12th Art Division Critiques

[Critique by work category] Interactive art

When I encounter interactive arts, I always have something to think of. What appeal does the artist wish to make? Their appeal is not necessarily philosophical thoughts. It can be seeking amusement or pushing humor to the limit. Or it can be something that expresses the wonder of science in the background as if it is magic. I wish to find the artist's message there.
Regarding the entries to this Festival, there were quite a few works from overseas countries, like touched echo for example, that carried clear messages. Compared with these, I had the impression that the scale of the works entered from Japan was limited. Is it because of our national character? Or do we have some sort of preconceptions about interactive work that affects the work? I hope I can encounter challenging works in the near future. This year's audition made me fully aware of it.

Profile

HARASHIMA Hiroshi

Professor, University of Tokyo Graduate School

Born in Tokyo, 1945. Originally was an academic of mathematical information theory and theory of communication method. Since about 1985, became interested in the mechanism of communication between people, which was more essential, and proposed Human Communication Engineering. Constructs a new academic field such as Facial Studies and finds much of interest in the boundary between scientific technology and arts. Has held positions such as chairperson of the Institute of Image Information and Television Engineers; chairperson of the Virtual Reality Society of Japan; deputy chairperson of the Japan Society for Animation Studies; and currently also sitting in the post of chairperson of the Japanese Academy of Facial Studies.