Fukushima and Iwate

In December 2014 I was invited by the nonprofit organization 岩手未来機構 ARTproject from Japan to present my work and organize series of workshops and lectures in Fukushima and Iwate prefectures. This organization supports creativity in damaged areas of Fukushima and Iwate hit by the terrible earthquake and tsunami catastrophe of 2011 by bringing international creative professionals on the site to present their work and create inspirational projects to inspire students from those areas. This organization is supported personally by the minister of ecology of Japan.
I organized for Fukushima and Iwate specific lectures and workshops. The goal of this project was to inspire the students from these areas and raise their creativity by bringing new experiences.
I presented my work from the architecture, design and art fields and created a project that would inspire students from these areas and give them hope. As my background is coming from the architecture and art fields, I created the workshops and lectures for students in the architecture and design fields (graphic design, industrial design and fashion design).
I organized the Fukushima and Iwate lectures and workshops under the title “Shelter”, that symbolize house, protection, and selected "Origami" as subject of the project. I chose origami as a symbol of Japanese culture that inspired all the world, architects, artists and designers because of it's clean form and perfection.
The first project was realized on 20th December 2014 in Fukushima Prefecture, in the City of Koriyama and the second on 22nd December in Iwate Prefecture in the City of Morioka. The Fukushima project was realized in Imaizumi Technical School, in the city of Koriyama, that exists since 1920. The number of student involved in the project was 100, their age was from 17 to 30.
The Iwate project was in the department of architecture and design of Morijyobi Morioka Information Business College. The number of student involved in the project was 25, their age was from 20 to 25, their fields were architecture and design.
Based on the example and the from of Origami, I showed to the students the important influence and impact of their cultural heritage in all the world. They were surprised and very positively impressed with the lecture and with the result of the workshop. In their eyes, Origami was considered as simple children game, but with my lecture and workshop they then understood the power of Origami's structure and its potential inspiration.
The whole project was originated by the fact that I was personally always amazed by Japanese architecture and design. With the subject Origami I wanted to explain to the Japanese students the importance of their culture worldwide by using something that is close to them and in this way rise their moral and pride.
The result of the two workshops was amazing: we created together artistic and architectonic complex structures built from Origami that only them, the Japanese students, could generate with their excellent skills, knowledge and cultural background.
Both projects, Fukushima and Iwate, were structured in two parts: one hour lecture about parallels in architecture, art, design with practical examples and realizations inspired by Origami worldwide, and one hour workshop where the students under my instruction made each 5 Origami pieces and then connected them into a single structure.
The result in Fukushima was 100 architectural structures, objects, buildings that formed a street. We called it “100 origami Shelters”. The result in Iwate was 25 structures that formed also a street.
The students were in very enthusiastic, emotional and happy with the final result. For them was particular interesting how someone from Europe saw part of their culture in a different way, how the impact of their culture is strong in our creative field and how this could give them new ideas.
We have to consider that even after three years from the earthquake and tsunami disaster, these areas are still unrecovered.
After the first lecture and workshop in Fukushima prefecture, I went together with the non- profit organization to visit areas around the damaged Fukushima power plant. We could see plenty of instruments for the measurement of radiation and large fields covered with removed contaminated ground under plastic sheets. We continued then to the Iwate prefecture by car, a 5 hours long drive, to visit areas hit by the large tsunami, where I realized the second workshop and lecture. I was accompanied by a team of psychotherapists and teachers who work with the students.
In the city of Koriyama of the Fukushima prefecture, where I had the first lecture and workshop, children were allowed to play outdoor until last year, three years after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima power plant. Fukushima area is still under a decontamination process, there are no people on the streets and a huge area around the power plant is still closed. People are generally scared because of radioactivity, the city of Koriyama is a "city of ghosts". They are happy when people are brave to come to where they live, to visit them and to share some positive energy, to give hope. Students started to smile and I could even see some tears on their faces because they were happy for a moment.
In Iwate the situation is better, there is no problem related to radioactivity, but still areas are not rebuilt after the tsunami.
The main result of this project was to show that we are all a family under the same sun and that creativity is our common language and a bridge between us.

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