INDEX
Engaging in Dialogue with Digital Bonsai
Now, let’s take a closer look at the work Sleeping Memory. Standing in front of the large screen, you can see particles and sound shifting and moving. The piece changes in response to the viewer’s movements, with the movement of the right hand influencing the visuals and the left hand affecting the sound. It is said that the work uses a sensor called “Kinect,” which is commonly used in games.
The interactive visuals are based on data obtained from a 3D scan of a hundred-year-old “black pine” housed at the Omiya Bonsai Museum, which has been transformed into a particle-based form. The sound composition is created from environmental sounds collected within Saitama City. While fragmented and not immediately recognizable, it is said that sounds such as cicadas in Omiya Park, train noises, and the sound of an ambulance can be heard.
The particles respond sensitively to human movement, slowly gathering together to form the shape of a bonsai. At times, the bonsai shakes and the particles scatter. There are moments when the viewpoint zooms in, almost as if you’ve entered the bonsai itself. Before you know it, you find yourself engrossed in a dialogue with the digital bonsai.
In addition, there are monitors displaying videos that express the basic concept of the artwork, as well as real-time projections of the viewers’ own images, alongside devices playing the sound sources used in the piece. Together, these elements form a cohesive exhibition space.
