With One Voice – Japan

With One Voice, the international arts and homelessness movement has been working with partners in Japan since 2018. In August 2019 members of the MSP team joined part of a UK delegation to Japan to exchange in practice and policy and to explore a joint creative project for Tokyo 2020 as part of the Make Tokyo Full of Colourful Ideas project led by the Advocacy and Research Centre for Homelessness (ARCH). Together we learnt about the local context, arts interventions and collaborated with homeless artist Jakuyu, the organisation Sanyukai and dance company Sokerissa that saw local stories interpreted through black marks on the cardboard made with their feet, and for the very first time colour incorporated into the words. It was the meeting of two worlds thousands of miles apart, raising common concerns and shared hope.