Japan Dérive
2024
project with Lin Feng, Yuki Sato
|VR experience
|sound design
|installation|glass sculpture
|Unity
|VCV Rack 2
exhibition:
Japan Dérive, SOBASUTA Co., Tokyo, 2025.03
Baudrillard defined a map as a “ precession of simulacra,” or in other words, a “ mise en
scene of events with no apparent cause, a free-floating mediascape in which the endless
reproduction of cultural forms speeding by on screens.”
The work combines various mediums such as photography, AI generation, 3d scanning,
sound, and glass to create a floating island in unity that can be explored. The glass work of
Japanese glass artist Yuki Sato, is used as a clue to set the tone of random creativity. New
York-based multimedia artists Lin Feng and lriz Lin, using travel tracks in Japan as a map.
Lin Feng creates the islands and the vaguely familiar objects through a new digital medium,
while lriz creates a sound diary with collected local sounds that are deeply connected to
each object to evoke memories of their travels.
A map-like landscape is created in a unity environment where reality and imagination stand in opposition. Within this space, viewers can engage in cyber-drifting, exploring private memories and perceptions. The content reflects Lin's one-month journey through Japan, encompassing experiences across Tokyo, Yokohama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Naoshima, and Teshima. Everyday objects, cultural activities, sculptures, text, and sound, weave between cities, countryside, and islands. Objects are documented through photography during the walks, and identified by AI. The AI fills in the gaps of generated models using images of other objects from similar categories. The models resemble their original appearance from certain angles, but from others, they may diverge from reality̶or even lose connection to it entirely. While crafting these floating islands, the AI-generated models gradually blur the Lin's original memories.
Sound, as a vessel of memory, carries the echoes of moments past, weaving emotions and experiences into a recollection that transcends time and space. This work was created as a sound diary based on what was seen, heard, and felt in a monthlong journey in Japan, capturing diverse sounds of Japan - the pulse of Tokyo's bustlingstreets, the siren of Yokohama’s port, the dropping rains in Kanazawa's gardens, the timeless elegance of Kyoto's ancient melodies, and the whispers of Teshima wind and the waves of the Seto Inland Sea at Naoshima. The sound design also incorporates everyday sounds, such as the melodic rings of pedestrian crossings and the welcoming tunes of convenience stores, creating a deeply personal and evocative experience.
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