British sculptor Anish Kapoor and japanese architect Arata Isozaki created the project in partnership with the Lucerne Festival, a Swiss international music festival traveling to Miyagi prefecture, Japan, the area most affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and resulting Fukushima nuclear disasters two years ago. On October 12, in Matsushima, the Ark Nova will hold its first event as part of the festival.

"I could not stand still watching the earthquake and tsunami disaster on 11 March, 2011," Lucerne's artistic and executive director Michael Haefliger says on Ark Nova's website. So he asked himself, "What can people in Switzerland do for lots of friends in Japan?"