2022.09.16

Kyoto's Traditional 'Nishijin-ori' Weaving Merges with Cutting-edge Technology in 'Ambient Weaving' to Explore the Ultimate Beauty

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Ars Electronica, held in Linz, Austria, is a festival of art, technology, and culture, boasting one of the largest scales in the world for a media art event. At the STARTS (Innovation at the Nexus of Science, Technology, and the ARTS) division of Ars Electronica 2022, held from September 7 to 11, 'Ambient Weaving' developed in collaboration by ZOZO NEXT Inc., the Yasuaki Kokehi Laboratory at UTokyo, and Hosoo Co., Ltd., won an Honorary Mention (House of Honour), a respectable award.

Following conversations with Satoshi Nakamaru, who led the project at ZOZO NEXT Inc., Yasuaki Kakehi, who leads the Yasuaki Kakehi Laboratory at UTokyo, we spoke with Masataka Hosoo, the representative of Hosoo Co., Ltd.

Could you please share your thoughts on 'Ambient Weaving', the winning work this time from the perspective of Hosoo Co., Ltd.? How do you view the relationship with 'Nishijin-ori', a traditional art form of Kyoto?

Regardless of the matter at hand, when Hosoo takes on something, within the 1200-year history of Nishijin-ori, the question of "Why are we doing this now?" naturally arises. A persistent pursuit of the 'ultimate beauty', and continuing to answer the fundamental question, 'What is beauty?', has been consistent throughout the 1000- and 500-year-old histories. Many different technologies have emerged within this context. In light of this, I feel it's somewhat of a mission to be able to answer such questions.