kagami / Real-Time Face Generator

About the Work

‘kagami’ means a mirror in Japanese. ‘kagami / Real-Time Face Generator’ is an installation, which features ‘3D mirror,’ capable of replicating a person’s face in three dimensions.

The installation’s face scanner scans a participant’s face, and a computer converts the scan into 3D modeling data. On the basis of this data, around 5,000 rods are moved forward by a motor, creating a 3D face in real time. The face then becomes a canvass for the theme of ‘Kacho Fugetsu’, which means beauties of nature in Japanese, as electric makeup art featuring morning glory, bamboo, butterflies, kingfishers, ibis, sunsets, cherry blossoms, moon etc. is projected onto its surface.

This work is the result of a collaboration between WOW and a project team from Kao Corporation, who drew their inspiration from the ‘OMOTE’ project. It took one year to produce, from planning through to completion. It has been established as an exhibit at Kao’s COCOLAB museum, founded in September this year.

Nobumichi Asai (WOW) acted as creative and technical director for ‘kagami’ and ‘Kacho Fugetsu,’ overseeing the planning and development of the project. Noboru Tomizawa, who also collaborated on ‘Connected Colors’, oversaw the makeup art. Beautiful makeup art provides a base over which WOW’s CG animation is projected to evoke the vivacity and motion of nature. Music was provided by hatis noit, using a tonal palette exclusively composed of sounds from nature. Using sounds from her native Hokkaido, the sound of the wind over the plains, running water, bird song etc., hatis noit creates a sound-scape drawn from her own memories.


Staff

【Project Member】
Media Artist : Nobumichi Asai [WOW]
CG Artist : Shingo Abe [WOW]
Make-Up Artist : Noboru Tomizawa [CUBE Management Office]
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Creative Director : Nobumichi Asai [WOW]
Director : Shingo Abe [WOW]
CG Designer : Tsutomu Miyajima [WOW], Ryo Kitabatake [WOW]
Producer : Shinichi Saeki [WOW]
Project Manager : Ayaka Motoyoshi [WOW]

Technical Director : Nobumichi Asai [WOW]
Technical Director : Atsushi Yoshimura [WOW]

System Development : Fumihiko Saito [Solidray]
System Development : Ryusei Ito [Solidray]
System Development : Kimihiro Katayama [Solidray]
System Development : Yuya Takasu [Solidray]
System Development : Yoshihiro Watanabe [Kastam]

Videographer : Kimihiro Morikawa
Editor : Masanori Yamaguchi [REELVISION Co., Ltd.]
Colorist : Takatoshi Suzuki
Movie Retoucher : Masanori Obe [foton inc.]

Music & Vocalist : hatis noit
Model : Nanami [FLOS inc.]
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【Special Thanks】
foton inc.
Spacevision, Inc.
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Kao COCOLAB Project

Chihiro Saegusa
Misako Kishi
Keiji Seto
Kyoko Fukunaga
Mika Nomura


About WOW
http://www.w0w.co.jp/