Discussion: Kumiko Takano & Yutaka Iida "Continued Observation of Cities & Contemporary Thought"

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This special feature, "City & Media: Past, Present, & Future," is brought to us by Professor Yutaka Iida of the College of Industrial Sociology at Ritsumeikan University, who is a media researcher. In this instalment, we welcome Kumiko Takano, editor-in-chief of the media outlet "ACROSS" operated by Parco Inc., and conduct an interview by Iida himself on the changes in urban and media environments, and contemporary thought as a way to observe cities.

We will deliver a diverse dialogue about cities and media in which Takano, who has continued to observe young people living in the streets of Tokyo, shares her thoughts on the current urban culture.

PROFILE

Kumiko Takano

Parco Inc. "ACROSS" Editor-in-Chief

Representative of Parco's fashion & culture think tank "ACROSS." She performs research, joint research, and consulting services within the company, related companies, and external companies. Recent publications from the editorial department include "ストリートファッション1980−2020定点観測40年の記録" (PARCO Publishing). Co-authored books include "ファッションは語りはじめた~現代日本のファッション批評" (Film Art), "ジャパニーズデザイナー" (DIAMOND), etc. She is a lecturer at Showa Women's University and Culture Academy Graduate School.

PROFILE

Yutaka Iida

Associate Professor, Ritsumeikan University College of Industrial Sociology. Specialises in media theory, media technology history, cultural sociology. Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1979. He withdrew from the doctoral program at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies after earning his credits. His published works include "テレビが見世物だったころ：初期テレビジョンの考古学" (Seikyusha, 2016), co-authored "メディア論" (Foundation for the Promotion of the Open University of Japan, 2018), edited "メディア技術史：デジタル社会の系譜と行方［改訂版］" (Hokuju Shuppan, 2017), co-edited "現代文化への社会学：90年代と「いま」を比較する" (Hokuju Shuppan, 2018), and "現代メディア・イベント論：パブリック・ビューイングからゲーム実況まで" (Keiso Shobo, 2017), among others.

Changes in Cities Seen Through "Fixed Observation"

The Beginning of Fixed Observation

TakanoThe "fixed observation," a marketing research for street fashion, began its first round in August 1980. If you look at "Monthly Parco Report," the predecessor of "ACROSS," there was a snap called "Pop Eye" in the 1970s. At that time, snaps were close to fashionable street corner snaps, and the photos could be of the whole body or just the feet, but they captured the fashion that was emerging in the city. Magazines of the 1970-80s are from the period when bold editorial designs were introduced. In these projects, external people participated, and in the sober and stiff marketing magazine, only those pages had interesting layouts unique to print media.