Theme: Spiralling Inspiration

However you perceive them, as things which are different, outside the box or even unpleasant to us, our progress depends on confronting and embracing them.

Leveraging such collisions, for stimulation and synergy, can help propel us on a path to further inspiration.

The accumulation of this spiralling power turns into a key to making changes happen.
So let’s unite, hear ideas worth spreading and forge our own unique and appealing vortex.

Konan University
8-9-1
Okamoto, Higashinada Ward
Kobe, Hyôgo, 658-8501
Japan

Akito SENGOKU feat. Hiroko NISHIMOTO

SENGOKU Akito is an artist, who creates live-performance with the theme, “TIME PAINTING”. He designs abstract images with various types of liquid, such as colored-ink, oil and water, using three OHP. He makes his extemporaneous images as if playing music. This time, he will take us into his world with a singer NISHIMOTO Hiroko. Being inspired by Akito’s image, she will coax the melody(with the sound-art of voice).

Aya KIDO

KIDO Aya launched a project "Re:Walk project" with her husband, who had spinal cord injury and was told that he will never be able to walk again. She is trying to give “hopes for walk” to people who have similar backgrounds as her husband, by transmitting information about rehabilitation abroad on the internet, crowdfunding, and also challenging successively for further development. What is the thing that encourages her, a person always facing new challenges?

Emiko HIYAMA

HIYAMA Emiko, a professor at Kyushu University, is researching about the structure of nuclei such as so called, hypernuclei with the use of the calculation method for few-body problems, which has been proposed by her. Her research covers widely from nuclear physics to the universe. Here, she will give a talk on how to approach the new challenging subjects which no one knows any answer as well as the recent hot topic in this field.

Jay W. SHIN

Jay W. SHIN was first inspired by the mystery of biology in a science class when he was a high school student. Now, he is a leader of the FANTOM Project, an international consortium, where RIKEN is playing a central role to analyze the human genome. He gives us insights surrounding new discoveries through the functional analysis of 98% of DNA that has been recognized as ‘junk'.

KOBE Chinese lion dance team

The Kobe Chinese lion dance team has the longest history among all Chinese lion dance teams based in Kobe. With the fifth-generation leader of the team RO Kenryo, Kobe Chinese lion dance team consists of members over the generations including both males and females. The team performs a dynamic dance, while the powerful beats of drums, cymbals and gongs liven up their performance. As overseas Chinese, the members keep taking over their ceremonial tradition. Meanwhile, as a new generation taking roots in Kobe, the team attempts to find an alternative identity.

Naoko KURODA

After the working for the company for three years, KURODA Naoko opened her restaurant, which was her long-cherished desire since she was a student. In her restaurant, "Kobe Asian Restaurant Bar SALA", women from Asian countries such as Thailand, Philippine, China and Taiwan daily serve their own countries' home cooking. Her vision of working with foreign resident in Japan from 8 countries and supporting them make us realize every person certainly has a strong possibility.

Takahiro KIMOTO

In the area of town with mainly vacant houses and closed stores, one rental property suddenly appeared in which many people are looking forward to living in. Including this building, KIMOTO Takahiro has made an active "town" with a diameter of 100 meters. Although some said no one would get together in this area, he successfully took back its prosperity and realized a spontaneous revitalization. His idea gives us a new stimulus in our daily life of "living".

Takeshi NISHIDA

As a computer science engineer, NISHIDA Takeshi works as an associate professor at Kobe University. In the meantime, he established "SIGSHY: Special Interest Group on Shyness and Hesitation around You". Up to this day, the reluctant feeling towards communication, and unwillingness to do something in our daily lives, was our responsibility to overcome. However, he introduced research activities and proposals to these topics from the aspect of computer science. He encourages a lot of people both passively and of course assertively to focus and work on these issues that we people all have at present.

Tomoya ONAKA

ONAKA Tomoya is the CEO of Silent Voice. His company offers a training program, focusing on ‘non-verbal communication'. Being raised by deaf parents, he had never felt the disability of deafness. At the same time, he knows ‘the strengths of deafness'. What is in between society and deafness, a specialist of ‘non-verbal communication’?