FUJISAWA, Kanagawa -- As the Olympic torch relay makes its way across the nation, a local group of volunteers has launched a community art project that aims to capture the festive spirit in Fujisawa, which has been selected to host sailing events at the Tokyo Olympics.
The group, City Cast Fujisawa, plans to collect snapshots of 2,020 people from the community for compilation into a photomosaic measuring 84 centimeters by 119 centimeters. When viewed from a distance, the finished poster will appear to depict five wisteria, the city's official flower, in blue, yellow, green, red and silver, against a mauve background.
The idea was proposed by Mizuho Endo, 24, a dental hygienist, at one of the group's online meetups last July. She said she hoped the project would help bring the community together and "drum up excitement while also creating a memento for posterity."
The 2020 Games will be supported by a large number of volunteers, who will assist either on-site as "Field Cast" or off-site as "City Cast" members.
A total of 10 volunteers with City Cast Fujisawa, whose occupations range from company employees to a former nurse, signed on to organize the project in cooperation with the Fujisawa city government.
The group began taking portraits of local citizens at city hall on March 25 and collected about 200 photos in one week. They plan to complete the poster in early May for display at city hall. The photomosaic will be also shown at Fujisawa railway station and other venues during the Games.
"I hope the poster will convey all the warmth and smiles that await in Fujisawa," Endo said.
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