PRESS RELEASE

2020.12.23

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History andCulture are carrying out this exhibition as part of the Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL.

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyorhizomatiks_multiplex
20 March – 20 June 2021
The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo is pleased to announce a solo exhibition for Rhizomatiks on theoccasion of its 15th anniversary in 2021.
Since their inception, Rhizomatiks have constantly explored the relationship between humans andtechnology. In addition to collaborating with internationally renowned artists such as Björk, Squarepusher,
Perfume, kyogen theater master Mansai Nomura, and various researchers, the group has pursued new
possibilities associated with technology and artistic expression through a diverse range of approaches tovisualization and speculative projects, receiving international acclaim for their innovative articulations oftime and space. This is Rhizomatiks’ first large-scale solo exhibition at a museum, showcasing a multiplexof their ingenious experiments that seek out a sense of synchronicity with a constantly changing world
through a hybrid, offline/online exhibition of new works and archival materials.
Rhizomatiks’ artistic practice transcends the realm of so-called “media art”: it has the power to influencesociety as well as businesses such as architecture, design, advertising, and entertainment, through researchand development elements such as the visual design of data, for example. They are a full-stack collective
whose team works cohesively on ideas, from hardware and software development to operations, andincludes artists, programmers, and researchers among its members.
In today’s mercurial, complex, and ambiguous world, our bodies oscillate between the virtual and the real.
We are constantly looking for real-life points of contact that might help us to figure out how to grasp andunderstand what cannot be seen in our mass information society. Rhizomatiks have approached thesesituations from a variety of angles. Their collaborations with a diverse range of international performers,
for instance, have created new visions of the body fused with technology, while their “research”
collaborations with scientists and researchers, including neuroscientists and astronomers, have enabled
what is invisible to come within our reach through the visualization of data.
As their first large-scale solo exhibition at a museum, this exhibition offers an overview of the interdisciplinary creations that Rhizomatiks have been developing, in addition to showcasing a variety of their
new projects that exist in a state of critical synchronization with the “present.” Against the backdrop of adigital, networked society, this exhibition presents the possibilities of a new kind of humanity and theunique appeal associated with Rhizomatiks’ pursuit of hitherto unexplored visual horizons. A post-COVID19 society demands that the world shift online, and new possibilities surrounding human communication
are being explored. Rhizomatiks, which has been implementing numerous projects and technological
proposals against this chaotic backdrop, will attempt to demonstrate the “new role of the artist” in theever-shifting world of spring 2021.
Contact

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Public Relations Mihoko Nakajima / Chiako Kudo E-MAIL: mot-pr@mot-art.jp
TEL: +81-3-5245-1134
URL: https://www.mot-art-museum.jp/en* All Programs are subject to change.

1Highlights
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Data visualizations

Understanding, translating, and sharing the events that occur in a contemporary society riddled is an important roleof art. On display are installations that visualize invisible network phenomena, based on the theme of emotions and
data.

２

Physical performances, and the creation of a hitherto unknown body

Physical performances generated by exemplary visual design and programming, through collaborations with artists
like ELEVENPLAY and Perfume, are transformed into a medium that connects the audience with movement and space,
thereby bringing a hitherto unknown version of the body into being.

３

Systems for social distancing

Showcased are social platforms such as “Staying TOKYO,” which Rhizomatiks have been working on since before thestate of emergency was declared, and “Social Distancing Communication Platform,” which fosters a renewed
consciousness of one’s sense of sound and distance, similar to that in a real space.

４

Installations where hardware, the image, and interaction coexist symbiotically

Rhizomatiks will construct hybrid installations that shuttle between the virtual and the real, which would not be
possible if they had existed purely online or offline. These installations include new spatial works that deploy hardware
controls, programs, and robots.

５

Critical proposals for our contemporary age, including new works and archival materials

Rhizomatiks will attempt to make a number of critical proposals, including sections that focus on the process ofmaking their work and archival materials, the problem of personal data being collected through social media, aninvestigation of the idea of “admission sites/commons” derived from the notion of the border, and interactive andparticipatory works that deploy machine learning.

Information
Exhibition Period

Sat·National Holiday 20 March – Sun. 20 June 2021

ClosedMondays (except 3 May), 6 May

Opening Hours

10:00 – 18:00 (Tickets available until 30 minutes before closing.)

Admission

Adults－1,500yen / University & College Students, Over 65－900yen / High School &Junior High School Students－500yen / Elementary School Students & Younger－Free

Venue

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo Exhibition Gallery B2F

Organized by

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for
History and Culture

Supported by

The Agency for Cultural Affairs Government of Japan in the fiscal 2020

Sponsored byBloomberg L.P.

In Cooperation With

Rhizomatiks co.,ltd. etc.

Curated by

Yuko Hasegawa

Exhibition Staff

Tomoe Moriyama (Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)

Concurrent Exhibitions“Mark Manders”, “MOT Collection: Rewinding the Collection”“Tokyo Contemporary Art Award 2019-2021 Exhibition”
Contact

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Public Relations Mihoko Nakajima / Chiako Kudo E-MAIL: mot-pr@mot-art.jp
TEL: +81-3-5245-1134
URL: https://www.mot-art-museum.jp/en* All Programs are subject to change.

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PRESS IMAGES*Reference Image

1 Daito Manabe + Yusuke Tomoto + 2bit, chains, 2016
Exhibition view: "GLOBALE: New Sensorium - Exiting from Failures of Modernization"
Courtesy of ZKM | Karlsruhe
Photo by Tobias Wootton and Jonas Zilius

Installation that involved developing a software that trades Bitcoin automatically, visualizing these trades and making themaudible.

2 Ryuichi Sakamoto + Daito Manabe,Sensing Streams - invisible, inaudible, 2014
Installation view at Sapporo International Art Festival 2014
Photo: Keizo Kioku
Courtesy of Sapporo International Art Festival Executive Committee

Daito Manabe’s ﬁrst collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto,which makes electromagnetic waves at the wavelength
stipulated by the audience both visible and audible.

Contact

3 Mansai Nomura×Daito Manabe, FORM, 2-3 Jan. 2017
Tokyo International Forum
Photo by Hiroyuki Takahashi / NEP

A take on a traditional sanbaso dance performance bykyogen actor Nomura Mansai and Daito Manabe. Data on
Nomura Mansai’ s movements is collected using 3D scanning,
motion capture, and machine learning technologies, andthis high-dimensional data is converted into 2D and 3D
low-dimensional images in real time.

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Public Relations Mihoko Nakajima / Chiako Kudo E-MAIL: mot-pr@mot-art.jp
TEL: +81-3-5245-1134
URL: https://www.mot-art-museum.jp/en* All Programs are subject to change.

34 Daito Manabe + Motoi Ishibashi, particles, 2011
Courtesy of Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media[YCAM]
Photo: Ryuichi Maruo (YCAM)

An installation that uses the positional informationof a ball running through a structure to create athree-dimensional image in mid-air with ﬂashing
LEDs. Winner of the 2011 Prix Ars Electronica
Award of Distinction.

5 Perfume, Reframe 2019, 2019
Photo: Yosuke Kamiyama

A conceptual live performance that analyzed data
pertaining to the images, sound, choreography,
and lyrics produced for Perfume and reconﬁgured
it from a new perspective. This work was screenedin theaters as a ﬁlm in 2020.

6 Rhizomatiks Research × ELEVENPLAY × Kyle McDonald,discrete figures Special Edition, 6 Oct. 2019
Sapporo Cultural Art Theater hitaru
produced by Sapporo Cultural Art Theater hitaru, Rhizomatiks©kenzo kosuge

This collaboration with ELEVENPLAY and Kyle McDonald was
an avant-garde dance performance that reinterprets the
body and its movements through AI and machine learning.
Contact

7 Rhizomatiks Research × ELEVENPLAY, border, 2015
photo by Muryo Homma

An experiential dance work that uses mixed reality (MR)and mobility technology to transition seamlessly between
real-time dancers and dancers made up of virtual data, sothat the viewer becomes unable to recognize the boundary
between real and virtual.

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Public Relations Mihoko Nakajima / Chiako Kudo E-MAIL: mot-pr@mot-art.jp
TEL: +81-3-5245-1134
URL: https://www.mot-art-museum.jp/en* All Programs are subject to change.

48 "Fencing Visualized Project", 2013H.I.H. Prince Takamado Trophy JAL Presents Fencing World
Cup 2019

This collaborative project with Yuki Ota (then competitive
fencer and present chairman of the Japan Fencing
Federation) and Dentsu Lab Tokyo sought to visualize
the trajectory traced by the tips of fencing swords using
augmented reality and machine learning technology
developed by Rhizomatiks.

9 Squarepusher, Terminal Slam, 2020

Music video directed by Daito Manabe, based on the concept of eliminating advertising from the streets using imaginary
MR (mixed reality) glasses. 2020 Prix Ars Electronica Honorary Mention.

10 Rhizomatiks “Staying TOKYO” , 2020
Online event by Rhizomatiks

Prototype screenshot for “Social Distancing Communication
Platform.” A proof-of-concept experiment in which a web
platform for online communication was developed andimplemented with an invited audience.
Contact

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Public Relations Mihoko Nakajima / Chiako Kudo E-MAIL: mot-pr@mot-art.jp
TEL: +81-3-5245-1134
URL: https://www.mot-art-museum.jp/en* All Programs are subject to change.

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11 Daito Manabe + Kamitani Lab, dissonant imaginary, 2019
Performance view at MUTEK.JP 2019

A performance and installation work that uses brain decoding
technology developed by the Yukiyasu Kamitani Lab at Kyoto
University/ATR to predict the images that come to your mind
when you listen to a piece of music, and convert them into avideo.

12 Rhizomatiks, Oscillation, 2016
Photo by Muryo Homma

13 Rhizomatiks “2045 × LIFE PAINT Supported by VOLVO CAR JAPAN” ,2016 Photo by Muryo Homma

Using ball screws and string from NSK Ltd., Rhizomatiks
created a visual representation in real space that is usually
done in 3DCG images.

Organized by Daito Manabe and Qosmo’ s Nao Tokui, theevent “2045” contemplates the future of music and technology
through practice, with a live installation using “Life Paint.”

14 Rhizomatiks “Lucid Motion by Daito Manabe
× Rhizomatiks Research” , 2019

An installation presented at the “Lucid
Motion” exhibition held in Washington
D.C. that captures the act of physical,
bodily expression from multiple angles.
Contact

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Public Relations Mihoko Nakajima / Chiako Kudo E-MAIL: mot-pr@mot-art.jp
TEL: +81-3-5245-1134
URL: https://www.mot-art-museum.jp/en* All Programs are subject to change.

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rhizomatiks_multiplex

IMAGE REQUEST FORM

FAX. +81-3-5245-1141

We have prepared 12 PR images for members of the press for the purpose of creating or supporting timely news stories related to theexhibition. Use of the press images for any other purpose requires the additional prior permission of the museum and may also require
the additional prior permission of third-party rights holders. Obtaining these permissions is the sole responsibility of the press user.
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Press images must be reproduced in their entirety, and must include any available identifying information provided by the museum,
including proprietary collection information, credit lines, copyright, and trademark notices. Images may not be cropped, detailed,overprinted, or altered.
The images can be obtained upon request using the following image request form. Please provide the following information via e-mail or
fax (+81-3-5245-1141). With regards to the usage of these images in your publication, we would like to make the following requests:* We would much appreciate it if we could be provided with a copy of respective article texts for us to check for errors before the ﬁnal print.
* We kindly ask for a copy of the respective magazine, newspaper, DVD, video ﬁle, website link etc. for us to keep in our press archives.

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1

Daito Manabe + Yusuke Tomoto + 2bit, chains, 2016
Exhibition view: "GLOBALE: New Sensorium - Exiting from Failures of Modernization"
Courtesy of ZKM | Karlsruhe Photo by Tobias Wootton and Jonas Zilius [Reference Image]2

Ryuichi Sakamoto + Daito Manabe, Sensing Streams - invisible, inaudible, 2014
Installation view at Sapporo International Art Festival 2014 Photo: Keizo Kioku
Courtesy of Sapporo International Art Festival Executive Committee [Reference Image]3

Mansai Nomura×Daito Manabe, FORM, 2-3 Jan. 2017
Tokyo International Forum Photo by Hiroyuki Takahashi / NEP[Reference Image]

4 Daito Manabe + Motoi Ishibashi, particles, 2011
Courtesy of Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM]
Photo: Ryuichi Maruo (YCAM) [Reference Image]
5

Perfume, Reframe 2019, 2019

Photo: Yosuke Kamiyama[Reference Image]

6 Rhizomatiks Research × ELEVENPLAY × Kyle McDonald, discrete figures Special Edition, 6 Oct. 2019
Sapporo Cultural Art Theater hitaru
produced by Sapporo Cultural Art Theater hitaru, Rhizomatiks©kenzo kosuge [Reference Image]
7

Rhizomatiks Research × ELEVENPLAY, border, 2015

photo by Muryo Homma

8 "Fencing Visualized Project", 2013H.I.H. Prince Takamado Trophy JAL Presents Fencing World Cup 2019
9

Squarepusher, Terminal Slam, 2020

[Reference Image][Reference Image][Reference Image]

10 Rhizomatiks “Staying TOKYO” , 2020
Online event by Rhizomatiks [Reference Image]
11 Daito Manabe + Kamitani Lab, dissonant imaginary, 2019
Performance view at MUTEK.JP 2019 [Reference Image]
12 Rhizomatiks, Oscillation, 2016

Photo by Muryo Homma[Reference Image]

13 Rhizomatiks “2045 × LIFE PAINT Supported by VOLVO CAR JAPAN”, 2016
Photo by Muryo Homma [Reference Image]
14 Rhizomatiks “Lucid Motion by Daito Manabe × Rhizomatiks Research” , 2019

Contact[Reference Image]Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Public Relations Mihoko Nakajima / Chiako Kudo E-MAIL: mot-pr@mot-art.jp
TEL: +81-3-5245-1134
URL: https://www.mot-art-museum.jp/en* All Programs are subject to change.

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