Tohoku Artist Caravan 2013

An Art and Music Project to Benefit Northeastern Japan produced by TokyoDex

An Art Project to Revitalize the Community

On 3/11/2011, the Tohoku region of Japan was changed forever by a colossal earthquake, tsunami, and the nuclear disaster that ensued. Nearly two years later, the region remains in shock and in need of support. While volunteers from all over Japan remain in the area to help survivors, the need for physical labor has dwindled and volunteers are looking to find new ways to best support local communities. The physical cleanup process is nearly complete, but life is by no means back to normal and spirits remain low. What is needed now is community outreach designed to energize people and celebrate life, rather than focusing on the disaster. The Tohoku Artist Caravan project produced by TokyoDex is exactly that.

The Artist Caravan will bring artists and musicians from all over Japan, and all over the world, to gather in the town of Karakuwa, Kesennuma to bring a much-needed cultural infusion to the area. This will be the beginning of a long-term art project designed to get locals involved and to bring visitors from across Japan, raising awareness and building the local economy. The initial art installations will be completed over a three-day period, culminating in an opening party that features many renowned musicians across multiple genres. This entire process will be filmed and include first-hand accounts from locals as well as participating artists to document the experience and help raise awareness of the current situation of a largely forgotten region that has fallen out of the news cycle.

Artist Caravan Members live painting at our annual "New Year Jam"

Karakuwa Artscape

One of the most striking comments we heard when visiting Karakuwa was about the “impenetrable gray” that has pervaded the landscape since the disaster. When the tsunami swallowed up whole districts of Karakuwa, it washed much of the town’s color out to sea, and even with the rubble removed and the town slowly recovering, the landscape remains bleak. The main initiative of the Tohoku Artist Caravan will be the “Karakuwa ArtScape,” an ongoing art initiative that will add color to the community and change the landscape in a powerful way. The artists we bring to Karakuwa will create several murals at various high-visibility areas that are also symbolic within the community. These large-scale works of art will not only serve as a memorial to the disaster, but also become beacons of hope for the future, beginning a permanent outdoor art exhibition that would be a powerful draw for tourism. Karakuwa ArtScape could be added to and updated on a periodic basis to really put the town of Karakuwa on the map as a cultural center. It would bring outside visitors, and their financial support, to the area for years to come.

Why Karakuwa

Karakuwa is a small town that is located on the eastern side of Kesennuma in the Prefecture of Miyagi that suffered a great deal of damage as a result of the 2011 Great Eastern Earthquake Tsunami. However, because of Karakuwa's relative small size and geographically isolated location on a small peninsula, it was largely overlooked immediately after the disaster. The very first responders for Karakuwa were actually US Navy. Karakuwa was fortunate to have many volunteers to assist in recovery and relief efforts, but the numbers didn't compare to many of the bigger cities across Tohoku. 

The Shibitachi area of Karakuwa, Kesennuma City, Miyagi in July 2011

"Broken Stone" landmark in Chouhanzou, Karakuwa. A Tsunami during the Meiji Period (circa 1868 to 1912) broke the stone

Karakuwa Scenery

Relief Volunteers in Karakuwa

Karakuwa ArtScape: Initial Sites

We have already received permission to create murals on two properties in Karakuwa

1. Oyster Processing Facility in Shibitachi

Shibitachi is a coastal area in Karakuwa known for its fishing industry. “Moriya-suisan,” an Oyster business run by local resident Ichiyo Kanno, was completely destroyed in the tsunami and rebuilt last year. The land that the facility stands on today is where some of her employees use to live. Their houses were destroyed and many lives were lost. Working extremely hard to rebuild her business, this year Ichiyo-san is finally able to process oysters again. But Shibitachi is still completely grey, and the once-lively town remains devastated. Bringing in artists to add some color to her newly reopened business will provide some much-needed color as well as hope for the future.

2. “Kaeru-Juku”

On 3/11, Kuniaki Baba lost his home which he built out of wood that was passed down from his mother, including pillars several hundred years old. He now lives in a small hut next to the lot where his home used to stand and has always opened his doors to house relief volunteers. The hut has been nicknamed “Kaeru-Juku,” (“Return House”), reflecting Baba-san’s open-door policy for all past volunteers who might wish to return to Karakuwa.

Energizing Local Youth and Planning for the Future

One of the most positive stories to emerge from the devastation that took place in 2011 was the powerful volunteer movement that emerged in the wake of the disaster.Thousands of young people quit whatever they were doing at the time to dive into the Tohoku area and make themselves useful in anyway possible-- removing rubble, cooking food, and providing care however they could. In 2013, the heavy lifting is over, but many of these young people have remained in local communities where they continue to be catalysts of change.This phenomenon was palpable in Karakuwa, where many residents described how this infusion of young people from outside their community had reenergized the town. They explained how they provided not only much-needed extra hands in the clean-up process, but also acted as role models that gave hope and purpose to local youth who were feeling defeated and at a loss as to how to move forward.

The “Karakuwa Rookies” is an initiative started by those volunteers who have remained in Karakuwa.They understand that the young people of the community are key to revitalization, and they have become the “glue” that bonds the local youth of Karakuwa together. One of their main goals in to get young locals to be become more involved in the community, to participate in local festivals and other gatherings, and to proactively plan for the future.The Kawakuwa Rookies have pledged their support to the Artist Caravan project, and in return, we will pledge a percentage of all funds raised to this group so that they may continue to do their good work and invest in the future of Karakuwa long after the Artist Caravan leaves town.

Opening Party: “Reunion”

When discussing various benefit events that had already taken place in the area, we learned that one of the most memorable ones was a visit from the internationally renowned taiko ensemble, Kodo. As fate would have it, Artist Caravan core team member D.H. Rosen has a long history with the Kodo drummers and a close personal relationship with members past and present, including a former member who was born and raised in Kesennuma. Assembling a group of former Kodo members to play together is something that has never been done before and would make for an incredible gathering of musicians who have already proved popular with the Karakuwa community. The opening party for this exhibition will take place in Kesenuma proper (venue to be determined) and will act as a celebratory kick-off and a vehicle to garner traffic to Karakuwa ArtScape.

(Participation by former Kodo members Ryutaro Kaneko,Tetsuro Naito, Kaoru Watanabe,Takahito Nishino, Tsubasa Hori, Natsuki Saito, confirmed as of 2/24/2013.)

The Website

The Artist Caravan website will be a “home base” for the project, designed to give general information about the project, and also to track the progress of the caravan in real time once the journey begins. This frequently updated website will include “check-ins” and photos of the journey along the way, as well as featuring an interactive map that indicates where the caravan is at any given time. Facebook and Twitter feeds embedded in the site itself will allow viewers to interact online with Caravan travelers and be a part of the experience.

A Multitalented Team

Artist/Producer: Jay Horinouchi

Artist Caravan core member and producer Jay Horinouchi has a strong connection with the community of Karakuwa. He acted as a volunteer and university student volunteer coordinator in Karakuwa for over a year, and has spent a lot of time developing close relationships with the people of the region. As an artist, Jay has been longing to host an energetic and colorful art event in Karakuwa for some time, but obviously the cleanup effort and other relief efforts held precedence. Now as the people of Tohoku are facing the second anniversary of the disaster, just as it is fading from public memory around the world, now is the perfect time to introduce the Tohoku Artist Caravan. 

Director: D.H. Rosen

Founder and creative director of TokyoDex, D.H. Rosen is a Tokyo-based artist/producer who has spent the past two decades in Japan working as a writer, visual artist, curator and creative director of events, films and multimedia projects.

Music Director: Kaoru Watanabe

Kaoru Watanabe is a former member of the Japanese taiko ensemble Kodo, and is a practitioner of various Japanese transverse bamboo flutes, the taiko drum, as well as Western flute. Kaoru toured across the globe with Kodo, performing the taiko, traditional Japanese folk dance and song, and especially the various fue (bamboo flutes). From 2005 to 2007, Kaoru served as one of Kodo’s artistic directors, focusing on their world music festival Earth Celebration. In late 2006 Kaoru left Kodo and returned to NY to teach and continue performing fue, western flute and taiko in a variety of musical and artistic settings.  

Perks

In addition to our heartfelt thanks, we ware also offering some original artist goodies! *Images below are just samples

Digital photo book documenting the whole trip through Northeastern Japan, including stories and interviews.

Zine, postcard sets, and stickers! Everything will be designed by participating artists!

Original member T-shirts. Be a "Team Member"!

 

Project Schedule

April 24, 2013: Caravan Launch!

April 25~27: Mural Painting On Site

April 28: Opening Party!

 

 

*Note from the Organizers

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this far! We are super excited to make this happen and need your help! We have set our initial goal on Indiegogo at $10,000, but the more money we raise, the more artists we can get involved and the more amazing thiis project will become. We thank you in advance for your support!

 

About TokyoDex

TokyoDex is an artist collective equipped to assemble a customized consortium of talent for any creative project. The name “Dex” is derived from the word dexterous, which means ingenious, 
clever, or skilled with one’s hands, a concept that aptly describes our wide range of capabilities.

http://www.tokyodex.com

Recent Client Work: "Redbull Curates Canvas Cooler Project" 2012