Practical research on "Creating a Museum of the Sea"

The general incorporated association 3710Lab (Minato Lab) collaborated with the Department of Integrated Design at Tama Art University to conduct a joint research project themed "Creating a Museum of the Sea."

This project involved undergraduate students from the Integrated Design program at Tama Art University, who conducted their own research, repeatedly prototyped and practiced their work, and explored new ways of exhibition.

The goal of "MOON, the Museum Connecting the Sea" is to help people enjoy the sea, feel their connection to it, and nurture that relationship. To achieve this, we believe it's important not only to "view" the exhibits, but also to actively move, experience, and practice. In this regard, we explored what is possible through the approach of "design."

The research was led by Professor Tsuneo Nagasaki, Associate Professor Shunichi Suga, and Lecturer Yu Aramaki. As a result, the following four works were produced.

Nagasaki Project 《touch》

The complex yet regular "correspondence" between the sea and people is visualized and made experiential through a uniquely developed sensor light. The making of the work is described as follows:inside “touch”"twist.

Suga Project "Blue Waves"

This interactive artwork creates wave-like movements by having multiple people lift and fan a blue tarp, allowing people to become "the waves themselves." The process for creating the artwork is as follows:Shunichi Suga Laboratory's exploration of the ocean: Blue Waves and Surface"twist.

Suga Project 《Surface》

This artwork was born from the idea of "holding the ocean in your hands." By projecting images onto the palm of your hand using a laser projector, it creates a physical and personal encounter with the ocean that differs from viewing it on a screen.

Aramaki Project "Kite, Line, Sea"

As a way to experience the ocean, I conceived of a kite catching the wind and the horizon. By flying a kite, one can feel the strength and direction of the wind from the mountains and the sea.

These exhibits are not merely for viewing as works of art. They are designed to be put into practice in various places, such as schools, communities, and beaches. The aim is for those who experience them to become practitioners themselves, and to take that experience back to other places, thereby expanding new ways of connecting with the sea.

The greatest achievement of this collaborative research is not just the completion of the exhibition. It is that the students involved in its creation have come to see the ocean not as something distant, but as something relevant to their own lives. The process of creating the exhibition itself changed each student's relationship with the ocean and provided an opportunity to transform learning from knowledge to practice.

MOON is not just a museum for viewing completed exhibits, but also a place for people to create new relationships with the sea and generate their own practices. This collaborative research project was the first practical application in exploring that possibility.