Swiss-Japanese mobile hall to bring arts to quake-hit zone

Afp
Wednesday 10 August 2011 00:00 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

A Swiss-Japanese project said Tuesday that it is building a mobile concert hall which would bring music and performance arts back to earthquake-devastated northern Japan.

"Using music to bring hope and promise to those who are suffering from the tragic major earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011: this is the idea and goal of a special project entitled Ark Nova - A Tribute to Higashi Nihon," it said.

Launched by the Lucerne Festival and the Japanese concert management agency Kajimoto, the project hired architect Arata Isozaki to work with British artist Anish Kapoor to design the mobile hall.

With a seating capacity of up to 700, the concert hall would comprise an inflatable shell made with an elastic material that can be dismantled and set up rapidly.

An artistic committee has also been formed to plan the series of performances which are due to begin in the spring of 2012.

"It's obvious that we can't undo all the terrible pain and suffering, but through music and art we want to give the people in the region new hope and promise," said Michael Haefliger, executive director of the Lucerne Festival.

mnb/hmn/jmm

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in