The Japanese community of Colchester is holding a very special event to express their gratitude to the town for its generosity and support following the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Soon after the quake and tsunami struck Japan’s Tohoku region on 11 March 2011, a group of local artists conducted a 12-hour marathon fund raising concert in Colchester. It was one of the first such events in the country and succeeded in raising £4,000.
The support of the people greatly moved Japanese expats in and around the town. In response to this, they are hosting the ‘WA’ project, a “thank you” event to be held from 24 August to 10 September at Slack Space in Colchester.
WA will feature a powerful photographic exhibition, A Beacon of Rebirth, portraying the resilience of the tsunami victims in the process of reconstruction. These photographs have been the inspiration for the victims and sympathisers in Japan and WA will bring the sprit to the town. This is the first exhibition in the UK.
WA also hold a Matsuri (Summer Festival) day on 3 September. There will be plenty of opportunities for visitors to experience various aspects of Japanese culture, including taiko drumming, sushi tasting, Japanese tea ceremony, trying-on traditional kimono and much more.
The opening reception will be held on the evening of Wednesday 24 August with 100 guests in attendance, including the Mayor of Colchester.
The event is being supported by the Japan Foundation, the Japan Society and the Sasakawa Foundation. Slack Space Colchester is one of the premier ‘empty shop’ organisations in the UK and puts art and performance into empty shops.
Taken from a press release by Essex WA Project.
