“Dream Seed Melbourne” was held on 31 December 2006, in Melbourne, Australia

©Photography David Simmonds   ©Photography David Simmonds

“Dream Seed Melbourne” is a recreation of the “yume no tane” art project that was performed in Awara city, Fukui prefecture, Japan in November 2005 by artist Kyota Takahashi. Mr. Takahashi had been a visiting artist to Melbourne, Australia since August 2006 and this project was held with the corporation of the city. The original “yume no tane” project in Awara city was sponsored in part by Yupo Corporation where they used Dream Seed made form YUPOTRACE® TPRA-90, and for this project, this Dream Seed made from YUPOTRACE®TPRA-90 was recreated and sent to Melbourne. Following is a report of the event by Ms Reiko Kawaguchi, who had been assisting Mr. Takahashi in Melbourne for this project.

“Dream Seed Melbourne” By Reiko Kawaguchi

© Photography David Simmonds 31 December 2006, Federation Square At 9:15 PM, as if announcing the commencement of Dream Seed, a brief display of fireworks was sent up over the Yarra River flowing beside Federation Square, where the event was to be held. Following the end of the last burst of fireworks, a voice rang out announcing Dream Seed at Federation Square. “Hello Everyone! I’m a Dream Seed* artist, Kyota Takahashi!” Kyota Takahashi stood alongside Melbourne Lord Mayor John So on a stage that had been installed in Federation Square and spoke to the more than 10,000 spectators gathered there. With a passionate voice infused with the thought and enormous time that had been spent up to that day, Takahashi spoke to the people gathered there explaining that each individual Dream Seed had been created lovingly by an individual person’s hands and that the Dream Seed event being carried out here was everyone’s event and should be shared by all. “Did you make a Dream Seed?” “Yeah!!” The reactions of children rose from the Square, further electrifying the atmosphere of the event. “Is this it now? Is it now?” Anticipation continued to build towards the moment when the shower of light would come flowing down. Whoops of excitement rose up like waves from the audience as Takahashi continued his speech. A 12-meter long airship spouting large drops of light appeared from behind the buildings on Federation Square. Showers of light poured down from the path on which the airship traveled. The eyes of the spectators widened in fascination at the elegantly falling light. With the appearance of the airship, four balloons that had been set up at the event site were floated high in timing with the showering of light. The balloons floated waveringly in the sky. As though unable to move, all the spectators gathered at the event gazed with their eyes glued to the movements of the balloons. There was barely a sound in the middle of this atmosphere full of anticipation when 3,000 Dream Seeds were released from the first balloon. This continued from the first balloon to the second and then the second to the third. Light poured down among the crowd. The atmosphere among the gathered spectators became even more electrified by the shower of light pouring down holding so many dreams. As though being guided by the light, the people gathered there reached out to grasp a Dream Seed. Light poured down. Hands grasped light. The multitude of lights that floated down from the sky was absorbed into the crowd. A total of as many as 20,000 Dream Seeds had floated down. And these Dream Seeds were held in the hands of people on their way home at the end of the event. You could see children who had met each other at the workshop and they were holding their Dream Seeds with joy. The Dream Seed event had finished and the late night road home seemed to be filled only with young people in a New Year mood, but there was certainly no sign of littered Dream Seeds from among the 20,000 that had spouted from the sky above Flinders and Swanston streets. The beauty of the shower of light was supported and enhanced by the fact that none of the enormous number of Dream Seeds had been trampled on by anyone nor had been thrown away, but had all made their way into someone’s hands. And this fact gave assurance that the dreams and thoughts written onto the Dream Seeds had been safely delivered to another person.

For inquiries about this article Concerning YUPOTRACE®： Sales & Marketing Division, Yupo Corporation Tel: +81-3-5281-0815 / Fax: +81-3-5281-0819 Concerning the “Dream Seed” project in Melbourne: Fed Square Pty Ltd. e-mail: info@fedsquare.com Phone: + 61 3 9655 1900 / Fax: + 61 3 9663 3652