The Second Work, Tinged with the Tension of the Earthquake

Great East Japan Earthquake"kizunaworld.org" is a project that aims to raise funds through the purchase of works by various artists and to provide long-term support in response to the damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake. OPENERS has continuously featured the works and latest developments announced on the site. As the year of the earthquake concluded and 2012 began, we asked founder Tomoyasu Hirano to reflect on "kizunaworld.org."


—There are currently 16 works in the lineup. Which work left the most impression on you?

It's very difficult to pick just one, but personally, the second work, the music and video for "kizuna world," was particularly memorable. It was the first song Ryuichi Sakamoto wrote after the earthquake. Even before the format of the work was decided, "Professor" (Ryuichi Sakamoto) kept sending me music, and I worked on adding visuals to it. Amidst the tension of the earthquake, I was communicating with him thinking, "This absolutely must be released." Since then, we've released various works on "kizunaworld.org," but if I had to choose just one, it would be this second piece. It was memorable in many ways. It's a very sad song.

—Currently, there are many musical works. It would be more enjoyable with more photos and illustrations.


—Are you saying it's about what is permissible?

Rather than whether other things were permissible, I think the power of music is simply boundless. Music works were gathered and released one after another—but on the other hand, I didn't know what would be appropriate for other media. For example, if I were to provide a work for "kizunaworld.org" myself, I would think of a digital work. However, in the early stages of the project, for some reason, it didn't feel appropriate. Digital works were too difficult as a theme. I could only feel the power of music.

A Handmade Project

—I think many people on Twitter and blogs also said, "I couldn't write anything."

The most difficult thing for us as organizers was, "We want to collect donations, but we shouldn't make a big fuss about it." Up until then, what I had been doing on social media was more about making a big splash, like gathering 200,000 people overnight. "kizunaworld.org" started very quietly, and we've nurtured it gradually, through word of mouth. It began with us applying the brakes while slowly moving forward. Although I expect some changes in the future. At the beginning of the project, some advised me to be more flamboyant, but... I still felt that we couldn't do that.

—The quiet atmosphere is certainly conveyed throughout the "kizunaworld.org" website.

There are already 16 works, and video and digital works will likely be released in the future. I believe these works will hold immense significance over time. Above all, all the artists are providing their work free of charge, aren't they? Since the timing of the release and the artist's perspective, and the atmosphere of the times are all included—in that sense, I think it will truly become a valuable archive.

—Will you do anything special on March 11th?

Actually, we haven't decided yet. The Professor and I are exchanging information, thinking, "There will be a lot going on again on March 11th." However, we've let the flow guide us this far, so we're not making any advance plans.

—So nothing is decided.

Well, "kizunaworld.org" is truly run by just a few people, including the Professor. The Professor himself directly handles negotiations with artists, so it's truly handmade. There's no elaborate management... The Professor probably has the hardest job. What I mean is, it's almost entirely voluntary, and there's a mountain of practical work (laughs). Therefore, we can't physically decide on specific plans in advance.

—Do you have any general ideas?

We have a few ideas, like, "What if we held a live event someday?" We're running "kizunaworld.org" with a sense of letting encounters and the flow guide us—so perhaps on March 11th, if there's a natural development. Or perhaps I might be helping with another disaster relief project besides this one.

—Please let us know if anything is decided.

There's one thing that is decided. On March 11th, we will release a work that we've been saving since last year. It's difficult to say, "Please look forward to it." Because there was an atmosphere last year questioning whether that expression was appropriate. But please, do look forward to it.

Tomoyasu HIRANO
Born in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture in 1974. In 1995, he produced for Koji Kamiji's theater company "Third Stage" and launched the digital division of Third Stage Inc. From April 1997, he served as a personality for Nippon Broadcasting System's "Tomoyasu Hirano's All Night Nippon" for two years. In 1998, he established Digital Stage Inc. and became its representative director. In the same year, he developed "motion dive," Japan's first software for VJs. Since then, he has continued to release software such as "LiFE* with PhotoCinema," which turns photos into cinematic visuals, "ID for WebLiFE*," which allows anyone to create Flash sites, and the comprehensive HP production solution "BiND for WebLiFE*," winning numerous awards. From 2010, he has been involved in media design utilizing social media. In January 2011,Ryuichi Sakamotothe "skmts project," which streamed his piano solo tour worldwide, was watched by 200,000 people globally, establishing a new style for live music streaming. In December of the same year, he published the groundbreaking book "The Dawn of Social Media" (Media Life), which included licenses for two e-books.