The Power of Individual Artists

"kizunaworld.org" was born from the desire to "realize as much as possible what individual artists can do, not as a production or label," with the aim of expanding the circle of support through human connection. Striving to create "activities that can be sustained long-term, not just a one-off event," the project seeks to deliver support with "purpose and interest to the current situation in the disaster-stricken areas." By receiving charity artworks from artists who endorse this project's mission, it aims to leverage the artists' capabilities in various ways to gather as much funding as possible.



The first donated artwork is the animation "KIZUNA" (top image), a collaborative piece by initiator Ryuichi Sakamoto and Italian contemporary artist Valerio Berruti. This animation was first presented in Japan by Berruti in January 2011, with music composed by Sakamoto at the end of 2010 specifically for this animation. The donation of this work was realized through Berruti's wish to contribute to the support of disaster victims.

The collected donations will be used for clearly defined purposes, with five universally needed themes established for disaster-stricken areas, and donations directed to representative organizations within those themes. The five themes are: 'Medical,' 'Children,' 'Food,' 'Housing,' and 'Energy.' Donations will be made to 'Doctors Without Borders' for 'Medical,' 'Save the Children' for 'Children,' 'NGO Support Center for Disaster Areas / Vegetable Supporters' for 'Food,' 'Voluntary Architects Network Shigeru Ban / Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami Support Project' for 'Housing,' and 'Institute for Energy Economics and Policy / Kizuna & Nukumori Project' for 'Energy.' The entirety of the funds raised by this project (excluding payment processing fees) will be equally distributed among these five organizations.

Furthermore, to maintain a connection with those who donate, not only will the transparency of the funds be ensured, but the progress of reconstruction in the disaster-stricken areas, including the activities of the recipient organizations, will be reported regularly via email newsletters and Twitter. This aims to create a space where we can collectively consider what kind of support is needed in the disaster-stricken areas. Plans are also in place to share the current situation in the disaster-stricken areas with supporters using social media such as Ustream.