Ecology Art: The Green Island Project at the Media Arts Festival

What would Tokyo look like if the pavement were suddenly replaced with grass? A simple and inviting, yet laughable, prospect but one that the creators of the Green Island project are taking seriously.

The project is a collaborative effort between creative director Tag (Ryo Taguchi), photo retoucher IMKW (Imakawa), and contemporary artist cum coder Immr (Yuichiro Imamura). The initial result is a series of photographs that cleverly turn Tokyo streets into fields of green. Here is an example of the instantly recognizable Shinjuku.

While new development projects in Tokyo are increasingly prioritizing green space (Tokyo Midtown Shopping Complex is an oft-cited example), existing developed space is notoriously grey—something which is taken as matter of fact. The Green Island project aims to encourage the reconsideration of these existing places and remind us of the potential that these already developed areas still offer.

The Green Island project participated in the recent Japan Media Arts Festival held February 4-15 at the National Art Center Tokyo. The well-attended 12th edition of the annual event included juried entries in the divisions of art, animation, manga, and entertainment. Excellence prizes were picked up by Marcio Ambrosio for “Oups!” (art), Kunio Kato for “The House of Small Cubes” (animation), Makoto Isshiki for “Piano no Mori” (manga), and the Tenori-On development team for the popular Tenori-on game (entertainment).

Trend Potential

Ecology was a major theme at the Media Arts Festival, and has been a growing consumer and production trend in Japan for several years now. For more information on Eco trends in Japan in products, branding, marketing, and behavior, check out our Trendpool innovation database.

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Prefab Paco Mobile Studio is your mini home away from home

Prefab designer studio from Schemata Architects aspires to be a mini home away from home (or in the backyard).

The press surrounding the original release of Yamaha’s My Room (we covered its updated re-release on the blog) conjured images of estranged husbands hiding from their families, video-game addicted youth, and the so-called parasite singles (adult children living off their parents). The kind of coverage that succeeds in making the basic need for private space seem like the result of an unfortunate cultural affliction.

Paco, however, puts a completely different spin on the idea—for starters by holding an exhibition at the Happa Gallery this month in trendy Nakameguro. Paco, like My Room, is a prefab cube designed to function as a space within a space, and one that offers a kind haven or recluse. The difference is in the design, as Paco was created by award winning designer Jo Nagasaka and the Schemata Architecture firm.

This 3 square-meter white cube has all the features of the second home away from home that it aspires to be: kitchen, folding table, secret toilet, umbrella-style shower attachment, and hammock for sleeping. The sleek, minimal design even features a “convertible” top, which can be propped open to take advantage of natural light and ventilation.

To be sure, stylish personal space comes at a premium: Paco costs ¥6,300,000 (or currently about $68,000).