nformation : Japan Matsuri

After a successful stint at Hyper Japan this past July, Yet I Still Dare to Hope - an exceptionally thought provoking exhibition focusing on the lives of survivors of the Japan tsunami will be showcased at the Japan Tsunami in September. It explores how 14 families in the north-eastern Japanese town of Shichigahama, one of the areas hit hardest by the 11th March Tsunami, are rebuilding their lives after the destruction, through an intimate collection of photographs taken by local resident Christina Aiton.

Still photography accompanied by narratives from each survivor and featuring items from the disaster-hit area is used in order to convey the terrifying truth of humankind's fragile existence, while exploring the subject of hope as the community begins the process of rebuilding their lives from the tragedy.

Visitors to the Yet I Still Dare to Hope exhibition will also be able to leave messages of support that will be shared directly with the townspeople, encouraging those that have been directly affected and letting them know that they are not alone in the face of such a difficult time. There will also be ample opportunity to donate and purchase charity goods for the benefit of the residents of Shichigahama and Miyagi Prefecture.

We also warmly encourage everyone to join in our 'Senbazuru' project. In Japanese culture, it is widely believed that folding 1000 paper origami cranes makes a wish come true. This initiative has been made possible for the first time at The Japan Matsuri, where traditional arts and crafts stalls will teach you how to make paper cranes, which you can in turn donate, if you wish.

"This exhibition offers a unique insight into the lives of 14 normal people from a small Japanese town, offering a chance for people living in the UK to get to know these people who were living a modest life until their lives were turned upside down. This exhibit is not about sorrow, but about hope. It’s about rebuilding. It’s about the future.”

Angus Miyaji –Seven Beach Aid

Contact : PR Janan Jedrzejewski
janan_jay@hotmail.co.uk

Supporters


宮城県七ヶ浜町後援
(Supported by the town of Shichigahama, Miyagi, Japan)

Organisers


The 7-Beach Tsunami Aid supports projects in and around Shichigahama and Sendai City. It’s 3 main areas of activity are lifting the spirits of the earthquake/tsunami victims, collecting donations for the disaster-hit area, and raising awareness of the impact of the disaster among UK residents, particularly those in London. http://sevenbeachaid.org/en-GB/

TERP London is the Tohoku Earthquake Relief Project in London, established to support the area hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11 2011 and is helped on a voluntary basis by people from a variety of backgrounds, from office workers and entrepreneurs to housewives and students. It aims to provide long-term support to the area over the next 5 years. TERP London is the European recovery platform hub for disseminating information in both English and Japanese, providing exchanges between peoples and coordinating activities. http://terp-london.co.uk/

Christina Aiton is an Australian living in Shichigahama and works for non-profit organisation, Japan Alive. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, she became a Samaritan’s purse official photographer and has since taken pictures of life in the town. She is also engaged in relief work. Whilst Christina has no previous photographic background, she has beautifully captured the life in the town through lense and story.

The Nippon Foundation is a non-profit philanthropic organisation aimed at improving the lives of Japanese people around the world. It operates in a variety of fields from commerce to education, and is active in numerous countries across the world. http://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/eng/

Sponsors

Web sites
Hyper Japan Website：http://www.hyperjapan.co.uk
Photo exhibition "Yet I Still Dare to Hope" http://www.daretohope.org.uk/
Twitter：http://twitter.com/#!/Dare2HopeJapan
Facebook：http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yet-I-Still-Dare-to-Hope