With the theme of “reconstructing the orchestra through technology,” the “Yoichi Ochiai × Japan Philharmonic Project” launched in 2018. Again this year, WOW participated as the “performer of images” in the “____ Music Concert,” or rather, the “Twin Music Concert.” While the past two years had focused on creating a space where audiences could experience new appeal and value in the orchestra, this year the project sought to explore what an orchestra could be during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to a theater performance with a limited audience, the concert was also streamed online, aiming to offer a performance where new appeal could be experienced from two perspectives. In the theater performance, the audience experienced innovative music that opened up a new era of multidirectional sound in space, alongside image performers projected onto screens. In the online stream, the project pursued a sense of immediacy through concert-quality 2K video including AR imagery, industry-leading sound quality (AAC-LC 384 kbps), and three-dimensional visual direction made possible only through digital means. The visual experience of this performance centered on the AR imagery in the online stream, while the theater screens featured visuals that synchronized with, responded to, and contrasted with the AR imagery. Each offered a different yet equally valuable experience. In addition, by allowing theater audiences to later watch the online performance when it was re-streamed, the project sought to create a synergistic effect in which the performance could be relived from a different perspective. In visualizing the clues discovered through examining the music, the project did not rely on conventional notions of AR or stage visual direction, but instead aimed, as “image performers,” to create visual effects that accompanied the world of the music from two different perspectives, with the hope that each would be recognized as having its own new value. The title used up to just before the performance, “____ Music Concert,” was intended to express how the originally planned concert had been wiped away by COVID-19, and how a new concert was then pursued through trial and error. It also encouraged each viewer to think about the word that would fill the blank in the title. Near the end of the performance, the word corresponding to the “____” was revealed, and as the “Twin Music Concert,” a new concert was born from the search for what form a music concert could take during the pandemic.

Responsible for the planning, direction, and production of the three main contents inside “DMM Kariyushi Aquarium,” a new kind of entertainment aquarium in Okinawa that blends visual expression with spatial design. A story of “water” and “life” projected on a multi-screen large display A large-scale video content experience through which visitors first encounter the “beauty of Okinawa” (approximately 12 m wide by 4 m high, with 6 m of depth on both sides). It takes visitors on a virtual flight across Okinawa’s rich natural scenery, including its distinctive sea, sky, and the Yanbaru forest, as well as historical structures such as Shuri Castle. The Shuri Castle featured in the work was filmed with permission from the Okinawa Commemorative National Government Park Office. A 3D model was created using photogrammetry. A giant diorama space recreating Okinawa’s skies and coastlines Okinawa’s beautiful sea reveals different faces throughout the day. This space was designed so visitors can experience that appeal firsthand. On the faux rockwork surrounding an approximately 18-meter-wide tank, lighting and video work in sync to create colors and shadows that recreate the changing states of the “sky,” “sea,” and “shoreline.” In this space, which shifts from daytime to dusk and then into night, visitors can experience the scenery of each moment. In addition to realistic landscape depiction, the installation also reflects the emotional image of “the Okinawa sea that everyone envisions,” expressing a view that invites people to gaze at it and lose track of time. A fantastical space woven from light and jellyfish A space filled with cylindrical tanks stretching from floor to ceiling. Jellyfish drift gently, illuminated by pillars of light that emit vivid gradients. The space, adorned by the jellyfish and the pillars of light, was designed to evoke a dreamlike, extraordinary atmosphere through repeated transparency and reflection. The tank lighting, the visuals of the light pillars, and the music are all synchronized as part of the production.

Responsible for the planning and design of “Reflective tree,” a Christmas installation placed at the entrance of Roppongi Hills West Walk. The approximately 7-meter-tall tree is composed of a column with 10 layers, about 500 branches, and leaves made from approximately 2,700 mirror-finish materials. As the layers rotate, sometimes simultaneously and sometimes alternately, the leaves, lit by colored illumination, reflect and diffuse the light, creating a variety of sparkling expressions. By allowing the brilliance of the tree itself and the leaves wrapped in layers of light to illuminate the space, the installation was designed to evoke the fantastical atmosphere unique to the Christmas season, day and night.

WOW participated in the signature pavilion “null²” at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai as part of the creator team, contributing to the planning, visuals, sound, and overall direction system. The pavilion’s theme is “Polishing Life.” WOW joined as a direction member from the earliest planning stages and, together with Expo producer Yoichi Ochiai, spent several years creating a wide range of creative elements, from the pavilion’s interior visuals, sound, robot control, and experiential flow to the exterior visuals. A Pulsating Sculpture, a Conversational Space For this pavilion, Ochiai established “two mirrors” as a key concept. The first refers to the sculpture itself, which generates unfamiliar landscapes. Its mirror-finished exterior absorbs the surrounding scenery, pulsating as it repeatedly transforms like a living organism, even as a building. The second refers to the experience inside the pavilion. In a space where mirrors and imagery are integrated, visitors confront “kigō*” and engage in dialogue with a digital human. WOW was primarily responsible for this interior experience. The space confronting “kigō” is a cube measuring 8 meters in width, depth, and height, with mirrored surfaces on all sides. Projection systems on the ceiling, floor, and walls, together with a vertical video object called the “Monolith” standing at the center, work in response to one another to depict “kigō,” creating endless reflections. In addition, the cube-shaped mirrored “goshintai,” which symbolizes the space, moves freely overhead, shifting perspectives and stirring the visitor’s mind and thoughts. Using mirrors as a medium, the experience moves back and forth between meaning and matter, self and other, reality and virtuality, encouraging visitors to reconsider and reinterpret what life is and offering a prompt to “polish life.” *Elements that constitute a person’s individuality, such as their name, hobbies, preferences, voice, and appearance Two Types of Experiences, Two Different Perspectives The experience is offered in two modes: “Dialogue Mode” and “Installation Mode.” Dialogue Mode centers on the world of “computational nature,” as proposed by Ochiai, and the story connected to it, allowing visitors to let go of their “kigō” through verbal communication. In Installation Mode, visitors view simple patterned visuals, along with the Monolith and goshintai moving throughout the space, from the outer corridor, creating a non-verbal experience that lets them intuitively sense the structures at the essence of life. In both experiences, the story, visuals, sound, goshintai, and Monolith are all intricately linked, so WOW worked closely with Ochiai to craft a precise direction. Direction Where Technology and Expression Merge On the technical side, to create a more three-dimensional and densely layered experience, WOW integrated a wide range of direction elements, including AI-generated real-time video, display of 3D Gaussian splatting, sound generation, image effects, as well as the display and speech of MirroredBodies created by visitors in a dedicated app, and robot control for the goshintai and Monolith. In collaboration with various companies, WOW developed the main system that aggregates and controls these elements. In addition, the carefully designed sound direction, which makes use of characteristics across different frequency ranges, contributed to a unique auditory experience. Logo Design and Design Guidelines That Create Organic Expression WOW also handled the logo design for null². For the dynamic logo, multiple fonts were used to create a design that transforms into various forms. The static logo was refined from the dynamic logo as the official version. In both cases, the aim was to maintain a certain degree of legibility while pursuing a fluid, life-like design tone through verification and rule setting. In this project, the participating teams, including WOW, brought together all of their technical capabilities and creativity to create the work “null²,” something that could only have been realized at the Expo.