📝Here is the article in Japanese.

The following presents the artist statement and exhibition text for “Genderize Primal: Ceremony of Chimera’s Reflection”, exhibited at “Creative Futurists Showcase #1 Tech Bias — Can Technology Solve Bias?” (November 2024, University of Tokyo Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies Open Studio), a collaborative project between the University of Tokyo and Sony Group.

This work, which reimagines our boundaries through Purikura (photo booth) using animal imagery and AI, was realized through collective creation with members from Professor Yasuaki Kakehi’s Interactive Media Research Lab, Professor Toko Tanaka’s Media Culture and Feminism Research Lab, and diverse members from the Sony Group, along with discussions with other team members and professors. While affiliated with Professor Hidenori Watanave’s Digital Archive and Information Design Lab, I conducted fieldwork through on-site research and actual experience with Purikura, and was responsible for the work’s title, concept, statement, explanatory text, and UI design. Although I usually work as an engineer and product manager handling technical implementation and research at startups and universities, this time I was able to focus more deeply on the conceptual aspects of the work by entrusting the technical aspects, art direction, and project management to the Sony team, and animal representation research, CG production, and installation design to the excellent team members from different University of Tokyo laboratories.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the professors, Sony team members, University of Tokyo laboratory members, and all participants who contributed diverse perspectives to our discussions.

Below are the Artist Statement and the explanatory text “Modern Summoning Device — The Ceremony of Purikura Mirror Images: What Genderize Primal Questions” that were displayed at the exhibition venue.

Artist Statement

Born in Tokyo in 1995, Print Club (Purikura) transcended the ordinary photo booth, becoming a magical portal where youth’s dreams meet reality.

“Genderize Primal” transforms this concept by overlaying animal figures onto human forms, reminding us of the social construction of identity.

Through this ceremony space, we confront reflections of the boundaries of being human.

Genderize Primal: Ceremony of Chimera’s Reflection
LI Ruoqi / MAO Yunfan / Nishizawa Takumi / Umetsu Motoki / Xiong Xiao / Komatsu Shohei / Ishizaka Akira / Nakaoka Noya / Guan Junqing

Following this artist statement expressing our intentions, we displayed the explanatory text “Modern Summoning Device — The Ceremony of Purikura Mirror Images: What Genderize Primal Questions” for visitors to read while waiting for their prints.

Modern Summoning Device — The Ceremony of Purikura Mirror Images: What Genderize Primal Questions

I. The Genealogy of Purikura as a Device

Purikura (PRINT CLUB), born in 1995, has a fascinating historical background when viewed in the context of technology and representational culture. This groundbreaking photo machine was developed by Atlus, known for RPG series like “Shin Megami Tensei” and “Persona.” At first glance, there might seem to be a disconnect between dark fantasy RPGs featuring stories of encounters with non-human entities and a commemorative photo machine for young people. Interestingly, Atlus’s works also hint at the relationship between “outward appearance” and “inner self.” Focusing on this relationship, Purikura too has functioned as a device that provides users with encounters with their “ideal selves.”

— Young people summon their ideal self-image inside small booths, materializing it in photographic form.

II. Purikura’s Adaptation to the Times and Connection to Animal Representation

This space, which was long freely accessible to everyone since its birth, has recently seen restrictions on single male entry at many locations for security reasons. This restriction highlights the complex social function of Purikura as a space. While it serves as a measure to ensure users can express themselves safely, the restriction that draws new boundaries embodies fundamental dilemmas faced by contemporary society. In fact, some locations have abolished restrictions, instead seeking solutions through spatial design such as careful placement and elimination of blind spots.

Since the 2010s, the rise of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok has expanded interaction spaces into the digital realm. These platforms have inherited the culture of projecting “ideal selves” established by Purikura while competing with more advanced camera features and image processing technologies. Meanwhile, Purikura faces challenges with its unique processing algorithms not necessarily being suitable for all users. The deliberately non-high-spec camera and image processing optimized for feminine aesthetics sometimes limit diverse users’ self-expression. Nevertheless, Purikura maintains its unique value as a physical “space” and continues to be supported by contemporary youth.

When re-examining the possibilities and limitations of technological self-expression, we must return to more fundamental questions of representation. Since ancient times, humans have attributed various meanings to animals. Dignity, grace, freedom — these function as representations projecting human society’s values and ideals beyond mere biological characteristic descriptions. However, such narratives about animal qualities are merely cultural constructs created by humans. This work, named “Genderize Primal,” attempts to reinterpret Purikura’s qualities in this context in a more fundamental way. “Primal” is a portmanteau of “Purikura” and “Animal,” intended to represent the fusion of Purikura culture and animal representation characteristic of this work.

III. AI Magic and the Intervention of the “Third Hand”

In fact, “Genderize Primal” involves two types of intervention: the AI-generated fusion with animal images, and the creators’ own intervention as a “third hand” behind the Purikura booth. While the process of AI image generation is black-boxed and its internal workings are difficult to fully grasp, this work intentionally places human intervention beyond this invisible process. Unlike traditional Purikura, which premises group commemorative photos with direct machine output, this work limits subjects to individuals. The human intervention necessitated by technical requirements like preventing paper jams and output errors has ultimately given new meaning to the work.

The mirror images that emerge through Purikura as a “summoning device” become contemporary rituals that, through the mediation of modern AI magic and human creators, prompt awareness of diverse possibilities inherent in the experiencer.

Shohei Komatsu

Right now, you are waiting for a moment of encounter between AI magic and animal existence. This print, bridged to reality through the creator’s hand, becomes evidence of new possibilities sleeping within you.

The above is the explanatory text displayed at the exhibition venue. Note that no images were used in the actual display.