Projecting as Cultural Gesture

Prof. Tomoko Mukai
Nihon University, Tokyo

Tomoko Mukai’s design and artistic focus is on spatial projection with computer-generated visual landscapes.
Spatial projection aims not at describing and explaining a narrative story or context, it should provide observers intuitive experience and understanding through their bodily perception evoked by the transformation of images. It could be similar to the Japanese garden where observers sit gazing at its landscapes or walk around there. Gazing at landscapes functions to provide a place of thought for observers. Spatial projection should be a medium or an interface which stimulates observers to remember collective or individual memories, to imagine and consider of social or individual contexts actively by themselves. She understands and defines this type of projection as cultural projection.
In her lecture, Tomoko Mukai would like to address potentials and possibilities of projecting as cultural gestures through introducing various kinds of spatial projections in her own projects. In those projects, spatial projections are realized as a part of a community design project that she often combines with and develops from workshops in interdisciplinary cooperations.

Tomoko Mukai graduated at the Department of Scenography, Space and Fashion Design at Musashino Art University in Tokyo, Bachelor in 1991, and also in media design at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Diploma/Master in 1996. She was appointed as Assistant Professor at the Department of Design, College of Art, Nihon University in 2005, since 2008 she is Associate Professor.

The talk will be held in English language.