OUTLINE
We designed and planned an education program that integrates art into the exploration of new value creation, updating and carrying forward the traditions of clothing, food, and housing (衣食住) nurtured in Kyoto for over 1,200 years. Eikoh Tanaka participated as a lecturer.
At the outset, students attended lectures on craft, art, and engineering, while also engaging in fieldwork with artisans and studios who continue Kyoto’s rich traditions today. In the middle phase of the program, participants formed teams, developed their own ideas into tangible proposals, and presented them at a selection session.
The program culminates with the selected teams presenting their work in an exhibition in New York, extending the journey from Kyoto-based input to an international output.
By condensing this process into an intensive short-term format, the program significantly expands the potential of pioneering and unconventional talent in the fields of science and art, offering a rare opportunity to bridge tradition and innovation across cultures.
Kyoto University’s official website https://www.saci.kyoto-u.ac.jp/event/place/other/13478.html
CREDIT
Program Design & Lecturers:
Masatoshi Honda (Associate Professor, Kyoto University Office of Society–Academia Collaboration for Innovation),
Eikoh Tanaka (Artist / CEO, Qe to Hare Inc.)
Program Management:
Yukiko Nakahara (Researcher, Kyoto University Office of Society–Academia Collaboration for Innovation)
Collaborators:
Rei Kunimoto (Contemporary Artist),
Yuzu Saijo (Software Engineer, Google Japan),
Kentaro Totsuka (Director, NowHere New York),
Emma Fukushima (UX & Product Designer),
Yoshitaka Yazu (Artist / Director, kumagusuku),
Yuta Bunbu (Project Manager),
Shinji Kuno (CEO, Showyou Co., Ltd.),
Sam Van Aken (Associate Professor, Syracuse University),
and others.
Dialog: Masatoshi Honda × Eikoh Tanaka
