Do you know the event called MUTEK.JP?

MUTEK.JP is an organization that conducts art and cultural activities aimed at creating electronic music, audio and visual arts, and promoting cultural and artistic activities using digital technology, and supports the discovery and development of talented human resources. Maternal MUTEK originated in Montreal, Canada and was launched in 2016 for deployment in Asia.

To put it simply, it’s an organization that supports artists who create new art using digital technology and spreads their activities.

The fourth such event of MUTEK.JP was held from December 11 to 15, 2019.

Events using halls and digital art are very compatible.
Even so, as an event and producer, you can’t miss the latest information on the fusion of technology and art.

So I went there!

It is hard to grasp the image just by the word “digital art”.
Strictly speaking, digital art refers to works made using digital devices, but recently it seems to be often used in the sense of “moving” art made using digital technology. At MUTEK.JP, many works that combined electronic music were screened.

Collaboration between 3D video and music is no longer a classic. The image quality of 3DCG is improving steadily, making it possible to produce images that cannot be realized in real life.
 

The biggest digital art, Rhizomatiks was amazing
What I was paying attention to at MUTEK.JP was Rhizomatiks.
It is a company that worked on the stage production of Parfume two years ago (2017) in red and white and the appearance of Prime Minister Abe at the Rio Olympics.

Don’t you think this photo is strange?
In fact, there is a photographer on the near side, and the video taken by the camera is projected as it is on the back screen, and further image processing is added.

The stairs that should not actually be on the stage and the dancers who should not be on the screen are displayed on the screen as if they were there. If it is a video, it will be easier to understand, so let me introduce it!

Can you see the streaks of light being created as you move your hand?
One of the strengths of digital art is that it can produce these “effects linked to movement.”

In this video, the dancers split (!)

Here you can see the robot on the screen, but there are only humans on the stage.
Then, only the shadow of the robot is on the stage …

AR (Augmented Reality) is used in these expressions. This is an expression technique that superimposes CG on the video taken by the camera.
Speaking of “technology to display monsters in the city with Pokemon Go”, will it come in a pinch?
Rhizomatiks has further evolved AR technology to a level that does not disturb the movement and display.

The attraction of the world of digital art is that it can achieve such a “fusion of real and digital”.
“How can I incorporate this expression into the event?”

The world of digital art using AR and VR, following lighting, sound, and moving images. I look forward to the future evolution!