Meet the students of SFPC Summer 2019 in Yamaguchi

Published in

Sfpc

8 min readAug 30, 2019

The School for Poetic Computation, a school in New York that teaches creative technology, pedagogy, and theory, is partnering with Yamaguchi Center for Art and Media (YCAM) for an intensive workshop in Summer 2019.

Technology as a gift

Can we approach technology as a gift? For SFPC Summer 2019 in Yamaguchi, we are approaching technology and specifically computation as an expression of gratitude and care for each other. Technology doesn’t have to be made by corporations. However, it’s rare to find technology made for a friend as a form of gift. Through hands-on coding, hacking, playing, poetry writing, students will make gifts for each other. Students will learn about the philosophy and practice of poetic computation, a set of tools to continue their creative practice and teach others after the one week program.

Program information

Here are the students who are accepted through an open call.

Chara Wang (Miyabi)

Chara is graduated from China Academy of Art in 2017. She has been working for the OF COURSE in Shanghai. And she is a Graphic designer in Osaka. She like infographic and 3D motion graphics. Also want to draw the theme comics to introduce creative coding, Member of Brebo — The digital art unit in Osaka. Stay Interactive,Generative, Untapped and keep Dynamic. https://www.manamana.net/video/detail?id=4930

Fabian Frei

Born in 1986 in St. Gallen, CH Designer, developer and artist, uses processes and methodologies from interface- and interaction-design to expose the contradictions of our contemporary capitalistic world. Enrolled in the Interface Cultures master program at the Kunstuni in Linz/Austria, currently in Tokyo as part of an exchange.

Hind Al Saad

I’m a graphic designer, form maker, and creative coder based in Doha. I create emergent graphical forms, both physical and digital, using procedural systems. My work explores the tension between recursive and sequential processes, between the modularity and complexity of things, and the endless ways finite rules can come together to create infinite results. It prompts reflections on the instinctual human interaction with environments, such as outer space, and is inspired by the boundless nature of our world and human curiosity. https://hindgalsaad.com

Juppo Yokokawa

Juppo is in the 2nd year of a Master’s degree in Graduate School of Design, Kyushu University. My research interests include media art, especially bio-art, kinetic art, and video art. Recent research theme is “a visual expression without pixels”. https://juppotamus.com/

Juri Fujii

Juri Fujii is an interaction designer and researcher based in Tokyo, Japan. She is producing and researching interaction design and media art inspired by materials and natural phenomena. https://jurianne.github.io/

Karnpapon Boonput (Jim)

Born in Buriram, Thailand. After graduated from Communication Design at Bangkok University, he’s fascinated by Electronic music, had him begun to explore new possibilities between design, programming and music. he currently working as freelance graphic designer and frontend developer. https://www.karnpapon.me

Kiwako Sakamoto

Kiwako is a technologist/researcher. Previously she worked at the World Bank to pioneer data science for international development, which involved collecting and analyzing data from non-traditional sources for research, city planning, and policy making. While this was her childhood dream job, she always wondered if she would like the process of birthing her own art. Since then, she has worked with artists and filmmakers to learn what the creation process is like. Her current research interests include algorithmic fairness and human interpretability of AI, and she cannot wait to explore these concepts and challenges from interdisciplinary perspectives at SFPC. https://catcomputer.club/

Koji Hirohata

Koji is a technology based planner working in a creative agency, was born in Japan and grew up in the US in his childhood. His has a background in Mechanical Engineering and KANSEI Design, which aims to incorporate the positive emotional responses of users into the design of products. Mainly working with tech startups, he focuses on developing the method to communicate and install cutting edge technologies to the society. Loves DIY, manga and collecting cute handkerchiefs.

Marika Kiya

I’m an App engineer and designer. I’m interested in the moment of understanding, developmental disorder, and art.
https://ma286.tumblr.com

Masaya Ishikawa

石川将也 Born in 1980. After gaining experience at the Keio University Masahiko Sato Lab,he joined the creative group EUPHRATES in 2006. He has worked on TV programs such as PythagoraSwitch,2355,and 0655 on NHK Educational TV. One of his latest works is “Layers Act”,an animation for exhibition “AUDIO ARCHITECTURE”at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT(2018,collaboration with Shun Abe).

Mel Huang

Mel Huang is an interactive designer, creative coder and educator based in Melbourne, Australia. She has helped various cultural institutions such as MONA, National Gallery of Victoria, Science Gallery Melbourne and Art Gallery of NSW and is currently working at Art Processors.

She is intensely passionate about building communities around the creative side of technology and is the founder of Technecolour, providing technical education for creative practitioners. She is also a sessional lecturer of Creative Coding at RMIT University, a Code Like a Girl ambassador and a proud Processing Community Day Aus/NZ organiser. http://melaniehuang.com

Nariaki Iwatani

I’m a co-founder of Anno Lab. Inc., a starting member of openFrameworks-Fukuoka, and also an undokai engineer. I had worked as a game programmer before. I like to develop not only interactive content but also tools for cross-genre creators’ collaboration. And I like cats. https://annolab.com/member/nariakiiwatani/

Natsumi Wada

Born in 1993. Her first language is sign language and she is attracted to the possibility of expressing by hand at the time of going to university. Currently, through exploring the Umwelt of person with various physical characteristics, she is looking for human evolution in the parallel world by technology. https://www.signed.site/

Satomi Osaki

Satomi is a 3rd year undergraduate student studying about deep learning/ visual programming/ cognitive science. Her interests are in all life forms, especially the human being. She often includes the human body as the media of expression.

Tatsuo Sugimoto

Tatsuo is a designer, researcher and teacher in Saga, Japan. His interest is to cultivate ordinary people’s creativity using technologies. His works vary from visual design to media studies. Recently, he tries to design unique charts with various data. https://lab.sugimototatsuo.com/ @sugi2000

Takashi Mukoda

Takashi Mukoda is a multimedia artist based in Japan. Depending on what kind of problem he explores in his works, he combines different kinds of media. His works range from graphic design, video art, interactive programming art to net art. He often produces works that challenge social norms, human biology, and several kinds of discrimination. By handling these topics in his works, he intends to give viewers/participants to confront things that they usually overlook and avoid discussing. Currently, he is curious about the relationship between language and human body. http://www.takashimukoda.com/art_portfolio

Takuma Oami

Takuma is a design Engineer based in Sendai. He is running a maker space named FabLab SENDAI — FLAT to open digital fabrication tools for public. His background is information technology and user interface design and he would love to think about how we can adapt new technology to our daily normal life. https://flatjp.com/works/

Yufei Weng

My name is Yufei Weng. I come from Shanghai, China. Currently, I am based in Ibaraki prefecture, working for a contemporary artist’s studio. After getting my bachelor degree in Studio Arts and Technology, I spent two years in New York, exploring the world of art and design. I continued my study at Boston University and got my master degree in Graphic Design. During my study there, I kept asking the basic questions of human beings and bringing them into my visual language. Last year, the visiting of Benesse Art Site on Naoshima was a life changing point, and it finally made me determined to move to Japan. https://www.yufei-weng.com/

Yuki Horikawa

I study at Yamaguchi University, now I am in 4th grade and I am going to the same graduate school. I research how to estimate the position and the state of the care-receiver without infringing on privacy. I express and create some work by using TouchDesigner in my free time. In the future, I want to teach how to enjoy expressing and creating by using the computer for children. http://touchdesigner.sakura.ne.jp/

Bohyun Jung

API engineer, creative technologist. I’m interested in the use of technology as a means of expression. While I also enjoy participating in, I love hosting events like a code poetry night. I’m recently preparing to open a small studio to do more things like this. http://ff4f01.me/

Teachers

Garden mathematics by Robby Kraft
Playing The World by Jane Friedhoff
Handmade Computer by Taeyoon Choi
Distributed Web of Care by Taeyoon Choi
Peer to Peer Poetry by Melanie Hoff
Final showcase and professional development by Lauren Gardner
DNA Bar Coding workshop by Takayuki Ito and YCAM Bio Research
Gesture inspired by Hand Sign workshop by Richi Owaki, Natsumi Wada and YCAM Inter Lab
YCAM organizers: Keina Konno, Chiho Yamada, Takuya Ishikawa, Kazuhiro Jo, Yohei Miura
SFPC organizers: Taeyoon Choi and Lauren Gardner
Teaching assistants: Brian Solon, Yumi Nishida, Tomoya Matsuura, Toru Urakawa