- Date
- Friday, September 27, 2024 | 18:30-20:30 (JST)
- Venue
- Main Hall, UNITEDLAB, Daimyo, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka city
- Interlocutor
- Fujioka Sadam（CEO, anno lab inc.）
- Coordinator
- Matsuguma Hiroyuki （Associate Professor, Department of Content and Creative Design, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University）
Part 1: Live Performance
Face visualizer, instrument and copy
Mr. Manabe, whose work has been celebrated in over 30 cities worldwide, presented a reimagined version of his masterpiece. The audience erupted in cheers and applause as digital renditions of Mr. Manabe and his co-performers' faces were projected onto a large screen on stage, reacting to electrical stimuli applied by the maestro himself.
Mr. Manabe explained that he had added new music to his earlier work, Face visualizer, instrument, and copy, which was the starting point of his artistic career. He shared that he was inspired to create this work after finding amusement in digitally rendering his facial expressions and copying them onto others to make them smile or look angry. He noted that by converting sounds into electrical signals to stimulate facial muscles, it is possible to create asymmetrical and unusual facial expressions, expressing that people might be intrigued by this unfamiliar experience.
Part 2: Cross-Talk
From experimental media art to large-scale projects
At the start of this part, the coordinator, Professor Matsuguma, explained that they would explore Mr. Manabe's works based on their scale: small experimental research and development projects; independent projects with a high degree of freedom; and applications of technology to large scale projects.
First, Fukuoka-based media artist Mr. Fujioka began by congratulating Mr. Manabe on his inspiring performance in the first part of the event. He discussed Mr. Manabe's artistic journey, highlighting how it evolved from the early years of his career to the present day. The conversation was lively as they delved into Mr. Manabe's rise to global fame, which began when he was among the first to stream his experiments with electrical stimuli on his face during YouTube's early days. They also discussed how he would move his body parts to produce sounds through motion-sound sensors. Other topics included Mr. Manabe's dedication to research and development, and they had a lively talk on his creative ideas, his inspiration, and his project's inner workings.
The discussion continued, featuring videos of his independent projects with a higher degree of freedom. Mr. Fujioka shared his views on Mr. Manabe's artistic style, noting that numerous smaller-scale research and development pieces were created experimentally, which were then assembled to form this more flexible work. The technology developed through these processes was later applied to his larger-scale projects, even though those projects came with more constraints. "The beauty of experimental art lies in its freedom and flexibility. I know it could lead to business opportunities, but at this stage, I just focus on creating my work without considering profits," Mr. Manabe stated.
He then explained the projection mapping technology and other techniques he incorporates into his large-scale projects, emphasizing that stage production balances both technology/mechanics and performers. The audience was captivated by his insights regarding the technology behind the project.
Mr. Manabe described his artistic genre as media art rooted in sound. He concluded the cross-talk by expressing his desire to compose his own music and continue pursuing unrestricted creative expression.