KANEKO Shige

Current job responsibilities

I direct and produce fashion shows and fashion events.

Role in Future of Life/Responsibilities and duties at the Pavilion

I was responsible for overall direction in Zone 3, “Life 1000 Years in the Future: Mahoroba.” I developed scenarios based on Professor ISHIGURO Hiroshi’s team’s concept of encountering life as it may exist 1,000 years in the future and brought the scenarios to life in the theater spaces there.

Feelings on the Pavilion, the exhibits, and the product concept

Professor Ishiguro has said, “Humans will merge with technology, freeing themselves from physical constraints to become pure consciousness.” I felt my job was to create as faithfully as possible an experience where visitors could encounter life as it may exist 1,000 years from now, allowing consciousnesses to touch and connect.

Memorable impressions from associating with Producer ISHIGURO Hiroshi

「This statement by Professor Ishiguro left an impression on me: “Humans miraculously emerged from inorganic matter to become organic beings. The physical body is merely a provisional, temporary form, destined to return to inorganic matter. Yet the mind is never lost.”

Commitments

We worked through trial and error, from the conceptual stage all the way to final on-site adjustments, in a process of discovering how to create moments where the hearts and minds of the visitors could connect with the androids. Particularly regarding the appearance and shine of the android eyes, we refined the details through repeated experimentation with Professor Ishiguro, Planning Director UCHIDA Maholo, and Android Costumes Designer/Supervisor HIROKAWA Tamae.

Challenges and innovations

Zone 3: “Mahoroba” features no organic decorations and is designed solely with three MOMO android units, light, and sound (music). Through conversation with Professor Ishiguro and the rest of the team, we uncovered how to design an experience where visitors could connect with the androids on the level of the heart and mind, without the androids using specific words as a medium to convey messages to visitors.
We began by conceptualizing a space design to dynamically utilize the 13-meter-tall cylindrical theater space designed by the architecture team. We then assembled scenarios within the space, displaying the beams of light and their movements as if they were words spoken by an android.
The delicate movements of the android MOMO’s hands, fingers, and facial expressions, which seem to converse with visitors, along with programming that causes lights to fluctuate or change color in response to these actions, were made possible through the remarkable technology and hard work of the ATR team and the HEART-S team.

The music was commissioned from ISHIBASHI Eiko, who has also worked on projects including film scores. Based on the concept of encountering and interacting with life as it may exist 1,000 years from now, she crafted a three-minute narrative audio source. Using the multitrack audio source that she created, we constructed a multidimensional soundscape that can only be experienced in this theater space, with audio from various directions, including sound cascading from the 13-meter-high ceiling, the sound of water flowing across the floor, and low frequencies resonating from the walls. We worked right up until the opening, refining this into a sound environment that resonates in the soul.

Highlights not to be missed

When you enter Zone 3 “Life 1000 Years in the Future: Mahoroba” and the experience begins, make sure to look into the eyes of the android MOMO.