# Nouns x Origami Art -kids meet world-

**tl;dr In collaboration with [World Autism Awareness Day](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000008.000158424.html) and with the support of the [Tokyo Autism Society](https://autism.jp/about/history/), we will present a large-scale Blue Noggles artwork in the theme color of blue at Tokyo Tower, France’s [University of Poitiers](https://www.univ-poitiers.fr/en/), and the [Shizuoka Children’s Hospital](https://www.shizuoka-pho.jp/kodomo/). Children from the United States and Japan will come together through their artworks, and the large Blue Noggles installation will be realized and exhibited in both Japan and France, symbolizing unity, inclusion, and international connection.**

![Untitled design - 2](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/BJVA217dWx.jpg)

# 1. The Mission: -Kid's Dream Relay- US and TOKYO TOWER and France 2026

Our goal is to take a grassroots movement born in a local Japanese community and scale it onto the most significant stages in the world. We are carrying the dreams and "proofs of existence" of children in Shizuoka to:

1. **Primary School for the Arts(US)**:We will coordinate the creation of artworks from students at a Primary School for the Arts based in the United States and arrange them according to our ORIGAMI MOSAIC Art format. We will then transport these works and showcase the finished artwork, exhibiting them at events in both Japan and France. 
   
   ![名称未設定-1](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/BkzXrJ6O-e.png) 
2. **TOKYO TOWER(JAPAN):** A large-scale exhibition to prove that Nouns is a symbol of global peace, inclusivity, and the power of individual voices. 
   
   ![IMG_0243](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/ry2FBiiOZe.jpg) 
3. **Poitiers University (France):** Collaborative workshops in European University and [gallery](https://maps.app.goo.gl/gjURVpoSQrXpMKY88?g_st=ipc) communities, expanding our circle of co-creation across the continent. 
   
   ![B609DD80-2876-49C8-A274-7166A662D3C8](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/r16jHsiOZx.jpg) 

Isolation and chronic loneliness do not affect only individuals; it has become clear that they also have a significant impact on society as a whole — including its creativity, its capacity for empathy, and its long-term sustainability.

![France 2](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/BksPA0XuZx.jpg)

#### We conducted the quetionnaire about our project on instagram

Each quetionnaires is following
①Why did you support our project?
②What do you expect from us next?
③Where would you like to see Origami Workshop next?

[Here the survey](https://www.instagram.com/p/DVIFLoUkios/?igsh=MW56M28xYjk3eThlcA%3D%3D&img_index=3)

![IMG_0373](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/Sketg4yT_Zl.png)

# 2. Our Method: Breaking "Boundaries" through Origami Art

To achieve this mission, we use a unique form of "Origami Art." This is not about the traditional craft of folding paper; it is about using 15cm square papers as canvases where individuals draw their dreams, messages, and identities. We then connect thousands of these individual squares to create a massive, unified mosaic artwork.

**The Impact of Our Method:**

- **US Kids:** By exhibiting artworks created by children in the United States in Japan and France, we can offer them a powerful experience—realizing that “our drawings can connect us with friends around the world.” 
- **Children's Hospital (Kirara Class):** We collaborate with children in hospital schools who are physically isolated due to long-term illness. When their art, adorned with Noggles (Nouns glasses), is integrated into a global mosaic, it becomes their "wings" to fly beyond the hospital walls. 
- **Elementary Schools & Global Friends:** Last year, a Costa Rican artist joined students at Denbo Elementary School in Fuji City. Despite the language barrier, they created art together on these small squares, naturally dissolving the psychological walls between "local" and "global." 

By linking this symbolic act with structured participation by connecting youth in the United States and Japan through a cross-cultural exhibition of artwork, we facilitate replicable cultural activation: measurable in participation, visible in output, and enduring in impact. Awareness becomes action. Action becomes culture. This culture becomes future possibility.

We want to tell these children: **"No matter where you are or what your condition is, you can connect with the world, you will always have a friend and you are never alone.”** By bringing together each child’s individual artwork and exhibiting them as a large-scale mosaic that transcends national borders, we create an experience that connects the “individual” and “society.”

This initiative establishes a replicable model of social participation support through artistic practice.

![Untitled design - 3](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/H1m92JmO-x.jpg)

Article of Newspaper [https://news.at-s.com/article/1811168](https://news.at-s.com/article/1811168)

# 3. Target Participants

- Children receiving medical care (including those who are long-term hospitalized) 
- Children with disabilities 
- Children who are particularly vulnerable to social isolation 
- Elementary and middle school students in Japan and abroad 
- Expected number of participants: Total 4,535 (Domestic: 4,000 / International: 535) 

*For details regarding our past activities and upcoming plans, please refer to the materials below.*  [Here the Details](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R0ImhdyLBCGVr4Am889_NQAQ6UCkL1yH6_KcBDnJmew/edit?usp=sharing)  

# 4. The Origin: A Challenge Born from a Small Studio

This mission is rooted in a journey that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a small studio in Shizuoka, while the physical world was locked down, we discovered the pioneering power of the internet and Web3 (Nouns) **to create meaningful encounters and share experiences across borders.**  

Even while physically confined, we took a leap into the unknown. By continuously sharing our thoughts and artworks from our studio in Numazu and public spaces like [CCC](https://www.c-c-c.or.jp/en) (The Center for Creative Communications) in Shizuoka, we earned the trust and empathy of many artists and institutions in Japan and across the ocean. Each child participates not as observer, but as co-creator. Each exchange bridges distance—across cultures, across neurotypes, across oceans—turning representation into relationship. The "Origami Art" that started in a local studio has now grown into this miraculous opportunity to exhibit at the TOKYO TOWER in Japan.

# 5. Tokyo Tower x World Autism Awareness Day: A Message of Empathy, Solidarity, and Hope

![IMG_0200](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/ryPtQy6uZg.png)

On World Autism Awareness Day, Tokyo Tower—one of Japan’s most iconic landmarks—will be illuminated in blue.
This blue light is a symbol of a global message of inclusion.

We believe this symbolic illumination should not remain something to simply observe. Instead, we aim to transform it into an opportunity for connection and participation. From light to dialogue, from dialogue to meaningful relationships—we want to create a living cycle of engagement.

The blue glow is not merely a visual gesture.
It is an invitation: to reflect together, to create together.

Our exhibition has long served as a platform for social awareness. Through this initiative, we take a further step forward. We seek to deepen respect for diversity and empower young people to imagine—and actively shape—a future grounded in mutual understanding, coexistence, and empathy.

Each artwork becomes a point of connection.
Each child becomes a starting point.

Through exchange, distances shrink—across cultures, neurotypes, and oceans. Through the works created by children, symbolic light transforms into dialogue rooted in human relationships.

Grounded in the philosophy of Nouns and Nounish—collective creativity, open participation, and public good—we aim to foster a visible and lasting affirmation of neurodiversity.

We want young people to experience coexistence not as an abstract ideal, but as participatory design.
To recognize neurodiversity not as deviation, but as a natural part of our shared humanity.
To understand inclusion not as something to observe, but as something to practice, share, and build together.

Together, we strive to cultivate a shared human space where inclusion is lived, and diversity is embraced.

# 6. Our Team: Multinational Solidarity Bound by "Aspiration"

This project is a testament to the fact that "aspiration" transcends ability and language. We are a team of friends who met through audio-based social spaces (X Spaces) and share a common dream.

- A translator in Kansai who supports us because we are not fluent in English. 
- Friends in the US, France, and Costa Rica who gather under the motto: "Let's share the same dream." 

Our teammates are more than "helpers"; they are core members who find joy in the act of co-creation. This multinational solidarity — transcending language, borders, and physical distance — is the very essence of what it means to be "Nounish."

# 7. Detailed Mission Budget (USDC)

To execute these large-scale international exhibitions and direct on-site workshops, we require the following operational budget (1 USD = 154.78 JPY).

**Team Contribution:**

- We will allocate **0.4 stETH** — a portion of the 1.03 stETH retro-grant received from [LilNouns](https://lilnouns.camp/proposals/352) for our previous mural production — directly into this project's budget. This demonstrates our commitment to maximizing the impact of this mission through reinvestment. 
- We will also allocate the ¥100,000 (approx 646 USD) that has been raised through our independently operated fundraising platform. 

## Phase 1: Tokyo Tower Exhibition Activation (22,469 USDC)

| Item                   | Details                                                                                          | Amount (USDC) |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------- |
| Intl. Logistics & Ops  | International art shipping (US to JP) and on-site transport                                      | 2,885         |
| Exhibition Production  | Display materials, printing, and Noggles mosaic art at Tokyo Tower, CCC, and Children's Hospital | 7,022         |
| Project Execution      | Adjusted fee for 3 core members (Lead, Art, Strategy)                                            | 5,463         |
| Media Production & Dev | Documentary filmmaking, exhibition website, and PR assets                                        | 5,755         |
| Mandatory Operations   | Insurance, administration, and essential processing fees                                         | 1,344         |
| Subtotal               |                                                                                                  | 22,469        |

## Phase 2: France & Europe Collaboration (17,458 USDC)

| Item                    | Details                                                        | Amount (USDC) |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- |
| Global Mobilization     | Specialized team deployment from Japan to France (3 members)   | 4,220         |
| On-site Activation Base | 9-day field operations and regional residency (Paris/Poitiers) | 3,453         |
| Regional Logistics      | EU regional rail (TGV) and site-to-site art transport          | 1,279         |
| Workshop Production     | Professional materials and Noggles mosaic art                  | 1,279         |
| Project Execution       | Adjusted fee for 3 core members                                | 5,812         |
| Mandatory Operations    | Insurance, administration, and essential processing fees       | 1,415         |
| Subtotal                |                                                                | 17,458        |

**38,500 USDC Total Request**

#### Sustainability and Future Development

This project is not designed as a one-time exhibition, but as a replicable international model. The following developments are envisioned for the future:
	•	Formalization of the program for implementation in educational and medical institutions
	•	An international traveling exhibition beyond Japan and France
	•	The creation of an online archive preserving the works of all participating children
	•	Expansion of localized versions of the model to new cities and countries

![無題 - 2026年1月14日 15.19.18](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/Hk_0A9HBbe.png)

"ROADMAP" 

# 8. Evaluation Metrics

Quantitative Indicators: Number of participating children, number of participating institutions, number of exhibition visitors, number of media features.

Qualitative Indicators: Changes in self-esteem measured through pre- and post-program surveys; changes in participants’ perceived sense of connection to society; intention to continue participation.

The project’s impact will be assessed using both quantitative and qualitative indicators, and the findings will be used to inform future improvements.

# 9. Conclusion: Turning Isolation into Pride

“What this project aims to achieve is simple: to transform isolation into pride.
To enable a child lying in a hospital bed to see their own artwork displayed at Tokyo Tower or in France, and to truly feel in their heart, ‘I am connected to the world.’”

**"Doing what we can, with those we trust." Join us in dissolving the borders of the world.**

![IMG_7921-2](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/SkLnS_vrWx.jpg)
![IMG_9030 2](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/HyjflIVrWg.jpg)

Outcome: DEFEATED