A runway show film for KAIKO, the brand led by Taku Yoshida, director of the Daikanyama select shop “O.” Mannequins dressed in KAIKO items walk through the floors of “The Backrooms,” a piece of content that gained some attention through internet memes and other channels, with an unsettling manner of movement.

I portrayed Bad Ass Temple’s “feast” as something like a parade of demons, where various elements intermingle while gradually being colored by Nagoya’s distinctive style.

Opening video for the Hoshi Shinichi Award, hosted by Nikkei Inc. Each of the entries gathered so far is viewed as a “possibility for the future,” and the work portrays “departure toward the future” as a large vehicle carrying them forward.

Description: This work was the first client project to incorporate the “one-line manga” technique, which had previously been explored in independent productions. For each episode, submissions were invited around a given theme, and because they are likely based on real experiences, the stories feel authentic. The process of the one-line drawing taking shape has a unique appeal.

Long version MV released for the 3rd anniversary of “Ego Rock / Surii feat. Kagamine Len”

Music video for Meito’s song “Light Years.” The song’s city pop and slightly retro feel is expressed through the video’s textures and 3DCG. In addition, live-action footage of roads shot with long exposure was incorporated into the CG to create a dynamic sense of speed.

The body is made of what we eat.

A Halloween CM animation featuring Mame Shiba, famous for “Hey, did you know?” The video also features camo Mame Shiba and a secret Mame Shiba!

Released a collaboration visual with a luxury brand on the brand’s digital journal. Taking this season’s concept, “Salon,” as its theme, we created a minimalist loop animation composed solely of the blinking of simple neon-like lines. Using the collection’s products, colors, and textures, we expressed the brand’s new identity—glamorous yet stoic.

JACKSON kaki creates works about virtual reality, the metaverse, and art. In this exhibition, the artist presents a performance using VRChat in order to examine corpses in the age of virtual reality, and exhibits the recorded footage as the artwork. The metaverse has become such a common term that many people can readily imagine it. JACKSON kaki critically observes the business-oriented and tool-oriented metaverse, which is treated as a kind of utopia, and explores expression by connecting it to the body, space, society, and culture in physical space. This work focuses on the phenomenon of the “corpse.” In the metaverse, it is possible to express the body through avatars; unlike social media, which is built through the exchange of text, images, and video, it enables more immersive experiences and the formation of human relationships that differ from those in reality. The artist began this work by questioning how corpses are perceived and handled by humans in spaces where avatars are used. In many currently available metaverses, the “depiction” or “programming” of corpses has not been prepared. JACKSON kaki interprets this state as a culture in which awareness of and understanding of corpses has not been formed, or has in some sense regressed, and undertook this work as an artistic examination and practice of expression. As a means to this end, the artist creates a “story” that references ancient civilizations shaped by mythology and gods, and connects them to the contemporary metaverse. Based on that story, a “ritual” for handling corpses is constructed, and this ritual is performed and recorded. Through the body in performance within metaverse space and the “handling” of corpses, this work asks how we perceive and recognize corpses in the age of virtual reality.

Japan’s first national facility dedicated to sharing the history and culture of the Ainu people, Upopoy, opened in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on Sunday, July 12, 2020. It consists of a folk museum, an interactive field museum, and an Ainu coexistence park, and has drawn attention as a base for reviving and developing the fading Ainu culture. What JKD was in charge of this time was the highlight of Upopoy’s nighttime program starting on Saturday, July 18, 2020: a large-scale show combining projection mapping and lighting. It depicts the Ainu creation myth through a delicate yet dynamic hand-drawn full animation running for just under 14 minutes, synchronized with soul-stirring music and sound design. The visual work is projected mainly onto the walls of the dome-shaped Experience Exchange Hall, as well as the surrounding hills, river, and statues. Lighting placed throughout the vast grounds is tightly synchronized with the music and mapped visuals, creating a mystical spatial experience that draws viewers into the story. Among the audiovisual works JKD has produced so far, this is one of the top three. The music is by OKI, a musician internationally acclaimed for his work with the OKI Dub Ainu Band, and Kuniyuki Takahashi, also based in Sapporo and known worldwide for his activities. To pursue truly authentic expression, the four animators, Ryoji Yamada, Hana Ono, Yutaro Kubo, and Tatsuhiro Ariyoshi, took part in this serious collaboration. The opening and ending motion was handled by Shotaro Tomiyama and Ko Kudo of the JKD visual team, and the overall visual direction was by Shane Lester. The story unfolds through the Ainu creation myth in a vast site facing a beautiful lake. We believe we were able to create an experience that draws viewers in. If you ever have the chance to visit Hokkaido, please be sure to see it.