The programme featured interactive media researcher and artist Yasuaki Kakehi. Professor Kakehi has been remarkably active in the development of interactive media that stimulate the five senses by crossing material properties and digital technology, and has attracted attention both nationally and internationally. In the programme, participants learnt about basic and cutting-edge examples of interaction through dynamic changes in materials, and also considered and practised the possibilities of physical interfaces and application exploration based on materials around them through practical activities. Please read comments below.
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I think it is becoming increasingly important to consciously observe with my own eyes in order to correctly perceive a world full of diverse things and opinions. The programme made me feel this way.
I was particularly impressed by the assignment which is about "finding physical materials and phenomena around you that show five or more levels of luminance (gradation) change, and taking photographs (one for each gradation) of the state representing each gradation".
I decided to take photographs of the process of boiling tea and extracted the differences in gradation from the 'density' of the tea. The other participants tried a real variety of things, such as changing the weights of letters, crumpling tissues, making their fingers bleed...
How do we see the world? Observation seems to be more about attitude and constitution than method.
And perhaps there is also a meaning in observing what is 'around us'.
In the business world, the emphasis tends to be on the 'new', but the 'new' (even if it is supposed to produce good results for society and life) can make it difficult to be accepted. However, sometimes it can be difficult to be accepted because of the "new".
In this programme, by observing the things around us, we were able to recognise aspects of materials that we did not know, which are new but easy to understand and accept. I feel I could install a convivial perspective that combines acceptability and novelty.
I would like to continue to observe the world, asking what kinds of things are around us in the first place, and what kinds of things are easy to integrate into our daily lives.
Kazune Iwasa
Design Researcher, Strategist
About the programme
Title: Material Experience Design Workshop: Giving digital a sense of substance and creating new interactions
Lecturer: Yasuaki Kakehi (Interactive media researcher, artist. Professor, The University of Tokyo III and GSII)
Date and Time: September 29th, 2022, 18:00-21:00
Format: Online
For more information, please check the following page: