Kyoto’s primeval forest to come to life in beautiful interactive light art display 【Video】
Trees will “breathe” with light and sound as their beauty takes visitors’ breath away.
22 JUNE 2016 ROCKETNEWS24 CASEY BASEEL
One of the core beliefs of Shintoism is that divinity exists in all aspects of the natural environment. Meanwhile, one of the core beliefs of travelers is that sightseeing is more enjoyable if you’re not sweating profusely. Thankfully, these two concepts are about to dovetail beautifully as part of a public art display at one of Kyoto’s most important Shinto shrines.
teamLab, the same group of creative artists who brought children’s doodles to life with its Sketch Aquarium installation, is back with another interactive mix of emotion and technology, set to open this summer at the Kamomioya Shrine and adjacent Tadasu no Mori primeval forest. And while Japan’s former capital is notoriously hot and steamy during the summer months, the fact that this is a nighttime exhibit means you’ll be able to enjoy it after much of the day’s sweltering heat has dissipated.
The first segment of the two-part exhibit is titled Resonating Trees Kamomioya Jinja Tadasu no Mori. As visitors walk through the UNESCO World Heritage-certified woods on their approach to the shrine, trees will light up as they draw near. Accompanied by an ethereal-sounding chime, the lights will change color, in turn affecting the hues of those around them, almost as if the entire forest is breathing as a single living being.
After passing through the shrine’s two-story gate, visitors will find themselves in the second area, Resonating Spheres, in which one of the shrine’s courtyards is filled with spheres that emit light and sound when tapped. Read More
Kewpie Mayonnaise censors logo of angel wings and nudity for American consumers
If you’re American then sorry, Kewpie doesn’t think you’re ready for its hard-core naked angel logo like most of Earth is.
22 JUNE 2016 ROCKETNEWS24 MASTER BLASTER
From the end of May this year, Japan’s premier mayonnaise brand Kewpie began manufacturing in the USA. Although the unbelievably sweet condiment has been enjoyed by Americans for years now via imports, this marks the first time it is officially produced and sold on the continent.Fans of Kewpie will know how good this news is, as this mayo ranks somewhere between Girl Scout cookies and morphine in terms of deliciousness. However, fans will also notice a slight change in the packaging. Original Kewpie mayo features the chubby cherub standing straight at us in all its glory.
... “Say, isn’t this an angel?” They were alluding to the tiny wings on Kewpie’s back and Islam’s prohibition of idol worship.
Kewpie responded that the logo wasn’t meant to be an angel, baby, boy, girl, or anything specifically, but rather than rock the boat they opted to hide the wings and nudity anyway. Read More
You gotta fight for your right to flash mob?
Is a flash mob protected free speech? The Japanese courts will decide.
22 JUNE 2016 ROCKETNEWS24 JESSICA
A flash mob, according to Wikipedia, is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and artistic expression. Even if you’ve never seen one in person, you’ve probably watched a viral video of one...Given the performative nature of flash mobs, they often take place in public areas. And given the importance of the element of surprise, organizers rarely if ever apply for permits in advance, as would be required for a political rally, for example. So what happens when your flash mob has a political message? Are you breaking the law? A Japanese court is being asked to decided that question.
... [A] collection of city councilpeople and members of the group filed a lawsuit at the Yokohama District Court this week, claiming that the city was infringing on their right to free speech. They say that the modest size of the flash mob means it does not fit the definition of a gathering or demonstration and that it did not impede pedestrian traffic.
According to Japan’s Road Traffic Act, says the group’s lawyer, if a gathering does not significantly impede traffic, it must be allowed.
... Reactions to the case on social media are mixed.
“This isn’t freedom of expression, it’s an anti-government demonstration, so of course they have a right to regulate it.”
“Repealing these traffic regulations would cause trouble for us all. I wish they would stop.”
“Good luck, flash mobbers! If we give up here, they will snatch away more of our rights to gather and express ourselves!”
“If you have a political intent, gather some people and appeal to the public, it’s always going to be seen as a demonstration.”
So now it’s up to the courts to decide what exactly constitutes a flash mob and whether it is protected free speech.
What say you, Rocketeers? Read More
“Resident Weeaboo” – Swiss otaku’s parody of horror series features anime huggy pillows, insanity
Swiss super otaku Melonpan might just be the most bonkers Resident Evil fan on the internet…
21 JUNE 2016 ROCKETNEWS24 EVIE LUND
As a fan of the Resident Evil series for almost 20 years, I was caught between excitement and trepidation when the next installment in the series, Resident Evil 7, was announced at LA’s Entertainment Electronics Expo (E3) last week. Fan reactions to the series’ sudden and dramatic shift in tone and gameplay style divided opinions across the internet when a playable demo was released which offers a brief taste of the game’s new first-person-perspective take on horror.
One person who has seemingly embraced the series’ new direction is Swiss Otaku and major anime fan Melonpan, who has achieved internet notoriety with a series of bizarre and bonkers stunts and displays of gleeful weeaboo antics. To date, he’s gone tandem skydiving with a dakimakura huggy anime pillow, posed semi-nude with another huggy pillow, and uploaded plenty of cosplay videos to his YouTube channel which showcase his particular brand of madcap otaku mischief.
In his most recent video, “Resident Weeaboo”, he parodies the new game’s demo with a short film of his own creation. Almost entirely first-person, the video includes classic background music from the Resident Evil and Silent Hill series, and plenty of horrifying imagery. Stalked by a possessed plushy of Umaru-chan from the anime series “Himouto! Umaru-chan”, and haunted by “dead bodies” in the form of anime girl dakimakura, the super-fan shrieks and panics his way through a haunted house of demonic otaku paraphernalia. Can you identify all of the merchandise he’s got on display in his mansion of horrors? Read More
AMO installs sloping mesh catwalk for Prada fashion show
20 JUNE 2016 DEZEEN DAN HOWARTH
Metal mesh ramps illuminated by psychedelic coloured lights formed the set for Prada's Spring Summer 2017 menswear show in Milan, which was once again designed by Dutch studio AMO.The Italian fashion house presented the outdoor-pursuits-influenced collection as part of Milan fashion week yesterday.
AMO – the research branch of OMA – upheld its longstanding tradition of designing the catwalk. It was installed at the Fondazione Prada complex, the building completed by the Rotterdam-based architecture firm last year.
The studio left the remnants of its design from last season's shows, based on theatres built for public trials of heretics, around the periphery of the space.
In the centre, sections of metal mesh created a continuous ramp suspended between the floor and ceiling. It was used for a false ceiling, and as a covering for architectural elements like columns.
"A continuous metallic surface folds around all the elements of the set: generating an abstract layer, composed of meshes with different patterns and dimensions that overlap to recreate a total space," said AMO.
"The transparency of the cladding material unveils the underlying framework with Cartesian precision." Read More
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