This special feature is brought to you by Daijiro Mizuno, a professor at the Future Design and Engineering Organization of Kyoto Institute of Technology, and it is titled "Fashion Design and Technology." In this third edition, we have a conversation with Ai Hasegawa, who is active as an artist and designer.
Hasegawa is highly interested in contemporary issues, including gender, and employs methods such as bio-art, speculative design, and design fiction to create works that question the relationship between technology and human existence.
She is an artist whom Mizuno respects and also collaborates with at Kyoto Institute of Technology, showcasing a relationship that transcends genres.
What technology has recently captured Hasegawa's attention? She shared her insights from a unique perspective.
PROFILE
Daijiro Mizuno
Born in 1979. Professor at the Center for Possible Futures of Kyoto Institute of Technology, Specially Appointed Professor at Keio University Graduate School. Completed the doctoral program at the Royal College of Art, holds a Ph.D. in Arts (Fashion Design). Engages in practical research and critique that bridges design and society.
Recent publications include "サステナブル・ファッション: ありうるかもしれない未来." Other works include "サーキューラー・デザイン," "クリティカルワード・ファッションスタディーズ," "インクルーシブデザイン," "リアル・アノニマスデザイン"（all co-authored), and edited volume "vanitas."
PROFILE
Ai Hasegawa
Artist and designer. Through methods such as bio-art, speculative design, and design fiction, she explores issues hidden in contemporary society, focusing on biological challenges and advancements in technology.
In 2012, she obtained her MA from the Royal College of Art, Design Interactions. From 2014 to the fall of 2016, she was a researcher at MIT Media Lab, Design Fiction Group, obtaining her MS in 2016. Since 2020, she has been a specially appointed researcher at Jichi Medical University and Kyoto Institute of Technology.
Her work "(Im)possible Baby, Case 01: Asako & Moriga" received an Excellence Award at the 19th Japan Media Arts Festival Art Division. She has exhibited domestically and internationally at venues such as Mori Art Museum, Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum, Holon Design Museum in Israel, Milan Triennale 2019, Ars Electronica, NY MoMA, and Smithsonian. She has published a book titled "20XX年の革命家になるには──スペキュラティヴ・デザインの授業."
The Relationship Between LARP, Immersive Theater & VR
MizunoThe theme of this discussion is titled “Fashion Design and Technology.” What are your interests regarding this topic, Hasegawa?
HasegawaRecently, I've been intrigued by immersive projects. When discussing VR tied to fashion, I realized it pairs remarkably well with something I learned from Mizuno, called "LARP" (an acronym for Live Action Role-Playing, where participants act out characters in a fantasy world to enjoy what is essentially a make-believe game).
The video from "VICE" titled "LARPing Saved My Life" features a man who has become engrossed in LARP, living both his everyday life and a fantasy life. In a sense, it parallels what is happening in VR, and the attention to detail in their fashion likely functions as one aspect of immersion.
Also, the immersive theater piece I viewed last year in London, titled "The Burnt City" (a theatrical work by the British company Punchdrunk), was extremely representative of VR.
I've always felt that VR is heading towards a Disneyland-like realm, but now it feels like a premium version of Disneyland has emerged.
"The Burnt City" is meticulously crafted—narratively, sonically, architecturally, and experientially—right down to the smallest detail. It’s a performance piece designed to be experienced while walking around in a compact city created within a former factory building.
Experiencing this slight sense of an alternate world feels incredibly like real VR, and my recent realization is that a "good VR experience = immersive theater."
MizunoConsidering intersectionality, which involves complex intertwining of gender, ethnicity, and even looksism, I wonder what kind of worldview is possible for us. Perhaps immersive experiences like immersive theater or LARP are approaching us as effective media.
Of course, there's always talk about well-crafted story plots or impressive props. However, unlike film, immersive theater and LARP provide a participatory viewing experience that encourages more discussion and makes it easier to immerse oneself in a narrative world in the future, which is becoming a new value.
Those involved in design fiction have placed great importance on props (diegetic prototypes).
Writers like Bruce Sterling and artist-researcher Julian Bleeker have prioritized wearable devices and specific technologies representing possible futures, but do you think there's room for prototypes of wearable technology or ubiquitous computing within LARP or immersive theater, Hasegawa?
