WOW unveiling a world of new visual experiences "Unlearning the Visuals"
From October 15 to 30, 2022 WOW will host an exhibition introducing brand-new original works for the very first time: “Unlearning the Visuals.” This is the second large-scale exhibition to display WOW works to the public, following on from “WOW Visual Design Studio: WOW animates the world,” a retrospective exhibition held in 2018 to mark the studio’s 20th anniversary. The previous exhibition featured both new works and select works from our archives. For this new exhibition to mark our 25th anniversary, we plan to display a range of newly created and wholly original works. A variety of works that showcase the diversity in WOW’s expressions will be displayed, including powerful visual works that utilize the expansive spaces of Warehouse TERRADA, experimental visual works, and others that encourage visitor interaction. The driving creative force behind this exhibition is the up-and-coming creators who will take WOW forward to the next generation. Equipped with outstanding technical and expressive skills they are creating an exhibition suitable for the next generation. Visitors will be able to take the plunge into new frontiers of visual experiences that draw on 25 years of creativity, while looking to the future.
Creating original works based on the theme of “Unlearning the Visuals” During the 25 years since the establishment of Visual Design Studio WOW, we have consistently sought to expand our field of activities, based on a concept of tangible and intangible visuals being the focus of all visual design. This new exhibition, held to mark our 25th anniversary is not being planned as a retrospective of past works, but rather as a springboard to new challenges, looking ahead to our next landmark 30th anniversary. The theme is “Unlearning the Visuals.” By “unlearn” we mean unraveling the things that we have learned to date, through both thought processes and with our bare hands, to then reacquire them as a new and visceral part of our being. WOW, which has continually opened up new horizons in visual expression, will step up to the challenge of acquiring new forms of expressive power, all the while nourished by the skills and sensitivities we have believed in and nurtured until now.
Works
Viewpoints We have all experienced how changing our “viewpoint” can transform the way we see, feel, and think about new things. By changing viewpoints and then switching to focus purely on a specific viewpoint, this work challenges the viewer to make new discoveries and embrace new thoughts, while conscious of the scenery being reconfigured around them. Refraction This work makes use of the refractive properties of curved acrylic to deform images and make them imperfect. We unconsciously assimilate large volumes of images that flood our daily lives as information. By supplementing this sometimes incomplete information ourselves and reconstructing it in our imaginations, there are tantalizing instances when we attain infinite clarity. Rotation In this installation piece, viewers rotate a device to play a video. This work carefully reexamines and deeply probes the ubiquitous and instinctual action of rotating things, offering new insights into these everyday interactions. Not only does this video feels good, but an accurate feedback you get from the device provide comfortable and intuitive interaction. Festival Cornucopia Festivals have always been a source of emotional support and life-giving strength for people. This work is a video installation based on the theme of the Tohoku region’s celebrations and festivals. The challenge here is to reconstruct the traditional customs of “Hare no Hi,” which are days that the people of Tohoku have considered to be special since ancient times, and imbue them with new perspectives and interpretations. Motion Modality / Passage with wind traces As part of the venue staging, this work was designed as a passage that evokes the constantly changing modalities of clouds and shadows shifting in the wind. The time-space that visitors to the venue experience is divided into four sectors, and by manipulating the way light behaves in each of these, the static space transforms, being invigorated and enriched. ▶Motion Modality Case Study
Unlearning the Visuals Exhibition Overview Exhibition Period: October 15 (Sat) to 30 (Sun), 2022 Opening times: 11:00-20:00 (Last entry 19:30) * October 20 (Thu) is 11:00-16:30 (Last entry 16:00) Venue: Warehouse TERRADA E Hall Address: 2-1-3 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo ▶Unlearning the Visuals Official Website Entrance Fee General Admission On the day: 1,000 yen Advance purchase (date and time designated): 800 yen Students *Elementary through to university and vocational school students Weekdays: Free Weekends: 500 yen * Advance tickets are available to buy online up to the day prior to your visit (date and time designated). * Student tickets can also be reserved online up to the day prior to your visit (no advance purchase discount for student tickets). * Students should present their student ID at the entrance. * On the day tickets are available at the exhibition venue. *Tickets will be available on the Unlearning the Visuals official website from mid of September. Related News▶ WOW magazine Vol.201 “Celebrating 25 Years with an Entirely New Exhibition ‘Unlearning the Visuals’ to Open!”
