The making of art islands: A comparative analysis of translocal assemblages of contemporary art and tourism

Many small island destinations owe their spatial character to entanglements with stakeholders involved in the arts. Space is dynamic outcome of complex relational processes, which makes it impossible identify a straightforward development path — including when comes arts and tourism. Using assemblage thinking, we scrutinize different translocal processes influencing art-based tourism activities on Bornholm, Denmark Naoshima, Japan. On these islands, artists, investors, residents, destination managers, creative individuals, government officials are all networks negotiations that form assemblages art The craft-artists Bornholm took advantage regional policies aimed at fostering rural development, subsequently established known for quality professional craft-art. top-down corporate investments large-scale developments have clashed local stakes revitalization. These projects attracted in-migrants who further turned Naoshima into hybrid space. While Bornholm’s entanglement stems from possibilities generated by its evolution, Naoshima’s involvement first led reterritorialization then enhancement. Both islands are, thus, distinct loci trajectories.