A Piece Filled with Hope

"Kizunaworld.org" was launched by Ryuichi Sakamoto and media artist Tomoyasu Hirano with the aim of providing long-term support to the disaster-affected regions. The system allows donors to download works provided by world-renowned artists who resonate with the project's mission. New works are announced each month, and Fujikura's piece marks the twelfth addition.



Born in Osaka in 1977, Fujikura is a notable contemporary composer who has received numerous prestigious awards, including the International Composition Prize of Vienna and the Akutagawa Composition Prize. In recent years, he has been active worldwide, receiving numerous commissions from leading ensembles and orchestras. He is also set to compose his first opera and collaborate with the globally acclaimed musician David Sylvian, who has also contributed music to "kizunaworld.org."



Fujikura describes "unbroken music-box" as a piece imbued with his hopes: "I imagined a music box, ownerless, playing by itself amidst the debris of buildings and homes washed away by the tsunami, with warm sunlight shining down as a symbol of 'hope.'"



Donations start from ¥1,000 per unit, and payments are accepted only via PayPal.



The collected donations will be equally distributed among five organizations: Doctors Without Borders, an international NGO providing medical activities and procuring pharmaceuticals, primarily focusing on mental health care in Ohtsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture; Save the Children; Kyodo Center, a disaster-area NGO providing food support including vegetables; Voluntary Architects Network Shigeru Ban / Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami Support Project, which supports the installation of temporary partition systems for evacuation shelters; and the Environmental Energy Policy Institute's "Connection and Warmth Project," which supports disaster-stricken areas through solar power, solar heat, and biomass.



Six months have passed since that devastating earthquake. "unbroken music-box," by Fujikura, paints a picture of hope for the affected regions. We hope you will download it and reflect once more on those in the disaster areas.