Profile – short version
Artist, programmer, and Composer.
Launched Rhizomatiks in 2006, followed by Studio Daito Manabe in 2022. Specially-appointed professor at Keio University SFC.
Manabe’s work, which ranges into a variety of fields, takes a new approach to everyday materials and phenomena. However, his end goal is not simply rich, high-definition realism by recognizing and recombining these familiar elemental building blocks. Rather, his practice is informed by careful observation to discover and elucidate the essential potentialities inherent to the human body, data, programming, computers, and other phenomena, thus probing the interrelationships and boundaries delineating humans and machines, the analog and digital, and the real and virtual.
Profile – long version
Artist, interaction designer, programmer, and Composer.
Launched Rhizomatiks in 2006, followed by Studio Daito Manabe in 2022. Specially-appointed professor at Keio University SFC.
Manabe’s work, which ranges into a variety of fields, takes a new approach to everyday materials and phenomena. However, his end goal is not simply rich, high-definition realism by recognizing and recombining these familiar elemental building blocks. Rather, his practice is informed by careful observation to discover and elucidate the essential potentialities inherent to the human body, data, programming, computers, and other phenomena, thus probing the interrelationships and boundaries delineating humans and machines, the analog and digital, and the real and virtual.
A prolific collaborator, he has worked closely with a diverse roster of artists, including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Björk,OK Go, Nosaj Thing, Squarepusher, Andrea Battistoni, Mansai Nomura, Perfume and sakanaction. Further engagements include groundbreaking partnerships with the Jodrell Bank Center for Astrophysics in Manchester, and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the world’s largest particle physics laboratory.
He is the recipient of numerous awards for his multidisciplinary contributions to advertising, design, and art. Notable recognitions include the Ars Electronica Distinction Award, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Titanium Grand Prix, D&AD Black Pencil, and the Japan Media Arts Festival Grand Prize.
ART ACTIVITIES
Manabe is an innovator in data analysis and data visualization. Notable artist collaborations run the gamut from “Sensing Streams” installation created with Ryuichi Sakamoto; performances of the ancient Japanese dance “Sanbaso” with prominent actor Mansai Nomura; and Verdi’s opera “Othello” as conducted by Andrea Battistoni. As a recent example, Manabe was selected for a flagship commission and residency program in 2017 at the Jodrell Bank Center for Astrophysics, a national astronomy and astrophysics research center housed at the University of Manchester. His close partnership with researchers and scientists concretized in “Celestial Frequencies,” a groundbreaking data-driven audiovisual work projected onto the observatory itself.
MUSIC/DJ ACTIVITIES
In 2015, Manabe developed the imaging system for Björk’s music video “Mouth Mantra”, and oversaw the production of AR/VR live imaging for her “Quicksand” performance.
In performance with Nosaj Thing, Manabe has appeared at international music festivals including the Barcelona Sónar Festival 2017 and Coachella 2016. Having also directed a number of music videos for Nosaj Thing, his work on “Cold Stares ft. Chance the Rapper + The O’My’s” was recognized with an Award of Distinction in the Prix Ars Electronica’s Computer Animation/Film/VFX division. Further directorial work includes the music videos of artists such as Squarepusher, FaltyDL, and Timo Maas.
As a DJ with over two decades of experience, Manabe has opened for international artists such as Flying Lotus and Squarepusher during their Japan tours. His wide repertoire spans from hip-hop and IDM to juke, future bass, and trap. Manabe has also been invited to perform at numerous music festivals around the globe.
PERFORMING ARTS ACTIVITIES
Manabe’s collaborations on dance performances with MIKIKO and ELEVENPLAY have showcased a wide array of technology including drones, robotics, machine learning, and even volumetric projection to create 3D images in the air from a massive volume of rays. Additional data-driven performances have explored innovative applications of dance data and machine learning. These collaborations have been performed at major festivals including Ars Electronica, Sónar (Barcelona), Scopitone (Nantes), and MUTEK (Mexico City) to widespread media acclaim (WIRED, Discovery Channel, etc.)
EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
Manabe is actively involved in the development and implementation of media artist summits as well as other educational programs (media art workshops for high school students, etc.) designed to cultivate the next generation of creators.
Photo credits
Photographer: Akinori Ito – https://www.instagram.com/akinoriito_i
Stylist: Miter Shinichi – https://www.instagram.com/mitershinichi
Hair and makeup: Asami Nemoto – https://www.instagram.com/asami_nemoto
- If it’s possible to put the credit, doing staff’s name would be much appreciated, thank you.
- licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
