LANTARN PROJECT, weTREES TSURUMI FESTIVAL 2022
Artists: WERC, Jan Derk Diekema
29 Oktober 2022

A Port Journey’s collaboration with Zou-No-Hana Terrace & Tsurumi Public Art Project

WeWish is an interactive community artwork created by artists WERC (NL) & Jan Derk Diekema (NL) for the weTREES Festival in Tsurumi, Yokohama, curated by our Port Journey partners in Japan. The project invited children to do something simple but meaningful: to wish. To imagine the neighbourhood they want to live in, and to give that wish a shape in words, in drawings, and in their own voice.

Eighty-four lanterns formed the heart of the installation. Each one was personally decorated by a child, filled with hopes and ideas for their home: a greener neighbourhood, a place to play, a street where people know each other. No wish was too small or too ambitious. Together, they formed a portrait of a community as seen through the eyes of its youngest members.

But WeWish went beyond the visual. Alongside each drawing, an audio recording was made in the child’s own voice, speaking their wish aloud. At night, the lanterns were brought together into a glowing interactive installation that moved through light and sound simultaneously. Visitors could walk among the lanterns and hear Tsurumi’s future being spoken into the present.

The result was something that belonged equally to art, to community, and to the urban imagination. WeWish created a moment where children became active contributors to a public conversation about what their neighbourhood could be.

The collaboration in the weTREES Tsurumi festival reflects a long-standing partnership in the Port Journey’s network, and a shared belief that art — when rooted in genuine participation — can illuminate not just a street at night, but the values and dreams of an entire community.