PRISM – Macao Light Festival 2019

05.02.20

Experiment / Projection Mapping / Projects / Studio Originals

Role
All Production

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Not so many countries have so dramatic a history as Macao has had. Though tossed about in churns of historical currents of interventions from other countries, the people have waded through the currents with their flexibility and steeled conviction. This conviction materialized, in December in 2019, in the form of her celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region.

To show our respect for the turning point of the 20th celebration, we created a projection mapping artwork to project to her landmark building, The St. Joseph’s Seminary and Church. This seminary was established by the Jesuits and became the hub of their mission activities in Asia. Its baroque architecture is adorned with the complex structure generating its beauty and diversity, which can tell us in turn a lot about the winding road of her history and culture. In this artwork, we used 20 LED poles and laser beams. Seeing the strength of the harmony emanating from the seemingly chaotic structure of the building, we introduced some uncontrolled random insertions into our artwork on purpose so that these unpredictable insertions will give rise to the chaotic periods of her history and then again be harmonized in due time, and lastly be solidified as one in the picture of the present day of Macao. Our hope and endeavor in this tiny challenge of our artwork may give a little help that Macao will grow in strength and prosperity from now on as well

マカオほどドラマティックな歴史を持つ国は世界にもそう多くないだろう。
他国からの介入や時代の流れに翻弄されながらも、この国の人々はしなやかな生き方と強い信念で逆境に立ち向かってきた。2019年12月に、その信念は特別行政区20周年という形で結実を迎えた。20周年という節目にあたり、我々はマカオのランドマークとしても名高い、聖ヨセフ修道院に投影する一つの作品を制作した。イエズス会によって建設され、アジアでの宣教活動の拠点となったこのバロック建築は、複雑で美しい構造と多様性を特徴とする。そしてそれはまた、マカオの辿ってきた歴史や文化にも通ずるところがあるのではないだろうか。

今回、この作品には20本のLEDポールとレーザーを使用し、また混沌とした中にも調和が生まれているこの美しい聖堂の建築様式に倣って、一部にはあえて予測不能な実験的シーンを取り入れている。そこに生まれる混乱と調和は、今日に至るマカオの姿を彷彿とさせ、ひとつのまとまりとなった今日のマカオの像を描き出す。この国がこれからも未来に向かって発展し続けていくことを、我々のささやかな挑戦を捧げて願う次第である。



Credits
Visual Artist – Kento Tomiyoshi (FLIGHTGRAF)
Sound Artist – Makoto Shozu (FLIGHTGRAF)
LED Programming Specialist – Toshiki Yoshiike (mplusplus)
Laser Show Software Developer – Ryo Chigira (SIGNIF)
LED Technical Crew – Nana Fumiki (mplusplus), Hinano Hasegawa (mplusplus)
LED Equipment Supplier – mplusplus Co., Ltd.
Laser Equipment Supplier – SOLU MEDIAGE inc.
Event Producer – Macao Government Tourism Office
Client – Macao Government Tourism Office

THE GATE – The former Nara prison festival 2018

21.05.19

Projection Mapping / Projects / Studio Originals

Role
All Production

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The Gate is the art work presented on the former Nara Prison ( and then the Nara Juvenile Prison). It was the last installation projected on the buildings used as a prison. Narrating Habiland system, the former Nara Prison buildings radiate in all directions from the lookout tower as the hub. This art work was projected onto the center lookout tower which commands a sweeping view of all the detention houses.
Considering the building is in a special purpose as “a prison”, we choose to use abstracted images rather than direct references. To etch the structure of the building, there is a scene projecting lazer beam onto a 80 meter hall of a detention house. The beam deflects and is pregnant with blurry chase. Though it can be suggestive of the test of its time and changes of its history and the punitive suffering, it still points in one direction and conceives a silver lining.
The former Nara Prison was completed in 1908. It was one of “the five major prisons in Meiji Era” designed by Yamashita Keijiro. This prison is the only one extant as it used to be. Because of the problem of its durability, it was designated among the cultural assets and closed on 31st of March in 2017. And there is a plan that it will be rebuilt as a hotel in 2020.

THE GATE は旧奈良監獄(現・奈良少年刑務所)で発表した作品である。この建築が監獄という状態で存在する最後のインスタレーションとなった。 旧奈良監獄は見張台を中心に放射状に収容棟を配置した「ハビランド・システム」が採用されており、この作品は、すべての収容棟を一望できる中央監視所で発表された。
この建物が”刑務所である”という特殊な状況であることを鑑み、直接的な表現ではなく抽象的なイメージを主に用いている。 また建築の構造を活かし、80mを越す収容棟の廊下に向けてレーザー光を投射する場面がある。光線は歪みやブレを孕み、それはこの建物が晒された時代の変遷や罪による苦悩を彷彿とさせるが、それでもなお一つの方向を指し示し、未来への希望を描き出す。
旧奈良監獄は1908年に竣工した、山下啓次郎設計による「明治の五大監獄」の一つ。ほぼ当時のまま現存する唯一の刑務所である。 残念ながら耐久性の問題により、2017年に重要文化財に指定されると同時に3月31日の廃庁（閉鎖）が決定した。2020年にはホテルとしての再建が計画されている。



Credits
Visual Artist – Kento Tomiyoshi (FLIGHTGRAF)
Sound Artist – Makoto Shozu (FLIGHTGRAF)
Laser Show Software Developer – Ryo Chigira (SIGNIF)
Animator – Shoichi Kita
Event Producer – Projection Mapping Association of Japan (PMAJ)
Client – Ministry of Justice Nara Office, Projection Mapping Association of Japan

Inside The Invisible – BOREALIS a festival of light 2018

18.12.18

Experiment / movie / Projection Mapping / Projects / Studio Originals

Role
All Production

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Wherever something moves, there generates a stream. Some streams are visible like those of water and sand, and others are invisible but felt on your skin and in your consciousness like those of air or time. In this art work we would like to highlight the region of those invisible and want you to experience the virtual world of the sensed invisibility. Though spread on the map projected, it goes beyond the realm of “seeing” and “hearing”. We are aiming at invoking the coarsened senses of the audience alive again. This innocent search will provide an experience of having a glimpse of a streaming corner of the world or reminiscing about the forgotten trolls of their dreams.

何かが連続的に動くことで、そこには「流れ」が生まれる。水や砂のように目に見える事象もあれば、空気や時間のように目には見えないが、感じ取れる事象もあるだろう。 この作品では「流れ」の中でも目に見えない領域にフォーカスし、不可視の世界を探索するような映像体験を提供したいと思う。 プロジェクションマッピングという手法を使いつつも、それが単に「見る」ものであり「聞く」ものの域におさまらず、観客の五感やそこに紐付く記憶を呼び覚ますような表現となることを目指す。 この無邪気な探検は世界の一隅を覗き見るような、あるいはかつて見た夢を再び見るような体験をもたらすだろう。



Credits
Visual Artist – Kento Tomiyoshi (FLIGHTGRAF)
Sound Artist – Makoto Shozu (FLIGHTGRAF)
VFX Artist – Ryo Chigira (SIGNIF)
Event Organizer – BOREALIS 2018 Team
Event Producer – Maxin 10sity
Client – BOREALIS 2018, Maxin 10sity