Kenji Williams speaks about his live collaboration with astronaut Koichi Wakata, performs a sample of BELLA GAIA (Beautiful Earth), and shares its transformative power revealed by NASA survey data. View Japanese 日本語 version : 

The last 1min of the video (after the 8min performance) explains the NASA survey data showing the real data results of converting people who experience Bella Gaia. 90% conversion rate of audiences' greater understanding of our earth, and more than doubling the response of people who feel a more personal relationship with the Earth in their personal lives. (31% -> 64%).

Bella Gaia wins the award for "Best Soundtrack" at the IPS Macau International Fulldome Film Festival. (International Planetarium Society) 

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May 2, 12:30-1:30 EDT: The NASA Johnson Space Center's DLN (Digital Learning Network) and Public Affairs Office are thrilled to present another Music in Space event featuring International Space Station commander Koichi Wakata and BELLA GAIA director Kenji Williams. The live StarJAM session will include a 3-5 minute improvised musical performance between Williams and Koichi, interspersed with video footage from BELLA GAIA's multimedia show as well as live images from space. Koichi will be playing an ancient Japanese wind instrument called a Sho, which was donated by Japan's Tenri University.

Co-Sponsored by BELLA GAIA (Beautiful Earth) and Tenri University, the StarJam was conceptualized by director and violinist Kenji Williams. Tenri Institute Executive Director Yoichi Fukui trained Wakata on the Sho, and this 2000 year old instrument donated by Prof Koji Satoh was transported to the International Space Station by the SpaceX Dragon. This is the first time in history for such an instrument to travel beyond the Earth's atmosphere. In the Japanese Shinto tradition, the Sho is an instrument performed for the purpose of tuning the cosmos.

The 1 hour DLN Music in Space session will also be joined by Pearl Hall Elementary School Choir in Houston, TX, Astronaut and flutist Cady Coleman, educator and flutist Jami Lupold, and violinist Sergei Galperein from the Houston Symphony.

Watch live May 2nd, at 12:30pm Eastern USA Time:
https://dln.nasa.gov/
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-dlinfo

NASA, StarJam, ISS, Space Station, Jaxa, Koichi Wakata, 天理大学, 若田 光一, Kenji Williams, Bella Gaia, BellaGaia, Bela, Gaya, ビデオ、ベラガイア, 笙, JSC, Earth, Violin, Interstellar, SpaceX, Dragon, Building Cultural Bridges, Sergei Galperein, Jami Lupold, astronaut, Sho, Jamming , Gagaku

"A World Forgiveness Movement Launched by Project Peace On Earth Gives new Meaning to 2014 New Year’s Celebrations Around the World"

"The message of forgiveness and high demand prompts MelliTV’s rebroadcast of the Project Peace On Earth World Forgiveness Concert for Bethlehem on this New Years Day, 2014. Famed Rock, Opera and Country Grammy winners along with national best-selling thought-leaders headline The World Forgiveness Concert which is presently live on the internet at http://www.projectpeaceonearth.org/world-forgiveness-project-2/

MelliTV (MTC) http://www.mellitv.com/ , will rebroadcast the entire 2013 Project Peace on Earth Bethlehem World Forgiveness Concert on Wednesday (1.1.14) New Years Day. The air time of the New Years Day rebroadcast is scheduled for 10am (PST) and 1pm (EST). "

Full Press Release: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/01/prweb11455963.htm

Featuring artists "including: Stewart Copeland, co-founder and drummer of The Police; Pearl Thompson of The Cure/Robert Plant and Jimmy Page Tour who now teams with legendary guitarist Finbar O’Hanlon; Gary Nicholson, Country Music Grammy Winner; Sasha Cooke, 2012 Opera Grammy winner; Joanne Shenandoah, Native American Grammy Winner; David Arkenstone and Charlee Brooks, Grammy nominees; Beth Nielsen Chapman, Country Music Grammy nominee; Fox Lima, of the MMX Enigma Social Media Song and video; Miriam Stockley and Richard Gannaway of AO Music; Randy, Pamela and Sarah Copus of the group 2002; Kenji Williams of the Bella Gaia/NASA world tour; Itai Disraeli and Hagia Izraeli of the group Maetar; SEAY, award winning singer; Fritz Heede and Nijole Sparkis of Ritual Path; Kellee Maize, conscious HipHop/Rapper; Hani Naser, world-famed Oud player; and rising pop-star, " ...

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council interviews grant awardee Kenji Williams on Grantee Spotlight: 
"Multidisciplinary artist, Kenji Williams, was classically trained in violin from a very young age, and developed a unique compositional style through a variety of projects including film scores, ambient and dance music, and touring with diverse bands from dub reggae to techno and world music. Williams is also an accomplished filmmaker, directing and producing many award-winning films presented by the CSC and Sundance. In the last ten years of his artistic practice, Williams has been focusing on fusing his visual arts, music, and live performance work into a unified experience." 
Read more: http://www.lmcc.net/news/grantee_spotlight/spotlight_kenji_williams/

UNEP DATA LIVE WITH BELLA GAIA FILM AND PERFORMANCE AT WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

Washington, D.C./Portland, Oregon,  June 3, 2013 - On the occasion of World Environment Day (WED), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and BELLA GAIA are launching in Portland, Oregon, a short film titled Hotspots to Hopespots - a multimedia presentation of scientific data and images on the planet's changing environment. 

Directed by award winning filmmaker, music producer and classically trained violinist, Kenji Williams, the film highlights this year's WED theme of food waste and showcases visualizations of Hotspots that have turned into Hopespots.  These images are available on the UNEP Live portal, which is based on research led by UNEP's Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA).   The film, which also features data produced by NASA, BELLA GAIA and the Brooklyn-based data visualization company, Culture Shock, illustrates earth science stories from around the globe.  The partners worked together to show real time anthropogenic activity spanning decades.

Hotspots to Hopespots will premiere at Portland State University's Native American Student Community Center at 6:30 p.m. on 4 June, and will be accompanied by a musical performance (synchronized to the film) by Kenji Williams, Director of BELLA GAIA. 

Hotspots harbor great diversity of species, land and sea and are significantly impacted by human activities. Hopespots, born from Hotspots, are deemed critical to the health of ecosystems, animals and people.

The BELLA GAIA and UNEP collaboration, made possible in part with support from The Baum Foundation, is a way of showcasing the work undertaken by UNEP, including the series of atlases of our changing environment.  These publications present visual and factual data, as well as analyses of humanity's impact on the environment.

The film tells many stories by using actual satellite data, visualizations of Hotspots, emissions by country, and environmental changes taking place over short time frames.  The 'before' and 'after' images, some of which span a 35-year period, offer striking snapshots of local ecosystem transformation.

One Hotspots to Hopespots visualization demonstrates how rainwater conservation in Kenya over time is improving food security in drought-prone regions via increased irrigation projects.   

"The data and the topics we have selected for this multimedia experience weave together a compelling story that illustrates anthropogenic change on planet Earth, but also hopeful signs of change," says Williams. "Through BELLA GAIA's method of artistically translating data, I hope to move people and inspire action that will help us find solutions that will make our future more sustainable", he added. 

"The images show both the positive and negative impacts of human life on Earth.  We hope they will provide food for thought, as we seek ways to balance our use of the Earth's resources, says Ashbindu Singh, Director of UNEP DEWA's North American office".

To view the video, visit: http://vimeo.com/67499493

TO EDITORS:
June 5 - The Hotspots to Hopespots film and performance will be featured on June 5 at a Youth Workshop led by Dr. Mae Jemison - the first African-American female astronaut.  This event, which will take place at Roosevelt High School in Portland, is sponsored by Bayer Corporation's Making Science Make Sense program and is part of Bayer's annual sponsorship of the World Environment Day Youth Programs.  Time: 2:45 p.m.; location: 6941 N Central Street, Portland, Oregon 97203.
June 6 - The Hotspots to Hopespots film and performance will also be the highlight of the official World Environment Day closing event Innovation Celebration hosted by the City of Portland and featuring some of the most innovative technology solutions by inventors and businesses throughout the State of Oregon.  Date: June 6th at 6 p.m.; location: World Trade Center Portland, 121 SW Salmon St, 2WTC, Portland, Oregon 97204

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
UNEP is the leading authority on the environment within the United Nations system.  The mission of UNEP's Regional Office for North America (RONA) is to build support in the region for UNEP's work, promote effective responses to international environmental challenges and to foster cooperation on environmental issues between North America and the broader international community.  To achieve this mission, RONA's strategy is to promote collaboration between UNEP and all sectors of North American society, including U.S. and Canadian governmental institutions, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and other civil society groups.

Kenji Williams, Director and Composer of Bella Gaia:
Kenji Williams is an award winning filmmaker, music producer and classically trained violinist.  Bridging music, visual arts, science and storytelling, Williams collaborates with institutions such as NASA, the United Nations, and the Smithsonian on live, multimedia projection performances.

For more information:
UNEP Live, visit: www.uneplive.org
Bella Gaia, visit: www.bellagaia.com
World Environment Day in Portland, visit:www.portlandoregon.gov/wed/
World Environment Day around the world, visit:www.unep.org/wed/about/

Facebook: 
facebook.com/2013wedportland and  
facebook.com/bellagaia, facebook.com/thebaumfoundation

Twitter:
@UNEPRONA
@BellaGaia
@BaumFoundation

Videos and Photos:
UNEP Live- https://www.UNEPLIVE.org
UNEP/GRID https://www.NA.UNEP.Net
BELLA GAIA - https://www.Bellagaia.com
The Baum Foundation,  https://www.TheBaumFoundation.org

5min Promotional Sample Video of the upcoming March 31st (Sunday) show of BELLA GAIA: Origin Stories of Japan at NYU Skirball Theater. Get Tickets ->

An Awe-Inspiring Multimedia Live Concert, fusing an ancient Japanese orchestra, Buddhist chants, and stunning projections of NASA imagery of Earth from Space.

Award-winning composer and director Kenji Williams brings a special and exotic version of BELLA GAIA (Beautiful Earth) to New York! Inspired by stories of astronauts who returned to Earth transformed after the view from space, and working with J-Collabo, "BELLA GAIA: Origin Stories of Japan" explores the relationship between humans and nature through ancient Japanese arts fused with modern expression and technology. The 70-minute immersive performance produced and performed by Williams, features Japanese traditional artists performing Live Noh (dance), Gagaku (ceremonial orchestra), and Shomyo (chanting), and more.

POST SHOW DISCUSSION WITH SPECIAL GUEST PAUL MILLER (DJ SPOOKY) AND KENJI WILLIAMS.