DOOR to ASIA is a “designers-in-residence” program that brings together different cultures and perspectives to solve problems brought about by natural disasters.「DOOR to ASIA」は、アジア各国のデザイナーたちが地域に一定期間滞在し、地元事業者と自国をつなぐための “コミュニケーションデザイン” を制作するデザイナーズ・イン・レジデンス形式プログラムです。

The Japan Foundation and Tumugiya (Representative: Yuichi Tomohiro) will be inviting 8 young professional designers from 8 Asian countries and regions over the 12-day period between July 24 and August 4, 2018 to Rikuzen Takata City, Ofunato City (Iwate Prefecture) and Kesennuma (Miyagi Prefecture) for the Designers in Residence DOOR to ASIA Program.

In this program, designers are offered the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of Tohoku’s local businesses and products, and then pose the question of “How would you sell this in your own country?”, to which the designers will respond through the creation of communication design. This program started in 2015 and has welcomed 12 local companies and 24 designers from 10 Asian countries and regions. This provides the Tohoku local companies with an opportunity to rethink about their own businesses and strengths from a different perspective and a chance to consider expanding their businesses overseas. In fact, one of the participating local fish processing companies from Kesennuma in 2015 started to export its products to Indonesia after having an Indonesian participating designer redesign their products. Last but not least, this program provides an opportunity for designers not just to know more about Tohoku’s culture, but to learn about the role of design in regional revitalization and natural disasters, which are common problems faced in various parts of Asia.

We’ll be posting updates of our experiences in Tohoku over the next two weeks, so stay tuned!

More information about DOOR to ASIA: http://door-to.asia/