Anish Kapoor's Mobile, Inflatable Music Hall Brings Hope to Post-Earthquake Japan

At once sculptor, architect, and magician, Anish Kapoor brings mythical significance to a physical site with a mobile concert hall honoring the regions of Japan devastated by March's tsunami and earthquake. Kapoor will be working alongside Japanese architect Arata Isozaki to create the Ark Nova.

The hall, holding up to 700 people, will be a 'pneumatic structure,' made of an elastic shell that can be quickly inflated and dismantled. The structure will travel throughout the damaged areas of Japan housing music, dance, and multimedia artists from around the world.

This past year the spirit of Japan has been tragically transformed by physical trauma. This new physical structure, though not trying to "undo all the terrible pain and suffering" will "give the people in the region new hope and promise," according to Michael Haeflinger, executive director of the Lucerne festival. Events are expected to be free for local spectators. Both through the magical concept of a moving concert hall and the rebirth of music and art in Japan, the Ark Nova is a vehicle of hope in every sense.