media art, technology, science, material, gadget, entertainment, toy, commercialism, product, movement, history, cultureIn the international community of media art, Japanese media artists are often criticized for having positive attitude to technology rather than being critical. It is true that playfulness is often appreciated in Japanese media art, and there is no clear border between art and entertainment, or with popular culture. Why is that so? Is it wrong to appreciate technology? The paper discusses cultural and historical background of Japanese media art that leads to a proposal of Device Art, a new concept in media art.
Abstract Japanese media art and research projects are highly visible at festivals such as SIGGRAPH and Ars Electronica. Common features are observed among them, such as elaborate use of latest technologies, positive attitude toward technology, playfulness, appreciation of physical interface, importance of design and choice of material, etc. Besides active collaboration with engineers, artists often collaborate with the industry to make their works available to public. Internationally recognized artists such as Toshio Iwai, Kazuhiko Hachiya, and Maywa Denki, are among them. Through the analysis of the phenomenon and collaboration with artists and engineers, I am proposing a concept we have named "Device Art". It is a movement to reconsider what "media art" could mean in the age of digital reproduction technologies. By examining Japanese cultural tradition as an alternative to the Western art history, new perspective can be found in the nature and role of media art and artists. |