The exhibition "Rhizomatiks inspired by Perfume," showcasing projects researched, developed, and produced by Rhizomatiks for the techno-pop group Perfume, was held at the NTT InterCommunication Center (ICC) in Hatsudai, Tokyo, through October 20th. Media art and interactive art, a genre that makes full use of Japan's world-class cutting-edge technology, suddenly came into the spotlight around the turn of the millennium. However, in reality, the concept, composition, and expressiveness of these works have lagged behind the technology, and many works seem to have been "technological juggling." It seems that there was a period of stagnation. However, in recent years, with the support of government-led cultural and artistic strategies, attention to media art has rapidly increased, and at the same time, its connection to the entertainment field seems to be accelerating even further.
Amid this, the activities of Rhizomatiks and its co-founder, Daito Manabe, an internationally acclaimed new-generation media artist, are truly remarkable. His planning skills, based solely on technological research and development, truly shine on large-scale projects. Let's take a closer look at his creativity.
His series of projects with Perfume are often described as "breathing fresh air into the entertainment world with a media art approach," but this description feels a bit odd. It would be more accurate to say that "media art is running wild within the vast vessel of entertainment."
And the first time we remember seeing this in action was probably Disneyland's Electrical Parade, which utilized the latest technology of the time to create a "perfect dream." "Disney is a company that conducts research at research institutes and continues to realize the results of that research in films and attractions. It's truly amazing. If you research wireless lighting control, the first thing that comes to mind is the Electrical Parade. Rhizomatiks is a small team, but over the past few years we've been active in a variety of fields, including entertainment, advertising, media art, and research and development. For Perfume's project, we're responsible for supporting the production of music videos, live performances, and websites. We feel like we're working behind the scenes to help Perfume and MIKIKO-sensei realize their dreams," Manabe says. While it sounds like we control the "brains" of an idol project and even control its "internal organs" and "limbs," our activities have already moved beyond Perfume itself and into the world of augmented reality. (Continued on 2/3)
