Daito Manabe on Seamless Mixed Reality and the Future of Virtual and Real

Japanese artist Daito Manabe discusses his multidisciplinary practice blending art, design, music, and programming, and his latest music video for Kazu Makino's solo track 'Come Behind Me, So Good!' produced by Ponderosa Music Records. Manabe founded Rhizomatiks Research in 2006, which later split into Architecture, Design, and Research divisions. The video heavily utilizes photogrammetry, a technique Manabe began exploring in 2012 for scanning dancers' bodies. For this project, the team used a FARO laser scanner and drones with GPS and Litchi app to capture 3D data of the Nusuttogari cliff in Kanagawa Prefecture and Awamata no taki waterfall in Chiba Prefecture. The choreography by Mikiko, performed by dance company Elevenplay, involved nine dancers scanned with a 32-camera 4D system to create dynamic sequences. Manabe describes the concept as 'Seamless Mixed Reality,' aiming for fluid transitions between real and virtual worlds. He emphasizes a hacker attitude, building custom hardware with engineer Motoi Ishibashi and developing unique software. Manabe views technology not just as a tool but as a source of inspiration and infrastructure for social consensus, and is currently exploring musical expression using cell culture in a university lab.