Prospective students
International Collaboration Project on Disaster Recovery Support through Kalimba Creation and Performance Using Disaster-Affected Wood
From May 23-25, 2025, Kyushu University Faculty of Design conducted an international collaboration project with National Taiwan Normal University’s College of Arts titled “Disaster Recovery Support through Kalimba Creation and Performance Using Disaster-Affected Wood.”
This project aims to transform disaster-affected wood into artistic creations, providing emotional healing for disaster victims while preserving disaster memories for future generations. It is an initiative that supports recovery from natural disasters through the power of music and art.
On May 23rd, we welcomed four faculty members including Professor Lin Cheng-Huang and Professor Chen Shu-Hua, along with six students from National Taiwan Normal University’s College of Arts. The day included an international exchange meeting and campus tour. During the meeting, Professor Mikako Tomotari from the Faculty of Design provided detailed explanations about disaster-affected wood from Asakura City, Fukuoka. This was followed by a mini kalimba concert performed by Professor Tomotari and students from the School of Design. The gentle tones resonating from these small instruments created a memorable and heartwarming experience for all participants.
On May 24th and 25th, kalimba creation workshops were held using the actual disaster-affected wood, with Taiwanese and Japanese students collaborating on instrument making. The performance concert featuring the completed kalimbas took place at the Acoustic Research Center Recording Studio on Kyushu University’s Ohashi Campus, where the beautiful sounds infused with heartfelt emotions from both universities were recorded. For detailed information about this project, please refer to the Kyushu University Faculty of Design Tomotari Laboratory website MILL below:
