This virtual portal connects Tokyo to the NYC Garden of ARS Electronica 2021. 8 digital artists based in Japan will exhibit  their work during an hour long event. Attendees will be able to wander the Metropolis streets  and experience these pieces live with others internationally on Sansar. With

Brittany Kurtinecz

Saeko Ehara

Masayuki Azegami

Kinnara : Desi La

Kaoru Tanaka

JACKSON kaki

Sho Tokura

Junkiyoshi

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@brittany_kurtinecz

Algaphon is a hybrid installation wherein algae bubbles that ring at minnaert frequency near algal filaments are rendered audible through a hydrophone. Online visitors can leave a voice message that is translated into photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) variations in a remote aquarium. The algae bubble response to this human speech is then recorded and emailed back to the visitor for them to engage in a reflective dialog with algal species.

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Harpreet Sareen (US/IN/JP) is a scientist-designer who creates bionic materials and hybrid substrates that lend themselves for future ecological machinery, sensing systems and interaction design. http://harpreetsareen.com/ 

 

Franziska Mack (DE/US)  is a multidisciplinary designer and researcher based in New York, where she is currently pursuing an MFA at Parsons School of Design. https://franziskamack.com 

Yasuaki Kakehi (JP) is a media artist, HCI researcher and an Associate Professor at The University of Tokyo. By combining digital technology and physical materials, he has created installation works that show new (alternative) ways of experiencing objects and environments. http://xlab.iii.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Inspired by the Greek tragedy Prometheus Bound, this work is an experiential theater piece that uses VR/AR technology to develop the tension between technology and human society, which has been altered in various ways in civilization.

 

The theater piece is made of two compositions.  In the first half of the piece, viewers wearing head-mounted displays are able to experience immersive VR/AR.

In the second half, it reflects on the existence of MUTO Masatane, an ALS patient, with his memories, anguish and vision of a future in which ALS will be overcome. This is the axis of the play, which critically examines human behavior and how it can be manipulated. ABAL's technology, which enables a synchronized AR/VR experience, presents a crowd that embraces a communal illusion, reminding us of the utopia that technology will bring, but also warning us of the dystopia that lies behind it.

VR Theater piece Prometheus Bound won the Grand Prize in the Art Division of the 24th Japan Media Arts Festival.

This video is a record of the Prometheus Bound performance at Theatre Commons '20 in 2020.

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​​KOIZUMI Meiro is an artist who explores the relationship between the individual and the state/community, and between the human body and emotions, through experimental videos and performances that interweave reality and fiction. His work examines the mechanisms that give rise to feelings of violence and self-sacrifice and allows viewers to relive the emotions of those involved. At Aichi Triennale 2019, he performed a theatrical piece using VR technology, which drew great attention from the art and theater worlds.

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Highlights from the Garden Tokyo: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDY9uZ76cGc