Modern-day Noah’s Ark to Benefit Japan Earthquake Relief at Design Saves Lives

November 29th, 2011 at 12:39pm Erica

If the March 2011 tsunami and earthquake taught the world anything, it’s the enduring spirit of the Japanese people. The natural disaster devastated the countryside and left thousands homeless, yet designers and engineers immediately began working to develop a life-saving solution should something like this strike again. In September, Shoji Tanaka, president of the Japanese company Cosmo Power, unveiled the Noah Capsule, a floating ball that fits up to four adults and is built to survive a tsunami event. Stylistically, the Noah Capsule looks like a bright yellow tennis ball, but is made of tough enhanced fiberglass and contains breathing holes with a lookout window. Tanaka notes that the size and appearance of the capsule will help it to be located by rescue crews, but that it can also be used as a child’s playhouse when not in imminent danger. Already, orders have been pouring in for Noah, worth about $3900.

 

This modern-day ‘Noah’s Ark’ is one of many pieces to be sold at auction December 7^th at Design Saves Lives, a Japan Relief Fundraiser formed by the non-profit organization International Design Network Foundation. In partnership with MAD and Steelcase, Inc., IDNF seeks to support the artists who were dispossessed by the tsunami, resulting in a loss of resources and business.

 

Design Saves Lives consists of a series of events to help promote awareness of the disaster in Japan and to give people an opportunity to support the affected designers and artists. Among the upcoming projects is the aforementioned Charity Auction and Gala, hosted by the Museum of Artsand Design and Steelcase Inc., Penthouse. The Charity Auction will feature exciting works from Japanese designers, including beautiful ceramics,  and bidders will have the option to donate their piece to MAD’s show on Japanese Art, ‘Beauty in All Things.’

 

Yoshiko Ebihara, Founding Director of IDNF, has long been an advocate for local artists in Japan.  Many of the works featured in the Charity Auction comes from artists she has representd, and artists who have suffered greatly in the wake of this tragedy. Other pieces from the auction can be seen below. Please visit DesignSavesLives.org to learn more about how you can get involved and contribute to a solution. For more information on the Noah Capsule, and how it’s been received, see the article at designboom.com.

 

Entry Filed under: beauty in all things