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.

WOW participated in the BLUE OCEAN DOME at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. At this pavilion, where visitors can learn about the sustainable use of marine resources and the protection of marine ecosystems, WOW was responsible for the direction and production of the video content. BLUE OCEAN DOME consists of three spaces under the theme of “the revival of the ocean.” It includes an installation expressing the spectrum of water, a video installation depicting the miracles and crises of Earth as the planet of water, and a space that presents a path toward restoring the ocean through documentary footage. WOW developed a hemispherical LED visual device about 10 meters in diameter together with Azlab. Through this one-of-a-kind, ultra-high-definition giant hemispherical LED screen, it brought Earth as seen from space to life. —The beautiful Earth, a miraculous water planet, is on the verge of being gravely damaged by human activity. This work depicts the ocean, where the brilliance of the chain of life and pollution progress simultaneously, across a range of scales from a vast view like looking at Earth from space to the cellular level. By fusing realistic depictions so true to life they could be mistaken for the real thing with dreamlike imagination, the piece sought to create an audiovisual experience as a “device for transforming consciousness” that appeals to the senses of visitors. The footage, supervised after fieldwork in biologically diverse marine areas and by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, vividly portrays everything from vibrant life to the realities of marine pollution through the meticulously crafted 3DCG for which WOW is known. In addition, Hatis Noit’s voice, resonating as if with the voices of all beings living in the sea, gave the imagery multidimensional depth. The hemispherical screen, covered by a parabolic cover, was precisely designed down to the number and arrangement of its supports, realizing two distortion-free curved surfaces. For the parabolic cover serving as the backdrop for the LED screen, a special paint that appears darker than black by absorbing light was used. A smooth base finish achieved through plasterwork and painstaking hand-applied painting created a jet-black screening space. The hemispherical screen itself was fabricated by hand, one small panel at a time. This ultra-high-definition display, with approximately 160,000 LED chips arranged at a 2.5 mm pitch, supported the overwhelming visual experience.

Released as part of “MIDTOWN CHRISTMAS 2023,” held at Tokyo Midtown from Thursday, November 16 to Monday, December 25, 2023. WOW was responsible for planning, directing, and producing “some snow scenes,” an installation that captured delicate winter scenes in the atrium of Galleria. The countless spheres evoking lightly floating snow were composed of approximately 3,400 objects (white balls, crystals, and acrylic pieces) suspended from a height of 15 meters by about 250 lines. In sync with music composed by Fumitake Ezaki and performed automatically on stage, the coordinated laser projection and lighting created a spatial installation where light and sound overlapped. In addition to the regular presentation, this work featured four special sequences every 15 minutes. At times, it poetically depicted various winter scenes, like snow falling deeply and quietly; at others, like a cold blizzard swirling through the air.

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.

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.

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.

Elements, kept as simple as possible. Behavior, made as natural as possible, something that never gets old. With “10¹² TERRA,” we explored the interplay of light and shadow created by the rotation of the outer and inner shades of a white, geometric form. The source of motion is nothing but convection caused by the heat of an incandescent bulb. Without using any motorized power, we pursued a natural, beautiful, gently flowing movement of light. “LUX” — What we set out to design was not a fixture called lighting, but “the behavior of light” itself. It softly shapes the space with drifting light and shadow. A beautiful, conceptual light, here.

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.

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 decorations, humidity, light, and sparkle of the hammam, graphically depicting the transformation of J’adore into something new.

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.

This installation was created in collaboration with SHISEIDO’s Team 101 to express the world of SHISEIDO’s new skin care series, inspired by “neuroscience,” which stimulates the senses and awakens one’s own potential. “NEURO_SURGE” is a large monument approximately 9 meters tall, made with a new type of fiber, whose expression of light changes as it spans the atrium from the first to the second floor of the SHISEIDO Ginza Building. “INTERACTIVE WALL” is a 9-meter-wide, 5-meter-high stretch screen that expresses the image of activating oneself by touching and pushing inward. These works delicately and boldly depict a situation in which various forms of information, human relationships, social structures, infrastructure, and everything else are intricately intertwined, visualizing the way sensory nerves in the lives of people, exposed daily to joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, transmit information.