Proceedings of 2nd International Symposium for Color Science and Art 2020

International collaborative research and art production on TOKYO
2020 theme colors “Crimson”, “Indigo”, and “Kasane no Irome”
KEI SUYAMATokyo Polytechnic Univ., 2-9-5 Honcho, Nakano, Tokyo, 164-8678, Japan
A groupof faculty members

time, we will participate in the 160th Japan andfrom Tokyo

Portugal's diplomacy anniversary events sponsored

Polytechnic University (TPU), Coimbra University

by the Embassy of Japan in Portugal to contribute to(Coimbra), and IADE, Creative University, are doing

the exchange between the two countries.

collaborative research and art production on TOKYO
2020 Olympic Games theme colors “Crimson”,

First attempt“Indigo”, and “Kasane no Irome.” Producted works

In December 2019, Yukio Yamanaka, TPU faculty,will be presented at art exhibition events both ingave a lecture at the Faculty of Engineering ofJapan and Portugal as part of 160th Japan andPortugal's

diplomacy

anniversary

Coimbra University. The title was “TOKYO 2020 andactivities

Kasane no Irome”. There, he explained about

supported by Embassy of Japan in Portugal.

cultural significance of “Crimson” and “Indigo”. It

Their joint work goes back to 2007, and many ofshowed the reason why they have selected thesethe faculty members, undergraduate students, andtheme colors for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. In

graduate students from these three schools haveaddition, Yamanaka introduced the core graphic,

participated in the activities and produced art works.

“Kasane no Irome” and explained “the sense of

Based on such achievements, the current TPUJapan”

faculty members are again working with Coimbra

producedby“color”.

Inthelecture,

Yamanaka talked about “24 seasons” in Japaneseand IADE partners on research and production plans

calendar and way of grasping detailed sense ofon the theme of “color”.

seasonal changes. A sense of color was linked to

TPU members first did historical study ofthis sense of seasons, creating a culture of using

traditional Japanese color, “Kasane no Irome”,

various color combinations and names. Kasane's

which is the theme color. Based on the finding fromcolor scheme became a method of expressing thethis study, they have given lectures and workshops

meaning of status, celebration, contraindications byat Coimbra and IADE, and now they are examining

overlapping multiple colors. The TOKYO 2020the differences in color expression among different

Olympic Games theme colors “Crimson” andcultural groups with Coimbra and IADE members.

“Indigo” and Core Graphic, “Kasane no Irome” have

They use various methods of media art, such as

been selected as symbols that represent this uniqueanimation and interactive art for the productions.

way of capturing colors in Japan.

One of the planned outcomes of this collaborative

An animation production workshop was held theproject is to disseminate the result media art works

next day presented by Yukio Yamanaka, Keiof faculty members and their students in both Japan

Suyama, and Masamichi Okubo. In this workshop,and Portugal and show them internationally. Schoolparticipants created short animations using thefacilities and outside galleries in Japan and Portugal

time-lapse technique by combining pieces of colored

will be used for the art exhibitions and presentations

paper and line drawings, and they gained the newof research findings. We also plan to hold lectures

understandings on animation production. As a result

and workshops based on this research. At the same43

Proceedings of 2nd International Symposium for Color Science and Art 2020of this workshop, a 12 of short video clips werementioned in the plans.

completed by 12 participating students, and the clips
were edited into one video production. The
completed animation work was shown on a screen
at the end of the workshop.
Second attempt
We have planned the next workshop based on thefirst lecture and workshop. Lecture "Media asColors" in February 2020. Testu Kondo, another
TPU faculty, shares creative ideas and perspectives
as he shows his personal art productions andFig.1 ”CRIMSON,INDIGO and color chart

various types of projects with media technologies.

/TOKYO2020 official web site"

After the lecture, a workshop “Creative art andhttps://tokyo2020.org/jp/news/notice/20180817-02.html

media workshop” will be held. The purpose of thisworkshop is to let students with various backgrounds
collaborate and create art works with strong
concepts. Discussion and concept building will be
the most important rolls for this workshop. They pickup any media to express their ideas based on
concepts of “Color”. Workhop proceeds through thesteps of Brain Storming, Concept and philosophy
building, and Technical Approach. In this production,we plan to use the animation video produced in thefirst workshop. The goal of the outcome is Exploring

Fig.2 Photograph of one of workshop on
international collaborative research

our artistic idea and aesthetic of "Color" withtechnology.
These two types of lectures and workshops arealso given to students and graduate students ofTokyo Polytechnic University, and finally summarize
theproductsofboth

universities,

Exhibition

opportunity in 2021 at Collabo gallery in Japan.
What is “color”?
Students,graduate

students,andfaculty

members from both Japan and Portugal will beasked to consider “What is ‘color’ for me?” andexpress it in various media art forms using theTOKYO 2020 theme colors “Crimson”, “Indigo” andFig.3 Photograph of one of lecture on
international collaborative research“Kasane no Irome”. The works will be shown at
exhibitions in both Japan and Portugal as we have44