What you can do to foster a creative community --- narumin x Shunsuke Takawo talk

narumin (left) and Shunsuke Takawo (right)

Tokyo Developers Study Weekend, a creative community that organizes weekend workshops and events centered on node-based visual programming tools such as Touch Designer, which enables visual programming with intuitive operations, and develops content in the digital entertainment field. 』(Hereafter, TDSW) co-founder narumin serialized" Behind the Tech People ". In this series, with narumin as the host, we will listen to the history of creators and managers who will color the world with tech, advance society, and realize each ideal, and a dialogue to help those who aim to become creators in the future. Will be unfolded all ten times. The second guest is Shunsuke Takawo, a creative coder who created a big buzz, with 10,000 sold out in about two and a half hours after the NFT art project "Generative masks" went on sale. There was a lot of talk about his career as an engineer, his public and private activities, why he continued to do daily coding, and what he could do to foster a creative community. (Real Sound Tech editorial department) ■ narumin / Yuki NarumiTDSW | Tokyo Developers Study Weekend co-founder Born in 1996. While in college, he launched TDSW, which regularly hosts weekend study sessions on visual programming centered on node-based software. In collaboration with creators, artists, and software development companies around the world, he uses the sharing of technical knowledge and contribution to the accumulation as an activity guideline, and conducts planning and production that catches up the curiosity and needs of the creator. ■ Shunsuke Takawo Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1981. Creative coder. In 2011, he personally sponsored the "#takawo Cup IT Pun Contest" on SNS to compete for word games with IT terms and puns. In 2019, he advocated and is still practicing daily coding as an activity to connect programming with everyday life, history, climate and unique culture. In 2021, he announced the NFT art project "Generative masks". It became a hot topic as 10,000 pieces were sold out in about 2 hours after its release. Belongs to Processing Community Japan. He is a member of the selection committee for the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival Art Division. narumin: First of all, please introduce yourself to Mr. Takao. Shunsuke Takawo (Takao): Currently, I am a teacher at the Department of Media Expression at Konan Women's University in Kobe. In addition to his specialty of creative coding, he teaches students every day as an educator, focusing on manufacturing and expression through computers, while also touching on new fields such as computer graphics and digital fabrication. narumin: Most of the information systems at other universities are doing C language or Ruby, but the media expression department to which Mr. Takao belongs has a unique impression. Takao: As for programming, I also teach two classes, Touch Designer and p5.js. It's been about four years since I arrived in 2017, but I think it's a department with a mysterious charm (laughs). While the Faculty of Letters has specialized areas for each faculty member, such as physical expression, video, manga / animation, and the Internet, I am relatively free to do things related to expression centered on programming. narumin: Next, I would like to dig deeper into Mr. Takao's history. Did you originally start your career as an engineer? Takao: When I was attending the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences (IAMAS), I was mainly studying photography and video. I had a longing for programming, but I had a strong feeling that something was difficult (laughs), so I didn't touch it much. Even so, for about a year and a half after graduating from graduate school, I was working on interactive web content production at a web production company. However, I thought that it was not very suitable, so after leaving the web production company, I worked as an assistant at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts. So you started to experience creative coding and electronic work like you are doing now. While educating the students, I installed more and more in myself. narumin: From around here, you started working in the academic field. Takao: But after Tokyo University of the Arts, I'm doing private work again (laughs). narumin: It's quite a round trip between the public and private sectors. Mr. Takao: I was thinking about my career path from time to time, so the result is a round trip. When I was an assistant for two and a half years, I found it interesting to create new things digitally and to create and express something, so I joined O'Reilly Japan. There, I was involved in planning and managing Maker Faire's domestic activities. narumin: Currently, you are actively working on running the Processing Community. Do you have any experience at O'Reilly Japan? Takao: That's right. , Maker Faire is characterized by the fact that the amount of heat generated through communication propagates through something that is made. Seeing this, I was enthusiastic about thinking, "I wish the future society would be like this." In the case of Processing Community, it is a production activity through code, so although it is a little different from Maker Faire, it is a community that can be connected by making it in common. I think it makes a lot of sense for me to get involved. narumin: I think it's rare to think about the future, which is an extension of the technologies and tools used in my own manufacturing. In "Daily Coding," which Mr. Takao does as a daily routine, he posts his work on Twitter every day. What made you decide to start in the first place? Takao: I decided to start programming in 2015, but I didn't think there was a great reason ... I started programming because I wanted to find something that I could enjoy. Also, the reason why I chose Processing is difficult to put into words, but when I compared it with my situation at that time, I felt that it was somehow nice. I also felt that I wanted something like a "tool" to use for my production activities. It is from 2019 that I will continue to post what I made on SNS like now. Until then, I had written the code, but I only saved it locally on my computer and didn't show it to anyone. narumin: I see. Is there any background to publishing on SNS? Takao: When I gave a presentation at a certain event, I thought it would be nice if everyone could see my activities more, so I decided to make it public. As a result, there was nothing but good for me. It was also an opportunity for me to get inspiration by getting reactions and someone rewriting the code I wrote to create a new one. Also, I'm glad that I was able to create a fun atmosphere by exchanging various things while rewriting the code as in the current Processing Community. narumin: By publishing my work on Twitter, I am interactively exchanging opinions and sharing technologies and knowledge with various people, but I think that NFT, which is a hot topic now, is an extension of that. From here, please give us an overview of the NFT art project "Generative masks" that Mr. Takao launched in 2021. Takao: This project was launched in August 2021, and the graphics created by the program make it a unique work in which color variations and patterns change each time. I sold 10,000 items using a mechanism for buying and selling digital art using blockchain technology called NFT, but thankfully it was a response that all were sold out in about two and a half hours from the start of sales. It was. narumin: It's really amazing ...! How did you decide to list Generative masks? Takao: From around January of this year, I've seen an increasing number of people presenting NFT art in the creative coding area where I'm involved. At that time, I thought, "There is such a world and it looks interesting." Under such circumstances, I was invited to create NFT art through a member of the Processing Community, and I decided to work on it. So to be honest, I was strongly interested in trying it. The important point of this project is to donate all the personal profits of the sold works, and if you do NFT art, think about making a project to donate from the beginning, devise ideas and plans. went. narumin: At the exhibition stage, you couldn't imagine that it would be so sensational, right? Takao: That's right (laughs). It wasn't intended to be sold out from the beginning. However, I brushed up the graphics I originally made and sublimated them as generative art, but in the process of completing it, I came to realize that "this may be cool". I felt like I was making something that I hadn't seen so much, and the desire and expectation that I wanted it to sell increased. narumin: I see. I was invited to start casually, but it's interesting that the process of making and exhibiting led to new discoveries for me. Takao: I've learned a lot about NFT art, but there are many things I couldn't understand until I actually sold it. Also, depending on the form of the work, NFT art is not just sold out. Selling 10,000 graphics sold at Generativemasks means that you have thousands of buyers and you need a place to communicate with them. It is now large enough to have 7,500 people (as of November 30) in the Discord community of Generative masks. narumin: I've always asked the other person in this series, but what should I do to "aim for a career like Mr. Takao"? Takao: That's right. I don't really recommend it ... (laughs). First of all, in order to be yourself, do you not be confused by what is valued in the world and be absorbed in what interests you? I feel that modern society is entering an era in which people are pursuing convenience and functionality, and everyone is looking for their own goals. Are you looking for the correct answer or the shortest distance? Of course that is also very important. However, on the other hand, without being confused by such existing values, I will continue my activities while always checking "what I think", such as the value that is unique to me and the fun when I am absorbed in something. I think that is also important when thinking about career and life. narumin: It's important not to lose sight of yourself. Takao: Yes. The rest is to interact with people. Even if you think about it by yourself, it will be a round trip. I myself continued programming by myself as an extension of self-education for 4 years, but I feel that I was able to grow more in the 2 months when I became involved with the community by publishing the code. .. By incorporating my feelings and feelings into the code, I have become able to express emotionally, and I have become able to output in various ways that make me feel like myself. narumin: Learning speed is faster if you get feedback than if you seek growth within yourself, and non-verbal feedback is also a source of growth, not a lot of likes on Twitter. .. Takao: Recently, I try to post things and processes that are in the process of being produced on Twitter, rather than being completed. It is used as a reference when listening to opinions from reactions and changing directions. In the future, if you don't make it by yourself, but belong to the community and make it while interacting with people, you will be able to take in the perspective of creation that you do not have, and you will be able to do better things. I think that sharing the work within the community and co-creating it while creating the work will lead to my own growth. narumin: Thank you. What kind of initiatives and activities are you thinking of in order to give back to the Processing and Generative masks communities in order to hear about the future? Takao: As a creator, I feel that Japanese creators have extremely high technical skills compared to overseas, and that they make things from a unique perspective. On the other hand, I have an awareness of the problem that I am not connected to the world market in terms of the transmission and communication of what I have made due to language and geographical issues. I would like to donate the donations obtained from the project to several organizations, but temporary donations do not make sense, and I will continue to support and support to create a better Japanese creative community. I'm thinking of creating an organization that can do it. narumin: TDSW also has the problem that Mr. Takao is talking about. In the context of community and education dissemination, spending working capital to connect with foreign countries is a lower priority. Even if overseas experts share useful knowledge, if the translators do not understand their expertise and profession, there will be a misunderstanding when translating into Japanese. I feel it is a very difficult task. In the generative art area, in addition to creators, will there be professions that play a role of becoming a bridge between the translation industry and the global market? Takao: That's right. A common challenge for the creative community is that only players are involved in the community. It is necessary to have a mechanism and energy to create an atmosphere where people with various backbones, such as researchers, translators, and curators, who have various backbones that do not depend on skills and knowledge, can be involved in their own way and revitalize the community. I wonder what it is. narumin: As you said, in the visual programming area where the majority of people end up with a certain hobby, we will foster a creator economy by connecting with society more and make creators happy. I want to. Is there anything you would like to convey to your readers at the end? Takao: While it is important to be connected to the global, I think it is also important to find out what we can do locally. As we express ourselves using programs, the basis is the local history and culture, and what we have experienced, so where we live and the people we meet there. I feel that by valuing the above, we may be able to bring out the appeal of the activities we are working on. I'm in the spotlight, so I wish I could do something in Kobe, where I live now. I want to start from a small place and gradually increase it. narumin: While it is important to connect with foreign countries to expand the options as a community, since creation is rooted in self-expression, it is necessary to mature your indigenous place and values. When I heard Mr. Takao's story, I thought. Takao: When you make something with a computer, you end up using the technology inside the computer, so if you think about it alone, you tend to end up with something similar. As I create my own works, I feel that I can discover originality by interweaving my background, experience, and local culture. I think that my work and activities have come into the limelight as a result of various encounters with this NFT art project. On the other hand, the discovery of the appeal of programming for expressions such as "useful and not aiming for a goal from the beginning" is more exciting to me than the work is evaluated, and more people. I want you to be involved.

Daisuke Furutashima