This year is a truly epoch-making year for the Art Division of 2008 [12th] Japan Media Arts Festival as it attracted over 1,000 entries, accounting for approximately half the entire number of applications to this festival. It is also significant that among them were nearly 400 entries from overseas counties. This could be proof that the Art Division must be attracting interest not only from Japan …

[Critique by work category] Interactive art

When I encounter interactive arts, I always have something to think of. What appeal does the artist wish to make? Their appeal is not necessarily philosophical thoughts. It can be seeking amusement or pushing humor to the limit. Or it can be something that expresses the wonder of science in the background as if it is magic. I wish to find the artist's message there. Regarding the entries to this …

[Critique by work category] Installation, Others

All the entries to this year's Installation Genre were characterized by the great effort that had gone into them. The works are mainly related to visual images, but Oups! is a very amusing interactive exhibit that elicits audience participation. There are also sophisticated exhibits containing the essence of advanced technology such as a kinetic installation for the BMW Museum in Munich, in which …

[Critique by work category] Visual Image

Visual Images is a presentation in which the length of time of a work has become one of the essential aspects. Viewers are forced to stay for a certain length of time in front of a screen on which a work is projected. The viewers will feel happy if their experience is varied and meaningful. In the Visual Image Genre this year, I have the impression that many works attempted to pursue an original …

[Critique by work category] Still Image

In general, the Still Image works contained a diverse array of presentations and directions, and in this respect, they were impressive. However, apart from OUTSIDE, I did not encounter a work satirizing modern society, or carrying a strong social message. In that respect, it is no exaggeration to say that for me personally, OUTSIDE was the only piece of work that could be described as excellent. …

[Critique by work category] Web

We could find hardly any impressive works among this year's entries to the Web Genre, and consequently, no web work received an Excellence Prize. One obvious constraint of this genre is that viewers have to see works in an Internet environment, plus the nature of this medium requires them to be viewed on a display. In comparison with other genres, it is therefore difficult to fully stimulate the …