMRON is working to resolve various challenges, including dementia.

A Piece from Heartstrings, Kazuhiko Matsumura

Staged in the world-famous cultural city of Kyoto, the KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival is one of Japan’s few international photographic festivals. Valuable collections of photography and works by internationally renowned artists are exhibited in elegant, historic buildings as well as modern architectural spaces. Some programs feature the work of traditional artisans, while others highlight collaborations with cutting-edge technology. The exhibitions are presented outside the traditional gallery format and work in harmony with the spaces in which they reside. Their goal is to present a multifaceted photography festival that cannot be found anywhere else but Kyoto.

Since 2015, OMRON has been sponsoring this international photography festival to spread news about Kyoto through collaboration with KYOTOGRAPHIE, a creative team organizing this annual event. Outside the sponsorship of this event, OMRON has co-created with the team on various occasions, including a project to redesign the Communication Plaza showcasing OMRON’s history and latest technologies, and production of visual content, in an effort to create a better society through harmony with the local community.

For this year’s KYOTOGRAPHIE festival, OMRON is honored to be the special supporter of Heartstrings by Kazuhiko Matsumura, a collection of photographs of several persons with dementia, as well as their families and caretakers, tracing their changing lives as their conditions progressed. With this series of works, he not only presents us with an opportunity to get to know dementia better but also urges us to ask ourselves, “What shape do we want our society to take, that is, how do we define happiness or unhappiness and in what state do we feel happy?” As part of its long-term vision “Shaping the Future 2030 (SF2030),” which was kicked off in 2022, OMRON aims to realize an autonomous society* where each individual can pursue spiritual wealth and a fulfilled life. The autonomous society OMRON aspires to realize is the very society glimpsed in Mr. Matsumura’s Heartstrings exhibit.

Going forward, OMRON will remain committed to the creation of an autonomous society by supporting activities in creative fields, including sponsorship of the KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival, in the hope of enhancing society’s affluence.

*In SINIC Theory, an autonomous society is one where people live in harmony with society naturally as they cherish their own values and follow their volition to live as they like and where individuality and society’s total optimization co-exist. It is technology that underpins a social and economic system that enables sustainable development and makes it possible for the diverse values of different individuals to be harmoniously assimilated into society.

[About the KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival 2023]

Dates:	April 15 thru May 14, 2023
Official website:	https://www.kyotographie.jp/en/

[About Heartstrings by Kazuhiko Matsumura]

Place:	Hachiku-an (Former Kawasaki Residence)
	http://www.kurochiku.co.jp/hachikuan/(in Japanese only)
Admission:	Free
Program URL:	https://www.kyotographie.jp/en/programs/2023/kazuhiko-matsumura/

For details of OMRON’s long-term vision SF2030 and SINIC Theory, please visit the following
websites:

<Long-term Vision SF2030>
https://www.omron.com/global/en/sf2030/

<SINIC Theory>
https://www.omron.com/global/en/about/corporate/vision/sinic/theory.html

About OMRON Corporation
OMRON Corporation is a leading automation company with its core competencies in Sensing & Control + Think technology, and is engaged in a wide range of businesses including industrial automation, healthcare, social systems, and electronic components. Established in 1933, OMRON has about 30,000 employees worldwide, working to provide products and services in around 120 countries and regions. For more information, please visit https://www.omron.com/global/en/