Interview given by Prof. Itsuo Sakane, founder of IAMAS (Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences), at Roppongi Tower in Tokyo, dec. 2004, to Aloice Secco Caetano, Cecilia Ito Saito, and Martha Carrer Cruz Gabriel.

Q1. Please, prof. Sakane, tell us about your profile and background in art and technology.

I.S.- My way of thinking and ideas on the difference between the traditional art and recent media art has been more or less based on my personal experiences since 60s till recent years. I used to be a journalist for the Asahi Shimbun, a daily newspaper, since 1956 till 1990. I was interested in the new movement between art and technology during 60s, and since that time I had been covering such fields and wrote many series of columns for the newspapers and other journals on those new art scenes in the world. Those series of articles appeared in the cultural pages and sometimes at home pages depending on the theme. When some of those series of articles could have good reputations from many readers, the newspaper company not only asked me to publish it as a book from the series but also to organize the exhibition based on those series of articles. For that reason, I could have organized several exhibitions between art and science during my journalist time. (Even after retirement from journalist, I could continue in organizing the similar art and technology exhibitions including the media art exhibitions till recently, with luck of such my career). Then in 1990, when I had to retire from the Asahi Shimbun, I was invited to be a professor to the newly opened camps of the Keio University also because of my background. At the Shonan-Fujisawa Camps of Keio University, I organize the new course of the introductory theory of Science-Art, within the Department of Information-Environment. Then when another retirement age came at Keio University, I was invited from the Governor of Gifu Prefecture to organize the new school for training the creator of the contents in the field of art and media technology. So in a sense, my life happened by the incidental happening with the many lucky encounter with persons and timing. But reflecting those past years of mine, I have to say too that I had been struggling with the differences between the traditional art and the newer art based on the technology or scientific concept brought about the progress of the scientific technology including the media technology. Even now, I feel there are still some differences of the people's attitude toward the traditional art and techno-science-based art.

Q2. You have been following the development of new media/electronic arts from their very beginning. Please, tell us what you think new media arts brings in terms of potential for human development.
I.S.- Of course, every art works had been relied on the media since the ancient times till now. From the letters, paintings, photographs, movies, holographys, electrics, electronics, and computer-related digital technology or internet technology, the variety of such media tools/technology had been expanding themselves and influencing towards the contents of the art itself and even on the people's way of viewing on the world from micro to macro, to the meaning of life and even to the deeper consciousness of human being.
Especially, the new media based on such digital technology could have the function to integrate all sorts of expression based on even the old media, like text, image, sound, tactile sensation, and could create the more communicable contents appealing to the more people beyond the differences of culture, language, or races.
So it could have the potential for the human being now facing to the world crisis to share the similar joy of integration together, and target for the collaboration for the future generation.
Also the application of the media technology for the reconstructing the old cultural heritage, or developing the new way of the re-evaluation on the old historical art for the people today must be the useful approach of media technology.

Q3. What are the main differences between traditional arts and new media/electronic arts, in your opinion? What are the advantages of the new media/ electronic arts?

I.S.- As I mentioned before, traditional arts had been more or less based on the expression of the inner-self of the artist him/herself and sometimes difficult to share the concept or expression for other audiences. Many of the traditional works were not so much open for the audiences and frozen as their inner values. But the new media art could be based on the interactivity between the author/creator and the audiences, and audiences themselves could be a part of the final art works by their involvement within such interaction. Final shape of the art is no more rigid and frozen but could be surviving through such interaction between artist' proposed first model and the audiences' participation. In a sense, the meaning of the art itself had been drastically changed by introducing such media art now.

Q4. Do you think new media/electronic arts have matured enough so far in order to get proper appreciation?

I.S.- In a sense, it is not yet matured enough to get the proper appreciation from the people, depending on their own experiences and their behavior based on their traditional art experiences etc. Even the traditional or modern art took time for the audience's appreciation after the first debut depending each artist's work. Many audiences more or less tend to rely on the authoritative opinion like art critics, art historians, gallery owners or curators, and have not enough chances to experience with such newer type of media art like the interactive installation art. Besides, there seem still some prejudices among the curators working in the modern/contemporary art museums towards such new type of media arts based on their historical background or their narrower scope toward those new media art movements. It would take more time for the public to get the proper appreciation for those new media arts.

Q5. Due the strong interdependence between art and technology in new media/electronic arts, it demands a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary environment for development, and sometimes it reaches transdisciplinary. How do you think it increases the complexity and enlarges the horizons of new media arts?

I.S.- Yes, I agree with this question basically, especially it could be the transdisciplinary type creation. It means the new art could beyond the boundary of the art genre, science and technology specific division. It could integrate with even the literature, history, psychology, medicine, or even the religion etc. Besides, it does not necessary need the electronic or computer technology. Sometimes it could use more basic scientific principle of behavior of physical substances, and would bring about the impressive phenomena art or could expand toward the cosmic phenomena integrated with the perception psychology. As the technology itself needs not so complex for creating the new art, but the approach to create the new concept in using knowledge, technology, or any substances needs to be fresh and open minded.

Q6. We have visited IAMAS - Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences, which you founded and had run for several years. We could see and feel it is a unique place for art and science development. Could you tell us about what makes IAMAS special and different from other previous academic centers for art and technology?

I.S.- When I had an assignment to create the new school for the creation of newer media art, my idea was not so clear about the target and how to organize the newer course for the coming media age. So I tried to make the investigation by getting the ready made institutions in the world so far, and also based on my long time dream to integrate art and science. Main theme was how to educate the different background students between art, technology, and science, toward the collaboration for the integration of the different talents for the new type of interactive oriented art works. Even after starting the school, we had to change the curriculum several times year after again, until we could find the better solution. Gradually it became better but not yet perfectly done, because the technical and social background itself had been changing day by day and we had to adjust for the change of the society. Other factor I had been concerned was how to give the stimulation and motivation for the students toward the newer creation. Unfortunately there were not many chances for the young students to experience the real interesting media art works within the local city where our school is located, comparing to the big cities like Tokyo, Paris or New York.
So I proposed the local government to allow me to organize a Biennale exhibition inviting the interactive artists to show their great works within the city, and also settle the artist-in-residency system within our school, by inviting the talented artists for a while and giving the chance for the students to collaborate with such invited artists. Through making such creative environment, we started our school, and fortunately, within only one or two years, we could be more and more successful in training the better students who could create the interesting works to be able to apply even to the worldwide contests. They could get even many awards from inside and outside Japan, and the name of the school could get more and more appreciation from not only within Japan, but from the world within few years. Comparing to other institutions, I think the starting timing was very important. We started in rather earlier time comparing to many other media oriented schools in Japan. But the size of the school was another key factor. We had total of 100 students for both course including the vocational school course and graduate school course. It was really a tiny school with only one department. It has some problem, but also the good point for having the mutual human contact between students and teaching staffs, and between students and students. Casual character of the atmosphere inside the school was another key factor for the training such the new media art. Of course, before our school, there were many other historical media art/technology schools in the world, which started in the beginning of 70s and 80s within the historical institutions, like the media lab in MIT, etc. But recent trend of making the new department or institutions targeting the training the creators of new media contents started mainly since middle of 90s. From that point, our school, IAMAS, was one of the forerunners, I believe.

Q7. Recently, you won an award and received homage at Ars Electronica for your work and contribution in the field. How was it? Which other people in art/technology should get recognition, too, in your opinion?

I.S.- They gave me the Award of the Golden Nica of honor for the life achievement, at Prix Ars Electrocnica03, and invited me to make lecture 2003, and 2004 again. It was not the normal type of Golden Nica Award usually given to the best applicants for the media arts contests in several types of categories of the media arts. I even did not know such kind of Award for Life Achievement existed in the Ars Electronica. So it was so much surprising for me when my name was suddenly called at the award ceremony, because it was completely without notice beforehand. I heard later the similar award was given only once to the inventor of the internet, so far. It is my great pleasure but as I have not created any new technological breakthrough nor new art works so far, I was rather feeling so much responsibility for that. In terms of the other candidates for such life achievement award in the Ars Electronica, I feel there are many, too. If the Georgy Kepes who started CAVS at MIT was still alive, he must be one of the best persons for the award. Billy Kluever who started EAT was another candidate, but he also passed away recently. I was lucky for that I could be still surviving until now to receive such an honorable award while I am alive.

Q8. After a very productive and successful carrier in art/technology as yours is, is there anything you haven't done yet but still would like to accomplish? What?

I.S.- If possible, I would like to organize my accumulated audio visual materials / documentations in the classified data and write some personal memoir based on those data for the young people who does not know so much about the history of the beginning of art and technology movement since 60s. Especially I am considering about my personal encounters with very interesting people in the history of art, science and technology. But under the over-flooded information today, many young people would not find the time to read and reconsider such a history, I am afraid.

Q9. What can you predict about the future of New Media/Electronic Arts?
I.S.- I hope the new media arts could be the tool for every people to share the different culture and the different way of evaluation each other, and the more important role for the people in the world to reach their peaceful survival, and using it for their own pleasurable creative life. Joseph Beuys told every one could be the artist. I guess it could be possible by using such media technology.

Q10. Which main advice would you give to us, those who are working or interested about art and technology?

I.S.- New Media Art does not always involved in the Electronics. It could include even the primitive materials and human factor. Of course the digital electronic technology is useful for making total outcome of the art works. But need not to be expressed within the electronic displays only. As an expression of the human being, we have to be sensitive with five senses, and body movement within the natural, physical environment. So we had better to open mind to everything, and consider how our mind respond to any world from micro to the macro scale. Idea is very much important to get the sensitive imagination for conceiving the new works. Don't hesitate to share any knowledge and skills with different type of persons, and try to find the chance to collaboration for stepping up the creation for the wider appreciation among the people.