Daito Manabe

Daito Manabe is a composer, DJ, computer programmer, hacker, and performance artist based out of Tokyo. Even more impressive than his list of skills, is Manabe's extraordinary ability to fuse all of these media and skills into a single entity. Most of his pieces work between the area of new media and performance art. Using his computer-prowess, Manabe is able to create connections between technology and the human body in a way that most would consider impossible. His playful videos are often infused with beats or tones that openly display his interest in music and sound.

"Face Visualizer"

Manabe's Face Visualizer series was the first piece of work that I saw of his. Most have seen the facial twitches featured in the video, (which in this case are forced by an electrical current) as individuals, but when a series of mouth, eye, and nose spasms are done simultaneously it creates a singular alien movement. The image of it appears so foreign that it even seems to be a form of computer graphics, but this isn't the case with Daito Manabe.

Here is another video which Manabe tests an LED light with sound in his mouth. Like Face Visualizer, this video is just a test; which is arguably more intriguing than the actual works themselves. Its so rare in the art community, especially for new media and more computer-based artists, to share their processes and tests with the general public. For this reason it really is a blessing that Manabe shows his process in a public venue for those of us who aren't as computer-savvy. If you would like to see more of his youtube videos please click here for his official youtube page. And for exhibition information, blog, and biography, his personal website.

Otaku: Japan's Database Animals

Hiroki Azuma is one of the premier cultural and literary critics of Japan. Up until recently his career has been focused on the postmodern style of literature until the late 90's, when he began to apply similar theories to Japanese pop culture. Azuma has recieved plenty of criticism for his transition from literature to the otaku cultural phenomenon, but that small loss is our gain. 

This translated study, and in some ways a critique of the Otaku subculture gives English speaking audiences a rare glimpse of this emerging realm of academia of Japanese pop-subcultures. Azuma attempts to theorize and conceptualize what it is to be Otaku - why and how this has become a purely Japanese phenomenon. To Azuma the Otaku subculture is one of a sort of blind and unpredictable consumerism. From just the title one could make the assumption that this will be a strong cultural critique against Otaku, and while Azuma does indeed refer to them as "Database Animals" (His reasoning I will leave you to decipher) it is quite neutral and sometimes even positive.

I highly suggest this book for anyone interested in contemporary East Asian studies, its a simple read and you'll be left satisfied.

Miyanaga Aiko - 宮永愛子

Similar to the last post, Miyanaga Aiko just received her MA and is plowing into the international art scene. The bulk of her work consists of objects casted in Naphthalene; the same material used to create mothballs.

Naphthalene has an ethereal and temporary material. Because the medium is so fragile her sculptures begin to fade and decay within days of their installation. I chose to use a somewhat dated image from her Uncertainty of Warmth (2003) series because it depicts the transition day to day with these Naphthalene casted butterflies. Every day for three months she casted one of these butterflies - when displayed the viewer can see a narrative of the transient material, unlike her other works where only the current state is viewable.

If you would like to see more work by Miyanaga Aiko visit her official website in English or Japanese here