“Rakugaki” by Keiko Takahashi, Shinji Sasada


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Artist Statement:


    This project borders the line between the analog and the digital. The essence of this artwork is about combining the visual effects and the real time interactive nature of the computer technology and how it interprets the sound and transforms it into a line and animates. The ultimate aim of this work is to be exhibited in public areas such as subway, atriums, and shops where there is a large open space and unspecified number of people are able to experience the work.

    This idea came from a poetic image of a sound transforming into a line. The image of this work brings back sweet memories of one’s past and inspires their imagination. The warmth, beauty and the approachable aspect of a line drawing promote, the audience’s participation, by observing how a line transforms, interacting with the work.

    When a person plays a toy trumpet, a line will appear. The line starts to bend and wiggle accordingly to the sound of the trumpet like a snake charmer charming a snake with his flute. The lines start to transform into animals, insects, birds and human forms. They start to animate and disappear.

    For this work, I used pictorial representation. Drawing (with a line) is very analog. It is a direct form of expression and has a primal quality. I included a device, which transforms a sound created by an instrument into a drawing. An instrument is also analog and one does not need to deal with any complexity.

    The part of digital, a huge cube image could be projected on a wall, ceiling or floor. The idea of the cube’s visual effect came from an image of turning a picture book. Each surface of the cube becomes a screen and the audience can turn it with the sound of a shaker. The surface will have an image of a land, sky, sea and a line drawn. With the sound of toy trumpet it will start wiggling like a spring and transforming into the most suitable animal for the chosen environment, will animate.

    My aim is to create a piece of work that is enjoyed by people of all ages. They simply see, feel and experience without going it much thought.

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