Dear Virus

Viruses have been inseparable from human beings since long ago, although they have been given a harder look lately. This work is a message to wish for coexistence with the life form (i.e., viruses). In a white space with plants emerging and disappearing, a constantly-metamorphosing blue object appears with a narrative voice, saying, “There is something in my body.” The object walks away after transforming into a blue cow, then the background turns black, and a spiral motif reminiscent of a gene and tree moves around the screen. The work poetically portrays the human-virus relationship by using the specific objects appearing in the black-and-white space, the narration in a detached tone, the tranquil yet agitating piano-based music, and the title of the work that clearly defines the theme. This 360-degree animation is painted on a pearlescent acrylic plate, and its mystique is apparent not only in a VR environment but also on a flat screen.

This work left a particularly strong impression during the judging process among the many entries, and it was a convincing win for this award. The quality hand-drawn animation and the narrative tied to the COVID-19 pandemic era were highly praised in the judging. The Dome Theater Category is destined (?) every year to have many entries that employ CG-based expressions reminiscent of an audio visualizer. This does not mean that they are bad, but I cannot deny they tend to have expressions similar to existing ones. Therefore, this animation stood out, because of its vibrant texture, appearing to be painted with colors. The spatial layout is meant for a 360-degree screen, inviting us to see the work in a dome theater. As for the storyline, it does not directly depict the anxiety related to the current era, but instead, it addresses the theme of how to accept the anxiety in a poetic manner. The fact that the contents are timely was also highly esteemed. I look forward to watching this work in the dome theater. (KAWAMURA Masashi)