Major Waves Initiated by Media Integration & Communications
Research: Returning to the Origin of Human Sensitivity
SHABARA Kohei
Invited Professor Center for Collaborative Research The University of Tokyo
On December 6, 2000, at a wrap-up conference held to mark the completion of ATR
Human Information Processing Research Laboratories, Professor HARASHIMA Hiroshi
of the "Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies," a newly formed organization
at the University of Tokyo, gave a fascinating keynote speech entitled "The 20th,
21st, and 22nd Centuries." A direct Japanese to English translation of the name
of this new organization is "RING Integrating Information Disciplines." During
his speech, Professor HARASHIMA presented the following metaphor as a simple introduction
to the concepts behind creating the organization targeting effective information
studies.
" The 'T (Technology)' symbol displayed in the Engineering department is a combination
of a vertical bar representing a specialty that is deeply ingrained in the individual,
and a horizontal bar that spreads broadly to both sides. But there is a limit
to how long the horizontal bar of this single 'T' can extend. If we were to integrate
many 'Ts' from slightly differing fields by connecting their horizontal bars in
a line, then in addition to the number of ingrained specialties, we could expand
the horizon as well."
After the professor's speech, I couldn't help but say my piece, commenting "I
understood your metaphor very well, but I think people's imagination about the
interfaculty initiative in 'Information Studies,' or RING, could be expressed
even better by taking it a step further and extending the horizontal line and
attaching it at both ends to form a circle." My comment was based on the fact
that ATR has already connected two fields at opposing ends, that is, "technology"
and "art," which common sense would suggest are extremely different. This very
approach has been the groundwork of ATR Media Integration & Communications Research
Laboratories (ATR-MIC) under the concept of "Art and Technology."
Around the time that ATR-MIC was first being established, I, as the Executive
Vice President of Research for all ATR Groups, became involved in a variety of
vigorous debates with the present ATR-MIC President, Dr. NAKATSU, who at the time
was working energetically in preparing MIC's activities. It was during this process
that President NAKATSU strongly expressed his desire "to have artists participate."
I was entirely fascinated with the idea of "blending Art and Technology," and
I recall clearly that I agreed with this proposal immediately. I presented my
thoughts at that time in an essay I wrote for the tenth anniversary commemorative
issue of the ATR Journal (in Japanese); namely, that if artists and engineers
were to combine their respective specialties, the result would be new and easy-to-use
systems for human beings, which would in turn lead to the creation of a new form
of culture. Thanks to President NAKATSU's efforts, we were able to welcome several
outstanding artists to ATR. I don't believe that I had ever before seen a case
like this even on an international scale ﾑ especially one where artists participated
fully in the activities of a research laboratory devoted to communications. Nevertheless,
once the artists and engineers began working in this research project (ATR-MIC),
they were able to overcome the many unprecedented difficulties and obstacles that
presented themselves during the course of research activities. As a result, ATR
today is creating products one after another characterized by an entirely new
approach.
ATR Media Integration & Communications Research Laboratories has inherited numerous
legacies of its forerunner, ATR Communication Systems Research Laboratories, including
virtual reality technologies. Unfortunately, exhaustive pursuits into virtual
reality technologies are filled with risks; more specifically, taken to the extreme,
it might be impossible to distinguish between a virtual world and the real world,
resulting in turmoil for the human brain. I communicated my thoughts to President
NAKATSU as follows:
"I suppose there is value in pursuing a given technology to its extremes, but
we must be very careful when it comes to practical applications. It might also
be advisable for us to take on the 'reverse' approach of super-realism; that is,
to anchor our work in technological development that appeals to human beings'
surrealistic emotions. Caricatures and other forms of exaggerated artwork can
surely offer us important hints in this area."
I consider "Interactive Art" effectively presented in a virtual space as just
one specific example of these types of developments.
I believe that the activities of ATR-MIC, which have continued to take on new
challenges such as those described above, have expanded into a world that has
far surpassed that of traditional communications and academics. This could be
called something having the nuance of the "Renaissance," in that we have in a
sense returned to our originsｾthat is, we have recovered a degree of humanity
or human sensitivity nurtured throughout the history of mankind as a part of nature,
but perhaps had lost sight of during the latter half of the 20th century, a period
characterized by technological and economic development concerned only with efficiency.
Of course, we must be very careful not to go to extremes and become so full of
ourselves that we fall into the trap of human supremacy. We might look at some
of the drawings on the walls of ancient tombs for unexpectedly rich examples of
modest human sensitivity conforming to nature made visible.
If Professor HARASHIMA will forgive me for paraphrasing the title of his speech,
I believe ATR Media Integration & Communications Research Laboratories is making
the first waves in innovative research today, albeit small, by returning to a
key starting point, the origin mentioned above, on a much longer time scale ｾ
the transitions taking place through the "First Millennium, Second Millennium,
and onto the Third Millennium." On this occasion of the completion of the ATR-MIC
project, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest respect for
the researchers who have continued to take on this bold challenge, and to all
the related institutions and individuals who have provided invaluable support
for the activities at ATR ATR-MIC. I am confident that this research project will
be recognized as a foundation for some of the major changes occurring today.
