Previously at Life Science Fashion Studio PJ (Arts Council Tokyo), we were thinking about “What are people wearing in Tokyo 10 years from now?”. But this time, at Dr. Betti’s Philosophy Cafe, we discussed about “In the first place, what is Tokyo?”
Japanese, foreigners, those who are living in Tokyo, those who come from rural areas… the meaning of “Tokyo” is different for each person. A place where tradition and modernity coexist, a chaotic fusion of west and east, and elusive space… a bizarre deviation and discomfort seems to exist between image from the outside and reality inside. Betti analogizes it as “Kaleidoscope”: an infinitely changing composition that you cannot be fully grasped even if we reach it out.
The discussion was continued with the focus of “something” important that we should not forget, that we are trying to express as future wearable.
“Technology and Product in Context” (LAW.X423), one of the Breadth Courses from Liberal Arts & Basic Science Courses and Global Scientists and Engineers Course (GSEC) Advanced, was successfully conducted on 2-24 February 2018 (4Q) at Workshop Room (407A), South 5 Building of Tokyo Tech.
This course was given in intensive lecture format by Dr. Betti Marenko, WRHI Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology and Central Saint Martins, University of Arts of London, with the following topics:
2 February (14.00 – 16.00): Tool to consider Post-Anthropocene
9 February (14.00 – 16.00): Narrative from human beings towards machines
16 February (14.00 – 16.00): Uncertainty of digitization of world-scale computation
21 February (14.00 – 16.00): Design the Future
What a luxurious opportunity for the GSEC students and all. Thanks, Betti!
ロンドン芸術大学CSMそして東工大ＷＲＨＩ特任教授のベティ・マレンコ先生による集中講義「物語のあるものつくり Technology and Product in Context」開催。
担当: Betti Marenko・野原 佳代子（Kayoko Nohara)
講義情報: 広域教養科目 LAW.X423/4Q 1単位
授業形態: 集中講義・演習
使用言語: 英語
“Methodology of Transdisciplinary Research: Theory and Practice” (TSE.C317) is one of the courses of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering Department, School of Environment and Society, Tokyo Institute of Technology, which aims to learn about various examples of “fusion” in the creative field and find clues for new industries, businesses, and academic researches. To be more specific, this course explores urban design, fashion, AI, biotechnology and information with case studies and methodology.
Lecture Information Lecturer: Eugene Kangawa Date: November 29, 2017 (Wednesday) Time: 18:30 – 20:00 Location: Shibuya Hikarie COURT Capacity: 20 people (participation limited to the Tokyo Tech students enrolled on the course)
Lecture Summary Half century has passed since the publication of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001 – A Space Odyssey” in 1968, Blade Runner’s original work, and Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”. How much things have progressed from the future image that humankind once drew? And in the next half century, how should I/you act? Eugene Kangawa from THE EUGENE Studio, “Deep Mode – expanding fragments for new paradigm” was invited to give keynote lecture of the course. Eugene’s activities span from AI Agency, to automobile research and development, Biotechnology, agriculture, and cities. This lecture aims to explore a vision of the future from integrated technology on various crossing areas.
During the beginning part of his speech, Eugene’s gave exercise using KeyNote to randomly fragment and arrange some keywords. The obtained results were interesting match-up such as “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and agencies”, “Function and Communication”, “Game Engine and the Old Testament”, “Objects and the whole”, and “Multiple Fields and Paranoia”. The purpose of this exercise was not to sympathize with the floating arguments on the surface, but rather to understand them intersection systematically.
Eugene’s remarks was as follow: instead of looking at technology in general, we should look at the contents in detail as well. Instead of causing huge innovation, it should be building the “world” from the relationships of the series of detailed technological process. Also, while crossing specific disciplines, the discussion should be gradually abstracted by itself.
Eugene then moved on the specific discussions of the previous obtained keywords. The lecture ended with vibrant Q&A during which Eugene expressed his positive exception of the future of creative AI.
(Summarized from TSUDA Hiroshi’s report in Japanese)
A kick-off joint symposium between Tokyo Institute of Technology and Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, on “The Experiment” was held in Shibya Hikarie, Tokyo.
The symposium was a great success with interesting talks given by the keynote speakers included Akira Ikegami (journalist), Katsuhiko Hibino (artist) from Tokyo, and Jeremy Till (architect) from Central Saint Martins. The speakers shared their daily “experiments” and the cultures.
This five-hour event attracted more than 300 audiences and media report from The Science News. It was a scramble of communication between art and science, right emerged in Shibuya.
Full report (in Japanese) was also posted on Tokyo Tech main website.
May 27th, 2017, 13.00-18.00 at Hikarie Hall (Hall B), Shibuya Hikarie
Tokyo Tech and University of the Arts London Central Saint Martins (CSM) joint symposium “The Experiment” was held.
Session 1, “Design and Industry”, was attended by architect Keisuke Toyoda, up-and-coming fashion designer Yoshikazu Yamagata, and Prof. Carol Colette of CSM, who devises textiles using mycelium. Prof. Colette shared her own view, “A hypothesis is needed to clarify the criteria for success. When the results are published and begin to influence society, design poses a problem to society.” During Mr. Toyoda presentation, the venue was surprised and impressed by his idea of “moving and communicating with the city” for architecture that tends to be only seen as something static.
Session 2 theme is “Art and Science/Technology”. Prof. Emeritus Shigeo Hirose of Tokyo Tech–known for his snake-shaped robots, Dean Heather Barnett of CSM–artist who collaborates with quasi-intelligent slime bacteria, Prof. Katsuhiko Hibino of Tokyo University of Arts–who develops installations and art education that makes the most of regional characteristics, took the stage to discuss how to deal with experiments. “Experiments are the bases of creativity,” said Dean Burnett, while Prof. Emeritus Hirose said, “Experiments connect theory and reality. Experiments can understand things that cannot be understood by thinking, and give a new perspective.”
In the final keynote session, Prof. Ikegami appeared as moderator and lead the discussion to reexamine what “experiment” is. University President Till’s words: “Art design not only creates beautiful and sophisticated things, but also has the power to change politics and economy through our involvement with society,” was impressive. In addition several members from Tokyo Tech also took the stage: Assoc. Prof. Asa Ito of the Institute for Liberal Arts, who specializes in contemporary art; Prof. Akihiko Kohase of the Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, who specializes in molecular robots; Prof. Kayoko Nohara of the Department of Transdisciplinay Science and Engineering, School of Environment and Society, who specializes in linguistics and translation studies and serves as the leader of the symposium planning team. Many visitors sympathized with Assoc. Prof. Ito’s remarks: “Visually impaired people grasp the state of the city with the wind they feel on their cheeks. Sometimes they notice it because it is different from the standard.” Prof. Kohase stated: “Molecular robots that can be artificially controlled using microtubules in living organisms may be useful for cancer treatment in the future.”
At the conclusion, Prof. Nohara said, “In cross-disciplinary communication just like this time, there is always exist a gap of understanding the meaning due to different cultural background of each language, but that also what makes it interesting. Translation is to change the expression and adjust the content depending on the other party, and this discussion is a kind of experiment,” and suggested that new field of study may be born from that ‘gap’.
Each “experiment” has different position and perspective. There is also an approach that does not take the position of “experiment”, and this was an opportunity to get a glimpse of the way cutting through various fields that centered on “experiment” and discover the differences and commonalities between each other. Summarizing the whole discussion as “a social experiment with great potential,” Prof. Ikegami remarks concluded the symposium.
With total of more than 300 attendant and received great deal of attention by also getting introduced in the “Science Newspaper”, this event was a new communication scramble.
数３００名を超える参加者が来場し、『科学新聞』にも紹介されるなど大きな反響を呼んだ、新しいコミュニケーションのスクランブルでした。