Virtual Body Festival
VIRTUAL NIPPON COLOSSEUM
ABOUT
A digital performance and archival project of human body data to introduce the Japanese body to the world! Tom Kawada (AR 3 Bros.) will present a stage model that can be viewed from anywhere in the world, and convey the value of the body that holds experience to the future.
Entertainment, art and sports are gathered in one track. Butoh dancers, up-and-coming dancers, para-athletics with prosthetic legs, teenage professional skateboarders, Japanese bizarre festivals, and the rhythm of Japanese drums will appear one after another in line with the rakugo storytelling. It will be exclusively distributed by a special application utilizing AR technology and also exclusively by THEATER for ALL.
In addition, an archive practice project to record and memorize culture from the perspective of human body data and a major relay conference will be held. Explore the possibilities of new art and performance created by technologies such as 3D data and motion capture.
Message from Tom Kawada (AR 3 Bros. eldest son / Comprehensive production)
To you who are watching
I will confess my personal thoughts from the beginning,
I think the Olympics didn’t start.
Yes, nothing has started yet.
Culturally successful people in this country were preparing for the festival with all their might, but with mysterious power they disappeared from the stage one by one. Then, the virus that hit the world came, and the day came anti-climax, only time passed, and what remained for us now is an empty feeling of defeat.
In reality, sports, culture, everything should have been a festival that people from all areas could participate in. It’s not a festival that has a high hurdle to participate. It should have started without any distinction.
It’s possible to have the best physical record at this point, a festival that combines the Olympics and Paralympics, sports and art, entertainment and underground, and music and non-music.
This time, as a developer, I implemented an augmented reality image of jumping over all the walls. The digital archive of the experienced body is also a letter to the future.
We hope that “VIRTUAL NIPPON COLOSSEUM” will be one of the materials for thinking about your future.
Tom Kawada (AR 3 Bros. eldest son / Comprehensive production)
Event outline
Public commemoration / cross-genre relay system conference
March 2nd (Wednesday) 18: 00-21: 30
Talk guest: Aoi Yamada / Kasdtori / Dansei Blanco / Kaede Maegawa /
Masayasu Maeda (Kodo) / Takuya Muramatsu (Dairakudakan) / Shuta Hasunuma / Tasuku Mizuno and others
URL: THEATER for ALL Official Youtube Account
Digital performance video distribution
March 2nd (Wednesday) ~
Exclusive distribution with THEATER for ALL (free)
English subtitles / Barrier-free Japanese subtitles / Audio guide
App distribution
March 2nd (Wednesday)
Anyone can realize the performance in front of them with their smartphone.
ARTIST

Tom Kawada (Comprehensive production)
Born in Kumamoto prefecture in 1976. After working for a manufacturer for 10 years and engaging in patent development, he is the eldest son of the three AR brothers, an unprecedented development unit. New book “Augmented Reality” (2020), old book “AR Three Brothers’ Plan” (2010). Serialized at the end of WIRED, J-WAVE “INNOVATION WORLD”, BS Fuji “The wonderful world of the three AR 3 Bros”, techno control. Director of BTC (Braintech Consortium). He is the eldest son both publicly and privately. A passing genius. The star of the world. New cultural person.

AR 3 Bros. (Development)
An unprecedented development unit by the eldest son Tom Kawada, the second son Shinji Takagi, and the third son Ogasawara Yu. Since 2009, we have been continuously announcing stories about AR (Augmented Reality) in particular. From entertainment to art, from Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi to the Romancecar Museum. Its expansion range is as vast as a black hole, like the Tokyu Hands Shibuya store in Tokyo.

Shuta Hasunuma (Music)
Musician and artist. Born in Tokyo in 1983. He organizes Shuta Hasunuma Phil and holds concert performances at home and abroad. He has produced many music such as movies, dramas, theatrical performances and fashion. He also holds exhibitions and projects in the form of solo exhibitions. He went to New York, USA in 2014 with the Asian Cultural Council (ACC) Granty. In 2017, he was appointed as the Agency for Cultural Affairs / East Asian Cultural Envoy to Beijing, China. His main music albums include “NHK DRAMA” KIREINOKUNI “ORIGINAL SCORE” (2021). His major exhibitions include “Compositions” (Pioneer Works, NY, 2018) and “~ ing” (Shiseido Gallery, 2018). He received the 69th Art Award, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Newcomer Award.
shutahasunuma.com
Performing artist
You can check the individual profiles of the performing artists here.
How to
1. Watch the video

Released from March 2nd!
Click here to watch the video!
※If you are a member of THEATRE for ALL, you can watch the videos for free. If you are not a member yet, please click the button below to register.
2. Enjoy with the AR app

* “Social experiment” is an application in which the three AR 3 Bros. carry out various social experiments based on AR.
* Free / Compatible models: iPhone 8 or above / Recommended environment: iOS 13.0 or above
* This app is for iOS only.
Distribution of content related to this project will start on March 2nd.
3. Purchase AR data
Public commemoration / cross-genre relay system conference
March 2nd (Wednesday) 18: 00-21: 30 (planned)
“Virtual Body Festival VIRTUAL NIPPON COLOSSEUM” project presentation held!
We will hold a big relay conference by inviting artists participating in the project, digital archives of physical and cultural properties, and experts on virtual events. Production of the work “Virtual Body Festival VIRTUAL NIPPON COLOSSEUM” directed by the three AR 3 Bros. Possibility of production with the theme of storage and utilization of “digital body data”, including an introduction behind the scenes and how to enjoy the app. We will also discuss usage examples and future possibilities.
Talk event content
Opening Declaration ・ Today’s Enjoyment ・ App Download Information |
Let’s all see “Virtual Body Festival VIRTUAL NIPPON COLOSSEUM”! |
“Dance body and AR performance” |
“Expression of Butoh’s physicality and gravity and digital data” |
“Rakugo and Technology” |
Experience record with Shuta Hasunuma |
“Story, music and 3D sound” |
“Recording folk entertainment, data archiving of the human body and legislation” |
“Remembering the athlete’s body” |
“AR as the intersection of Metaverse and reality” |
Closing remarks |
* Event times and performers are subject to change. Please note.
(List of performers)
Tom Kawada, AR 3 Bros. (second son, third son), Kao Kanamori, Aoi Yamada, Kaede Maegawa, Noboru Tomizawa, Souhei Wakusaka, Dansei Blanco, Masayasu Maeda (kodo), Shuta Hasunuma, Tasuku Mizuno, Akihiro Hatanaka, Yurika Kuremiya ( Critic), Yasushi Funakoshi (HIKKY), Takuya Muramatsu (Dairakudakan)
ARCHIVE
In this project, “Japanese human body to be remembered now” is digitally archived as 3D data and motion capture data. Some archives are open to the public for anyone to view and use.
What is 3D data?

Data that records an object in three dimensions. In this project, the performer’s body data is recorded using the full-body 3D scanner “3D GATEWAY” that enables three-dimensional expression with images captured by about * cameras from all directions in 360 degrees, and photogrammetry is performed. Created with the technology of.
It can also be used for AR, VR, and other avatar expressions in the Metaverse space.
What is Motion capture?

Motion capture is a technology for recording human “movement” by recording the position and movement of parts that are characteristic of the movement of the human body, such as joints. A mark called a “marker” is attached to a joint, etc., and its position and movement are measured in three dimensions and recorded as data. Archived as FBX (Filmbox) format data.
It can also be used in combination with various 3D data.
Click here for the sales site
CREDIT
Comprehensive production: Tom Kawada
Development: AR 3 Bros.
Cast: Aoi Yamada / Kasedori / Dansei Blanco / Kaede Maegawa / Masayasu Maeda (Kodo) / Momiji Nishiya / Takuya Muramatsu (Dairakudakan)
Music: Shuta Hasunuma
Script: Wakusaka Souhei / Tomu Kawada (original draft)
Rakugo technology supervision and costumes provided by: Dankichi Tatekawa
Costume: Kumiko Iijima
Makeup: Noboru Tomizawa
Drone shooting: Hajime Kubogi / Tadayuki Iwaki
Design: Isu Taeko
Produced by: TASKO inc.
Barrier-free subtitles: Palabra Co., Ltd.
Barrier-free coordination: THEATER for ALL
Production desk: precog
Produced by: Kao Kanamori (precog)
Agency for Cultural Affairs commissioned project “Reiwa 3rd year strategic arts and culture creation promotion project”
Organizer: Agency for Cultural Affairs, precog Co., Ltd.
