Comtype
Hirahara Makoto | 2002
This was the graduation project of Professor Hirahara (one of the instructors for this assignment) while enrolled in the Industrial Design Department (at the time) of the Nagaoka Institute of Design. Professor Makabe referenced it as a reference work during the TxD Talk Session for Design Theory Class 2025. (Professor Hirahara is a graduate of Professor Makabe’s laboratory)
It captures typewriter keystrokes using microswitches and piezoelectric elements, assigns emotional states to characters based on keystroke force and duration, color-codes them, and sends the characters to the recipient. A typewriter is also placed on the opposite side, creating an installation for two-way communication (or conversation).
Visualizing human conversation and its emotions.
Internet Physical Model
Higashi-izumi Ichiro, Eto Koichiro, Iwamasa Ryuichi, National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) | 2001
A large-scale installation permanently displayed at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan).
It represented black and white marbles as binary 0/1 data, rolling the physical marbles (data) through towers (equivalent to routers and DNS servers) to their destination.
Unfortunately, the exhibition ended in January 2025.
Kurumajant Panda
Teijin | 2012
Teijin’s concept commercial.
A car body shop and a panda character humorously introduce thermoplastic CFPR (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) and its molding technology.
The concept tackles the ease and difficulty of providing physical media on-site based on data entered by the customer right then and there.
Rumor has it that the easily replaceable exterior body panels of the Daihatsu Copen use this thermoplastic CFPR.
Teijin / Thermoplastic Material CM | THE SEN-I-NEWS Daily Textile News
Could the New Copen’s Shell Be Made of That Resin Material Teijin Advertises? | MOVE ABOUT
Square Goes
Ishikawa Masaya | 2021
A work exhibited at the “Rule?” exhibition held at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT in 2021.
The perforated partition spins round and round, while the rectangular prism moves freely across the board, slipping through the holes in the partition. The surreal movement, reminiscent of CG, and its precision are truly remarkable.
Additionally, a live broadcast display of this work is set up slightly away from where the piece itself is exhibited. Viewers first see the display and think, “Is this a CG video work?” only to be surprised when they see the actual piece—a two-step approach.
Separately, there’s also a space displaying only the darting cubes. Here, an iPad is placed in front, showing the partitions moving via AR on its screen. The meaning behind the cubes’ movements, unnoticed when viewing the physical objects alone, becomes clear only when seen through the screen.
This outstanding work brilliantly showcases the excellence of the mechanical design and the impact of using two media: the physical object and the video.
Square Goes | Japan Media Arts Festival
Square Goes — The Making of an Exhibit for “Rule? Exhibition” | HILLS LIFE
Factory of Idea
EUPHRATES | 2006
Introductory video screened at DNP’s theaters, corporate briefings, and seminars. (DNP is a well-known printing company in Japan.) It depicts letters flowing along a conveyor belt as various parts are added, eventually forming words that get packaged.
It’s interesting how processes reminiscent of printing companies—like letterpress and rotary presses—are rendered in CG. The primitive look is also charming.
Mr. Ishikawa, creator of “Square Goes,” was also involved in its production.
Incidentally, both EUPHRATES and Mr. Ishikawa are alumni of Masahiko Sato’s laboratory at Keio University. They were members of the “Pythagora-Switch” (An educational program produced by NHK in collaboration with creators such as EUPHRATES) production team.
Billion Dollar Arcade
BREAKFAST | 2024
Andrew Zolty, a.k.a. BREAKFAST, is a kinetic artist based in New York.
He creates numerous meticulously electronically controlled kinetic artworks that reflect natural phenomena, human socio-economic activities, and the movements of viewers present in real time.
This work allows viewers to play an arcade game displayed on a 64 x 64px flip-dot matrix screen using their head and hand movements as controllers. The game’s difficulty increases as a company’s market capitalization rises.
This piece conveys the immense cultural and economic power arcade games hold within the world.
KAZAMI-map : JP
Kakuto Hitomi | 2026
Weather vanes arranged in the shape of the Japanese archipelago spin, pointing in various directions.
These weather vanes receive real-time wind speed and direction data from corresponding observation points across Japan, moving in sync with it.
An installation that expresses the “expression” of the Japanese archipelago in this space through the current state of the wind.
Exhibited at the Nagaoka Institute of Design 2026 Graduation and Completion Research Exhibition.
KAZAMI-map : JP | Research Results | Nagaoka Institute of Design
