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This school of art and design infused by the pioneering spirit has produced such illustrious media artists as Toshio Iwai (JP) and Maywa Denki (JP). Its history goes back over 30 years, and closely parallels Japan’s rise to preeminence as a technological nation. Plastic arts and mixed media, areas of artistic work and research taken completely for granted today, were opened up at Tsukuba through the establishment of corresponding courses of study. By combining competence in design and engineering, the University of Tsukuba has made a major contribution to the development and propagation of interactive technologies. Since 1996, Hiroo Iwata (JP) has been working in Tsukuba on using digital interface devices as means of artistic expression.

The title of the Linz exhibition refers to a mental attitude that is at the basis of the research work and teaching done at this academic institution, activities that oscillate between playfulness on one hand, and serious consistency on the other. Inherent in many of the works that have come out of this university is a deep-seated confrontation with playfulness. Conversely, engineering work, a pursuit purported to be highly technical and dry as dust, often results in things that are fun to use.

In contrast to Campus exhibitions in previous years, Seriously Playful / Playfully Serious features not only works by undergrads but by faculty members and alumni as well. A chronicle composed of images and videos documents the special approaches and practices that characterize work done at the University of Tsukuba and its contributions to Ars Electronica.

First of all, the numerous works presented in Linz offer an incisive look at what’s currently going on at the institute of art and design; they also insightfully consider the results of an artistic approach to the development of technology and the collaboration among engineers and designers.

Talks / Presentations / Performances

Campus Tsukuba Forum

So/Su 4. 9. 15:00 – 17:00
Ars Electronica Center, Seminar Room
Participants: Hiroo Iwata (JP), Takuro Osaka (JP), Novmichi Tosa
(Maywa Denki) (JP), Tomoe Moriyama (JP)

Campus Tsukuba Students‘ Talk

Mo/Mon 5. 9. 14:00 – 16:00
Kunstuniversität Linz

Spherical Origami Performance

Fr/Fri 2. 9. 15:00 – 15:30
Kunstuniversität Linz
Jun Mitani (JP)

Otamatone Performance

Fr/Fri 2. 9. 17:00 – 17:20
Sa/Sat 3. 9. 17:00 – 17:20
Kunstuniversität Linz
Novmichi Tosa (Maywa Denki) (JP)

PLX Performance

Sa/Sat 3. 9. 15:00 – 15:30
Kunstuniversität Linz
Ryota Kuwakubo (JP)

Robot Mask Demo

Fr/Fri 2. 9. – Di/Tue 6. 9. täglich/daily 11:00 – 12:00
Kunstuniversität Linz
Kenji Suzuki (JP), Dushyantha Jayatilake (LK), Anna Gruebler (VE)

Arbeiten / Works

Air Tiles

Kazuki Iida (JP), Junki Ikeuchi (JP), Toshiaki Uchiyama (JP), Kenji Suzuki (JP)

Arabesque

Marin Takahama (JP)

beacon

Takahiro Kamatani (JP), Miho Kyoya (JP), Toshiaki Uchiyama (JP), Kenji
Suzuki (JP)

Carnival

Masashige Iida (JP))

COLOLO

Makiko Hoshikawa (JP), Fumitoshi Ogaki (JP), Toshiaki Uchiyama (JP),
Kenji Suzuki (JP)

Connect

Nao Kozono (JP)

daruman

Mari Matsumoto (JP), Fumitoshi Ogaki (JP), Kouki Hayafuchi (JP),
Shinya Shimizu (JP), Kenji Suzuki (JP), Toshiaki Uchiyama (JP)

Feel Through

Hiroaki Yano (JP), Hiroo Iwata (JP)

make-up

Yuko Asai (JP)

Marbling Painting on a Sphere of Water – Space Art Experiment at ISSInternational Space Station

Takuro Osaka (JP)

Minstrel

Hiroko Haraguchi (JP)

Otamatone

Maywa Denki (JP)

PLX – parallax of the game

Ryota Kuwakubo (JP)

Robot Mask

Dushyantha Jayatilake(LK), Anna Gruebler(VE), Kenji Suzuki(JP)

Secrets

Sakamoto Nodoka (JP)

Shadows

Junya Kataoka (JP)

Spherical Origami

Jun Mitani (JP)

Spiral Top – Space Art Experiment at ISS-International Space Station

Takuro Osaka (JP)

Talk Torque-2

Hideaki Kuzuoka (JP), Hiroshi Kasai (JP), Ikkaku Kawaguchi (JP),
Toshimasa Yamanaka (JP)

The Forest

Ikumi Aihara (JP)

Tsukuba Scope

Fumiaki Murakami (JP)

Twilight

Junya Kataoka (JP)

The Crocodilian Moves Occasionally Before We Know

Yuki Tabuchi (JP)

Torus Treadmill

Hiroo Iwata (JP)

The term Robotinity and the exhibition of the same name are emblematic of how robots and humanity are growing ever closer together. On display here are examples of this from art, design and science that clearly illustrate how intensively humankind and robots are already living and working together.

Three works by Hiroshi Ishiguro (JP) and Ryota Kuwakubo (JP) in this exhibition have been created especially for Ars Electronica 2011.

Telenoid is the latest creation by robotics expert Hiroshi Ishiguro (JP). It applies parameters of behavioral psychology to utilizing a new form of telecommunication. The Telenoid resembles a baby; during a telephone conversation, you hold it in your arms. Every change in the speaker’s voice is reflected by the robot’s facial expression. In interpersonal communication, it serves as a three-dimensional medium that can also get across body language.

In constructing robots, we are often inspired by how people behave and move or by the human physique. Ryota Kuwakubo (JP) takes a totally different approach in SiliFulin (hip swing), a robot equipped with a tail and a corresponding repertoire of movements.

In Lost #2 Ryota Kuwakubo (JP) dissociates the connection between useful value and functionality. Here, he lets the shadows of common household implements dance along walls and form poetic objects or strange landscapes. A simple strainer morphs into a majestic skyscraper, a light bulb into a whole power plant.