Abstract

How can we apply traditional ways of thinking into our new technology or digital contents? Our institution Digital Hollywood University had a special course in collaboration with Japanesque Modern Council in 2007. The Japanesque Modern Project (SHIN-NIHON-YOSHIKI) has launched as a part of national brand promotion policy by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Japan.

The concept of this project is to encourage designers to make something new to fit to our modern life by integrating traditional craftsmanship, hospitality and aesthetic manner and new technologies. For example, recent innovative products such as humanoid robots or portable game devices are considered to be related to the entertainment technology appeared in Japanese traditional mechanical dolls or small devices. The style of Anime can be traced back to the storytelling in old picture scrolls or theatre arts.

Through a series of lecture given by key persons of contents industries and also academia, we intended to let the young students get familiar to the roots of domestic media and recent hybrid artistic expression. Though most of the students who majored digital contents design have had little experiences to think about the Japanese traditional culture, they seemed to find interests and many hints for their new media creation.

• Tomoko Hatanaka, Assistant Professor, Takushoku University, Japan

Full text (PDF) p. 208-210