Directed and conceptualized the music video for DJ Shadow’s new track “Slingblade.” Based on the decadent and mysterious imagery of the track, the story and visuals were designed accordingly. By taking an unconventional approach that distilled ambiguity into the expression itself, the work was crafted into an organic and distinctive visual piece.

WOW was responsible for planning and producing the communication design for “Riiiver,” a new IoT platform jointly developed by Citizen Watch and VELDT. To coincide with the launch of Riiiver, the first compatible product, the solar-powered smartwatch “CITIZEN Eco-Drive Riiiver,” was released. Combining the functionality of a smartwatch with the beauty of a wristwatch, this product is characterized by the high degree of freedom it offers users to customize the watch’s functions themselves. By linking it with the Riiiver smartphone app, users can assign their preferred functions to the buttons and freely control the movement of the hands. The promotional video focuses on the distinctive motion of the hands, graphically depicting the various movements of the three hands, the body design, and the color variations in a fast-paced sequence. It also expresses the connections and sharing between apps through this watch by arranging multiple color variations of the watch on a single screen.

As a spin-off of the J’adore campaign, we were responsible for planning, directing, and producing the Artist Film. Building on the world of the main film directed by Romain Gavras, we abstractly reimagined the décor, humidity, light, and shimmer of the hammam, and graphically depicted J’adore’s transformation into a new incarnation.

The Akanko Ainu Craft Cooperative, which is engaged in awareness-raising activities to promote Ainu culture, and the NPO Akan Tourism Association Town Development Promotion Organization, which works on destination development as a Japan-style regional DMO, have revamped the lineup at the Akan Lake Ainu Theater “Ikoro*1.” A new program, “Akan Yukar*2: Lost Kamuy,” which combines digital art and traditional Ainu dance, began public performances on March 19, 2019. WOW was responsible for the stage video direction and production. This program was created to introduce the traditional culture inherited by the Ainu people of Akan Lake Onsen, including their songs and dances, to the many visitors who come to the area from Japan and abroad. Creators attracting attention in fields such as photography, digital art, and sound design, including Nagi Yoshida, Kuniyuki Takahashi, UNO, WOW, and Daisuke Sakamoto (JTB Communication Design), gathered in Akan Lake. Combining traditional Ainu dance, contemporary dance, 3DCG, and 7.1-channel surround sound, they produced the new performance “Lost Kamuy,” which brought the stage to life through five projectors. In the work, a story themed on “the coexistence of the Ainu and the Ezo wolf” is dynamically brought to life through digital technology and dance, allowing audiences to fully experience the Ainu worldview, born from the songs and dances of a people who have revered nature and lived in harmony with it. In addition, the performances “Ainu Traditional Dance” and “The Iomante Fire Festival” have also been renewed, introducing Ainu culture through both traditional and innovative staging. *1 “Ikoro” means “treasure” in the Ainu language. The small “ㇿ” represents an Ainu sound. *2 “Yukar” is a word meaning “epic poem” passed down among the Ainu people.

From August 3 to September 29, 2019, the light installation Emerge, which stirs deep inside a cave at the foot of a mountain in the Hama area, was exhibited at the Reborn-Art Festival held in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. This cave was built by the former Imperial Japanese Navy during the war to store torpedoes, and after several decades in the postwar years, the area around its entrance has become covered with vegetation, while the surface of the rock is mossy, creating an atmosphere that evokes a primordial sense of power. Emerge displays a variety of expressions in the darkness, sometimes violently tracing random paths, allowing viewers to feel “anima”—life dwelling within movement.

About the Work On July 19, 2019, Grand Cinema Sunshine, a large 12-screen cinema complex, opened in Ikebukuro. Grand Cinema Sunshine offers future-standard entertainment through facilities and services that go beyond the conventional standards of cinema complexes, including the state-of-the-art “IMAX® Laser / GT Technology,” the largest permanent cinema installation in Japan, and “4DX with ScreenX,” an immersive theater making its debut in Japan, as well as playful interior design that allows visitors to immerse themselves in the world of film. WOW was responsible for the direction of “Lumière,” the chandelier installed in the 4th-floor entrance lobby of the facility, and “Motion Ceiling,” the giant LED display covering the ceiling on the 12th floor. We also created a linked visual presentation for 47 vertical 55-inch signage displays installed on the walls and pillars throughout the facility, extracting the world of “Motion Ceiling.” Lumière We created a chandelier that serves as an icon of Grand Cinema Sunshine, as “a new art form incorporating contemporary interpretation and technology.” The surface of a 2.7-meter-diameter sphere made of stainless steel with a mirror finish was divided into 47 Voronoi sections, and by projecting images from four directions, the visuals displayed on the screen embedded at the center are repeatedly and intricately reflected. The chandelier’s design and structural concept were handled by Tofu Architects. Evoking a colossal kaleidoscope of light, the chandelier adds a dazzling presence to the entrance space of Grand Cinema Sunshine. Motion Ceiling Covering the enormous ceiling, approximately 31 meters wide and 10 meters high, is the art motion graphics work “Motion Ceiling.” Inspired by a beautiful ceiling painting, this work was created around three themes: “GEOMETRY,” characterized by nimble tile actions; “REFLECTION,” depicting a giant cloth gracefully fluttering in the sky; and “LIGHT,” which expresses a glittering city enveloped by countless particles. The LED display spanning the entire ceiling is so massive that it can also be seen from the surrounding streets. The presentation was designed with both the people relaxing in the café and lounge spaces and those viewing it from the nearby streets, looking up at it, in mind.

About the Work Shibuya Stream, which opened on September 13, 2018, is a large-scale mixed-use complex built on the former platform and track site of the long-disused Tokyu Toyoko Line Shibuya Station, as well as the surrounding land. The project was launched with the concept of sharing to the world the new things and new experiences born from encounters, exchanges, and challenges here, and of creating a new current for the next era as a “sacred place for creative workers.” This project aims to foster new cultural creation in Shibuya and revitalize the area south of Shibuya Station. Targeting “creative people,” it was designed as a place where inspiration arises in everyday life. WOW was responsible for the environmental design and experiential design of the giant video wall installed at the entrance to the 100-meter-long second-floor through passage directly connected to Shibuya Station, as well as the large staircase leading toward Meiji-dori Avenue. Design Intent This facility, developed through public-private collaboration and also contributing to the restoration of the Shibuya River, serves as an icon for the area south of Shibuya Station, while taking care not to impose creativity or trends. In the second-floor through passage, an acoustic environment creates a “gentle boundary” that softens outside noise, and within that setting, a pseudo-natural environment formed by phenomenological visuals is intended to draw out the inner imagination of both daily users and visitors passing through. The overall design concept is called “INNER STREAM,” and it comprises three environmental installations. 1. Invisible Stream | Giant video wall installed at the second-floor entrance of Shibuya Stream The thinking process of creative workers, from their first idea to the final finish, is visualized as a flow: Invisible Stream. Centered on the theme of “Stream,” the work presents final visuals inspired by phenomenological motifs such as water, rivers, mist, and light, while also exhibiting various study processes in CG and programmable expression. By linking these elements to the viewer’s own imagination, the installation was designed to allow each person to experience a different visual encounter. 2. Fall Stream | Staircase space toward Meiji-dori Avenue with embedded video installation A visual composition in which sound seems to pour from a vortex of sound into the grand staircase. By using phenomenological motifs such as waterfalls and water, the work seeks to create a sense of unity with the Shibuya River and offer visitors a soothing spatial experience. 3. Barrier Stream | Acoustic environment of the second-floor through passage and grand staircase The acoustic environment was realized through a collaboration with evala [See by Your Ears], a musician and sound artist with the concept of “Sound Architecture.” The concept took inspiration from the Shibuya Stream space, where wind blowing through is especially striking. Sounds were devised to harmonize with this place, where outside sounds such as trains and cars can also be heard. Water sounds field-recorded at the Shibuya River were blended in throughout, and like a natural phenomenon in which trees sway and waves rise when the wind blows, new melodies are continuously generated so that no two moments are ever the same. By using speakers placed along the connecting passageways, the program blocks urban noise and creates an environment that enhances inner creativity.

About the Work This work took on the challenge of reimagining “enjoying coolness in the height of midsummer heat” as a contemporary art experience, as an homage to traditional methods nurtured by Japanese sensibilities. In the past, Japanese people made use of the full range of their five senses to enjoy summers without air conditioning. Elements such as the setting sun, Japanese gardens, engawa (verandas), sprinkling water to cool the ground, and the refreshing breeze are all part of the original landscape of summer in Japan. By connecting these elements to the context of TOKYO MIDTOWN—“we want to be the most pleasant place in the center of Tokyo”—and adding dynamism and entertainment value, this work was created. People immersed themselves in a space where “nostalgia” and “freshness” merged in the middle of the city, and delighted in a uniquely Japanese sensory experience of “coolness” that soaked into their entire being, not just through the actual temperature. This work was created by Hakuten, WOW, and TOKYO LIGHTING DESIGN, a creative company specializing in experiential work in physical spaces. WOW was responsible for creative direction and production. About the Exhibition It was presented as part of “MIDTOWN LOVES SUMMER 2018,” held at Tokyo Midtown from Friday, July 13 to Sunday, August 26, 2018. For this exhibition, under the theme of “coolness in a Japanese summer,” a new way to enjoy summer was sought in Roppongi, a district in the center of Tokyo, bustling with a diverse crowd and constantly filled with activity. Our approach drew from the rich sensitivity inherent to Japanese people, who have long embraced even the heat of summer as part of its charm. Sitting on an engawa*1 facing a garden, listening to the sound of insects, admiring fireworks, and enjoying summer nights with close companions. This was an attempt to reconstruct, in a contemporary form, the nostalgic summer landscape of Japan, rich in sensibility, and to create a new summer scene. The space was composed of a vast 2,000㎡ lawn plaza in the heart of the city, a massive 20m × 40m engawa that served both as a stage and a frame, mist that changed moment by moment to create a one-of-a-kind atmosphere, and images of “digital fireworks” that controlled approximately 6,000 LED lights to color the space. Visitors stood on the engawa and enjoyed images of Japanese summer spread out at their feet, experiencing coolness firsthand. The ever-changing, primitive forms of mist—never repeating the same expression twice—and the digitally rendered glow of fireworks created a space one could watch without growing tired of it. Blending with summer nights, this work became an experience that cooled both body and spirit of those who came, together with the heat. *1: An engawa is a distinctive architectural feature of traditional Japanese houses—a threshold-like space between indoors and outdoors—where one can sit and enjoy the scenery outside or chat with family, symbolizing a rich and comfortable way of life.

An experimental video installation work using 20 transparent organic EL displays.

Description: The endless forms created by BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE’s primitive triangular pieces are expressed through motifs inspired by various objects and phenomena in nature. Phenomena abstracted by the BAO BAO structure are endowed with new meaning and beauty, creating a distinctive world. Through this process, the work explores the fascination of the organic and unique forms and movements produced by a triangular structure. www.baobaoisseymiyake.com

A 100th anniversary project for the Teijin Group, created through a collaboration between KITCHEN&COMPANY, MIKATA, and WOW. Looking ahead to the next 100 years, “FUTURE NAVIGATION” was declared as a global message shared worldwide. At the same time, the “THINK HUMAN PROJECT” was launched to explore ways to improve people’s quality of life in the future through nine experimental projects. WOW was responsible for directing and producing the TV commercial and OOH campaign for the “FUTURE NAVIGATION” announcement. To express a project that reexamines humanity from multiple perspectives, the visuals and story were built on the idea of reducing human beings to an unknown entity. What separates humans from things? How should humans interact with their environment? What does it mean for humans to live as humans? Through a variety of angles and forms of expression, this work takes on these questions, which have no clear answers. Sensitive motifs are transformed boldly yet delicately, aiming for a unique world that is both beautiful and poisonous. Teijin 100th anniversary website 100.teijin.co.jp/

In September 2018, we produced a promotional video for “FUSIONKNIT,” announced by DESCENTE. “FUSIONKNIT” is an unprecedented knit product that DESCENTE created by fusing (FUSION) a variety of technologies and know-how to achieve the movement comfort required in sportswear. The video was structured to convey, in a light and intuitive way, the detailed expression of fabric knitted with changing patterns, the cutting techniques, and the process by which each part takes shape as a complex three-dimensional form.

An interactive video installation inspired by festivals and traditional events long passed down in Tohoku. In this work, the mysterious act of “transforming” into something other than a human being can be experienced through interactive visual expression. Taking four traditional customs—“Namahage,” “Shishiodori,” “Kasei-dori,” and “Sotome”—as motifs, the work visualizes them with WOW’s own interpretation. When a mask is put on in front of the screen, the viewer’s silhouette changes into each of these forms, and the blessings these events bring to people are projected as animation. This is an attempt to let viewers enjoyably experience the mysterious power of “becoming” someone other than themselves, or something other than human. The work carries the wish that by engaging with the traditional culture born of Tohoku’s land and climate through a completely new form of expression, its value will be passed on to the next generation.

An inorganic space composed of mirrors. Mirror balloons, filling the entire space, animate and float while endlessly reflecting light and objects. An installation work that depicts a living organism drifting and moving through the gently swaying balloons.

On September 15, 2017, the Saturn probe Cassini plunged into Saturn and burned up in the atmosphere, bringing its “life” as a spacecraft to an end. Cassini continued sending data back to Earth until the very last moment, when its life burned out. This work is an exhibition that celebrates Cassini’s great achievements—beloved by many and making immense contributions to the history of planetary exploration—and invites visitors to experience its accomplishments as a visual work.