Interview with Creative Directors (Part II).
A Story Told Through Music and Words Sparked by the Two Questions.
Listen to What the Storyteller Has to Say.
A Conceptual Blueprint for the Tokyo Stage Shaped by Sharp Minds in Resonance
Connected Ink 2022 connects five cities around the globe. Two creative directors, Takashi Itagaki and Hajime Fukuda, are in charge of its realization in Tokyo. This year’s journey starts from the basis of two questions put forward by Nobu Ide, CEO of Wacom and host of the event: “Have Humans really evolved since their origins?” and “How do Wacom's technology and tools contribute to human creativity?” The three of these figures each have a role to play, in which they make full use of their creative strengths. Of all of the possible combinations of people, they were selected to team up – that’s a kind of miracle, as they say in unison. Because they all ask themselves the same fundamental question, i.e. “What shall I accomplish as someone fortunate enough to be given a life on this Earth?” In other words, they all wonder about the meaning of their existence beyond work or social norms. How will they going shape the world of Connected Ink 2022? Part II of the interview focuses on the inspiring thoughts of Mr. Fukuda as a creative director for music, stage performance, and direction in general.
Maximizing the Power of Engagement at Connected Ink
Mr. Fukuda is a composer and pianist based in Germany and Japan. He is also active as a sonic environment designer, specializing in spatial production, who makes full use of sound for musical experiences accessible only to those who are actually present in the space. His roles lies in interpreting Mr. Itagaki’s words and turning them into creative works of music and stage performance. What Mr. Fukuda is creating is “a story composed of music and words,” as Mr. Itagaki puts it. And this story provides the backbone for Connected Ink 2022 as a whole. Here are Mr. Fukuda’s words on his creation.
“I see my role as maximizing engagement power at Connected Ink 2022. I love to push the audience, guest speakers, and performers taking part in Connected Ink 2022, turning up the voltage as high as possible. It is my wish to amplify the vibes generated by all the thoughts and emotions in our special space as far as I can.
After receiving messages passed on to me by Mr. Itagaki in words, it is my job to think: “How can we best express their essence?” The means of expressions are boundless. Music, an area in which I excel, is one of them, of course. They also include staging contemporary dance or distributing newspapers – to name but a few.
Mr Itagaki is here to polish our messages, I am here to stage them and Nobu is all about their delivery. Each one of us has his own specialist field. Things move forward more quickly when you have clearly defined roles in which each person sticks to their own task. But I go against such conventional wisdom by asking questions and expressing opinions on the others’ specialisms. When you make mistakes, you may offend others. But this process is indispensable to enhance the resolution of our thoughts. The messages created by Mr. Itagaki and Nobu are already quite sophisticated. Nevertheless, I did not stop asking questions on their thoughts and philosophy. In doing so, I was able to internalize the image of what we are trying to achieve at Connected Ink 2022. Our team members speak the same language in high resolution to accurately express the world they have in mind and share it with others. You may almost call this “love.” We have such a crystal-clear relationship that allows us a free exchange of opinions based on mutual trust. That’s definitely something I hope to keep up till the end.
When asked about the relationship between the three team members. Mr. Itagaki explains that it “feels as though our brains are wired up together.” Things I am unable to visualize in my brain are visible to the others in their heads. The information processed in the brain of one member is passed on to the others’ brains for further analysis. Your cognitive world expands through the meeting of three brains resonating with each other – it’s truly thrilling.
A Story Born From The Resonance Between “Talents who Dare to be Different”
What do these three people have in common? They all question the status quo and embrace new ideas, free from preconceptions. They stay true to their beliefs, bravely walk their lonely path – essentially each on their own, yet each with a spirit of collaboration. What they have in common is that they are all “talents who dare to be different,” as it were. They have discovered what really matters to them after experiencing a feeling of uneasiness in conforming to other people and society. The three individuals who make up the Connected Ink team share precisely this background. They are shaping the event, step by step, by each contributing their own ideas, while respecting the specialisms of the other two. Their mutual trust allows them a carefree exchange of opinions without worrying about invading each other’s territories. Which story will their teamwork result in? We can hardly wait until November when their story is finally unveiled! (Click here for Part I).
editor / text _ Chikara Kawakami