“Unlearning the Visuals” draws to a close

WOW magazine 206 - Nov. 2nd, 2022

“Unlearning the Visuals,” a celebratory exhibition to mark WOW’s 25th anniversary came to a close on Sunday, October 30, bringing down the curtain on what has been a highly successful event. We would like to reiterate our heartfelt appreciation to all those people who visited the exhibition for their constant and caring support of WOW.

This exhibition was conceived as opportunity to ensure that WOW continues to stride forward to the future as a “Visual Design Studio.” Our aim was to stop for a moment in this 25th milestone year, and attempt to consciously “Unlearn” the forms of visual expression we have accumulated to date, challenging our young creators who will lead WOW to a new era to open up new forms of expression. Although only a short exhibition of just 16 days, we were fortunate to receive so many visitors, and seeing for ourselves their reactions to the works on display was immensely stimulating and instructive, and has also provided us with inspiration for future works. As a visual design studio we will continue to engage in a rich variety of expressive activities. We hope that you will continue to support us on our continuing journey.
“Unlearning the Visuals” works:
 - Viewpoints
 - Refraction
 - Rotation
 - Festival Cornucopia
 - Motion Modality / Passage with wind traces

▶Stories behind the making of each work: “Viewpoints” “Refraction” “Rotation” “Festival Cornucopia” “Motion Modality / Passage with wind traces”

Unlearning the Visuals Official website
Related work “sonus-oleum*”

On Thursday, October 20, a one-night only sound installation was performed through a collaboration among musician Ayatake Ezaki, the keyboard artist for WONK and Millennium Parade, Dentsu Lab Tokyo, electronic musician Katsuhiro Chiba, and WOW.
Related Projects

WOW × VERTERE “Unlearn Beer”
This “unlearning” project focuses on the relationship between taste and images. At the opening reception guests were provided with an opportunity to rediscover their own sense of taste, by WOW original beer, and via an app expressing in their own words what kind of taste they sensed.
* Available to pre-order on the Discover Japan online store.
* On sale from Friday, November 18, at the Shibuya PARCO Discover Japan Lab , and via the Discover Japan official online store.

WOW × Maison MIHARA YASUHIRO
In this collaboration between the fashion brand Maison MIHARA YASUHIRO and WOW, limited edition sneakers were produced and sold exclusively at the exhibition venue for the duration of the exhibition. To commemorate the collaboration, an AR work featuring Maison MIHARA YASUHIRO’s original character “Kutsuhimo musubena-kun” was released on the WOW AR app.
WOW AR “Let's be Musubena-Kun”
Related Events

WOW Talk Vol.10 Behind the Scene of “Viewpoints” & “Rotation”
Guest: Hiroyuki Takahashi (independent curator)
WOW Talk Vol.11 Behind the Scene of "Festival Cornucopia" & "Refraction"
WOW Talk Vol.12 "Seeing Light and Understanding the Future of the Moving Image"
Guest: Hajime Kurumata (associate chief editor of "Shoten Kenchiku" (monthly magazine) and chief editor of "Commercial Space Lighting" (a supplemental issue).

Other news

- Sales of the “Unlearning the Visuals” exhibition catalogue have been launched in the WOW Store.
- Now available on WOW note, you can find the following: “The process of realizing UNLEARN BEER,” “Aiming to realize a smooth and softly lit image body vol. 1,” and “Aiming to realize a smooth and softly lit image body vol. 2.”

WOW magazine