PRESS RELEASE: Symposium on the Western Washington University campus (supported by the Social Justice and Equity Committee, East Asian Studies, and the College of Fine and Performing Arts at WWU):
“Noticing the Neglected: Public Architecture, Perfect Days, and Perspectives on Equity”
Date: Friday, November 21, 2025, Fine Arts (FI) 238, 10am-4pm, with a screening of Perfect Days (Wim Wenders, 2023) Thursday, November 20, at the Pickford Film Center (5:45pm) with intro plus Q and A.
Remote viewing: The symposium will be livestreamed and available via registration:
https://wwu-edu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ttk10StEQwaAVYpDfYX8Dw
Contact: Julia Sapin, Professor, Art History, Department of Art & Art History, sapinj@wwu.edu, 360-650-3670
Disability accommodations available.
Thissymposium on the WWU campus will examine the neglected through in-depth study of the 2023 Wim Wenders film Perfect Days: neglected architecture, neglected literary tropes, neglected music—but most importantly, neglected people. This symposium aims to investigate inequities members of our society face, such as the unhoused, women, and youth, bringing to light issues of equity and social justice by considering how the built environment as well as filmic, literary and auditory contexts can support expressions of dignity for all in our society. The symposium will also include a screening of Perfect Days at the Pickford Film Center, for which we will offer 50 free student tickets, which can be picked up ahead of time either at the box office or at the theater at the time of the screening while supplies last. There are plans as well to publish a book containing the symposium essays and more, which will broaden the impact of ideas raised during the symposium.
This symposium will bring together scholars from across the Western campus and other institutions in North America, as well as from a variety of disciplines—anthropology, architectural history, film studies, Japanese literature, music, and philosophy—for analysis of Perfect Days from the perspective of social justice, including consideration of both people and aspects of our daily lives that are neglected in society. The goal of the symposium is to involve campus and Bellingham community members in a multidisciplinary dialogue about people who are normally either taken for granted or ignored, encouraging us to come up with actionable steps for how we can create a caring environment for all.
Perfect Days will form the centerpiece of the symposium, as a way of initiating discussion about how we can better achieve “respect for the rights and dignity of others.”[1]In a review of the film in The Guardian, Wendy Ide wrote, “It’s possible that Perfect Days… is as much a manifesto as it is a movie—an argument in favor of an alternative way of being. Perfection, the film argues, is found in a pared-down approach to the world and a rejection of the thirst for new sensations and novelty that drives so much of society. … Perhaps, in its polite and unassuming way, the film advocates not just a new way of looking, but also a new way of living.”[2] Reflection on homelessness, gender inequity, and negative representations of youth that surface in the film will encourage students and other attendees to think collaboratively about how to approach and solve these societal inequities.
The symposium presenters will approach the film from their respective fields, elucidating aspects of the film as they touch on topics related to social justice. In the morning, Ken Tadashi Oshima (University of Washington) will start us off with a focus on the concept of the humble as it connects to the architecturally notable Tokyo Toilet project that inspired the film: seventeen public toilets designed by award-winning architects, suggesting, in the words of architect Kuma Kengo, the “mindful hospitality (omotenashi) and kindness of a new age.”[3] Assistant Professor of Japanese Tyler Walker (WWU) will introduce the Japanese archetype of “youth enchanted by literature” (bungaku seinen) that the protagonist Hirayama represents, seeking “genuine human connection.” Associate Professor and Chair of the Libraries Jeff Purdue will question how choices for the soundtrack of the film echo issues of social inequity, such as a lack of focus on female creative agency in the music industry.
In the afternoon, the symposium will dive deeper into how social identities are constructed and how we identify ourselves through finding meaning in our daily lives. Anthropologist Millie Creighton (University of British Columbia) will return us to talk of toilets, but this time in terms of how those public utilities enforce social norms, sometimes to the detriment of the users. Film scholar Linda C. Ehrlich (Case Western Reserve University) will contemplate the major trends in the films of star Yakusho Kōji and how masculinity is represented in the film, stating that the goal is, in the words of Homi Bhabha, not to “deny or disavow masculinity, but to disturb its manifest destiny.”[4] Philosopher Otávio Bueno (University of Miami) will round out the day leading a conversation about the “meaningfulness of a simple minimalist life” and how, by attuning ourselves to appreciate aspects of our daily existence, we are better equipped to approach societal needs. Professors Kristina Lee Podesva and Julia Sapin (WWU) will act as discussants for the panels. This symposium demonstrates that, ultimately, our daily lives are transformed by increased social justice for all, and that both our personal and societal betterments are inextricably intertwined.
Event Schedule, Thursday and Friday, November 20-21, 2025, screening and symposium:
Thurs., Nov. 20, 5:45 pm:
Screening of Perfect Days at the Pickford Film Center, introduction by Dr. Linda C. Ehrlich, with Q and A after.
(contact at Pickford: Melissa Tamminga, Program Director, melissa@pickfordfilmcenter.org)
Tickets can be picked up ahead of time either at the box office or by reserving with me via email. Ideally you should use your WWU email to send the request and include your student number as part of the request. You will need one student number per ticket you request.
Send those requests to:
Abby Caram
Box Office Manager
Membership and Development Manager
Pickford Film Center
541.480.2389
abby@pickfordfilmcenter.org
Fri., Nov. 21:“Noticing the Neglected: Public Architecture, Perfect Days, and Perspectives on Equity”
9am: Coffee/tea and breakfast treats for presenters and attendees
10am-12pm: Session 1:
Ken Tadashi Oshima (Professor, Department of Architecture, University of Washington, koshima@uw.edu)
“Toilets and the Architecture of the Everyday”
Tyler Walker (Assistant Professor, Languages Literatures and Cultures, WWU, walke66@wwu.edu)
“Reading Perfect Days; or, The Transfiguration of the Literary Youth”
Jeff Purdue (Associate Professor and Chair, Western Libraries, WWU, purduej@wwu.edu)
“Japanese Music on a Perfect Day”
Q and A and discussion, with discussant Kristina Lee Podesva
Break for lunch
2-4pm: Session 2:
Millie Creighton (Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Millie.Creighton@ubc.ca )
“A Socio-cultural Explication of Toilets in Japan, with Examples Elsewhere in Asia and North America”
Linda Ehrlich (Associate Professor Emeritus, Case Western Reserve University, odoriko21@gmail.com)
“Run Your Own Race: Playfulness, Restraint and Connection in the Films of Yakusho Kōji”
Otávio Bueno (Professor of Philosophy, University of Miami, obueno@miami.edu)
“Perfect Texas, Paris Days: Rethinking Masculinity in Perfect Days and Paris, Texas”
Q and A and discussion, with discussant Julia Sapin
Adjourn
[1] WWU Mission Statement.
[2] Wendy Ide, “Wim Wenders’s Zen Drama is His Best Feature Film in Years,” The Guardian (24 February 2024).
[3] Shibuya-ku Kōshiki Chyaneru (Shibuya Ward Public Channel), The Tokyo Toilet Introduction Movie (2024).
[4] Homi K. Bhabha, “Are you a Man or a Mouse?,” in Berger et al., eds., Constructing Masculinity (Routledge, 1995), 57.