Following last year’s outbreak, the pandemic didn’t subside this year and the new year started with the second state of emergency issued in four prefectures including Tokyo. On the other hand, the vaccination against Covid-19 started and we started to hear some good news including a gradual decline in the number of newly infected people. However, we believe that the situation in 2022 is expected to remain highly uncertain due to factors including the new variant Omicron and the impact of inflation overseas.

In this turbulent time, we started the “The Sound of Now” series to look to present-day values, which could be cherished withstanding the test of time. In this series, we asked people who addressed these values to look back on their past activities and share their insights looking into the future.

What was missing in 2021? Amid widespread anxiety that never seems to end, we shall attend to “The Sound of Now” to uncover clues to improve our situation and be inspired.

Vol.1　“Undreamt Chapter” Contrasting a Changing World with the non-changing self. Jun Miyake Scored the Theme Track for “TOKION”

Jun Miyake, a globally acclaimed composer based in Paris, conceived “Undreamt Chapter” for TOKION. Miyake couldn’t leave Japan due to the pandemic and our first meeting for the project took place the day before the first state of emergency was declared. He spoke to us about his frame of mind when he composed “Undreamt Chapter,” which was included in his latest album Whispered Garden released on December 15.

Vol.2　Neither journalism nor a documentary: The new possibilities of beautiful photograph -Nagi Yoshida-

Nagi Yoshida, a photographer, established an unparalleled field capturing the world of ethnic minorities and indigenous tribes in African and the Brazilian Amazon by building rapport with them. Last year, she published “DRAG QUEEN -No Light, No Queen-“ (Writes Publishing, Inc), which featured drag queens, a minority presence in big cities. Her work was received with a surprise for its originality. We asked about the aesthetics that she pursues, which ceaselessly invites the audience to another world.

Vol.3 How CHAI Is Connecting With the World From Home

When CHAI released their debut album in 2017, they made a splash with their pop personality and unique band concept. Since returning from an overseas tour with folk-rock duo Whitney in February 2020, what have they taken in as the pandemic forced them to stay at home? We spoke to the members about their experience of steadily building their reputation as an international band.  

Vol.4 imma has positive thought and her own individual regardless of real or virtual life

Japan’s first virtual model and influencer, imma, donning her distinctive pink bob hair, rapidly rose to fame on Instagram in 2018. Her height, weight, and nationality are all unknown. Although she is well-known virtually, people have been intrigued with her presence as a woman and expressed their empathy towards her. Her words have a power of persuasion regardless of whether it’s been said in the virtual sphere or the real world. As we listen to imma’s narrative, we see her as an energetic figure with a promising outlook for the future.  

Vol.5 Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Realistic Lens on Times of Crisis

In 2020, film director Kiyoshi Kurosawa won the Silver Lion award for best director award at the Venice International Film Festival for Wife of a Spy, starring Yu Aoi, which was Kurosawa’s first historical drama. It was an extraordinary feat as it was the first time in 17 years for a Japanese director to win the award. What did he want to get across by portraying a couple doing their best to survive a turbulent time before the outbreak of an unprecedented war?

Vol.6 Artist Chiharu Shiota: Pondering the soul, memories, and mortality

In 2019, Chiharu Shiota, an artist, held her largest-ever solo exhibition Chiharu Shiota: The Soul Trembles, at the Mori Art Museum, which looks back her career that spans a quarter century. The cancer she previously had returned in 2017, and she worked on this exhibition while receiving treatment. As we face unprecedented crisis due to the pandemic and feel closer to the notion of life and death, we asked Shiota about her thoughts on artistic expressions and how she copes with matters around her body and soul.

Vol.7 BABYMETAL explores the new frontier

BABYMETAL celebrated their 10th anniversary last year, but their tour in Asia was canceled due to the pandemic. They had to scale back their live performances, which led them to reflect on their past activities. In the midst of that, they made their first appearance on Kohaku Uta Gassen, NHK’s annual New Year’s Eve television special in 2020. The following year, they performed 10 concerts at Nippon Buddokan. With the band back in motion, what’s been on BABYMETAL’s mind these days?

Vol.8 Night Tempo unravels the appeal towards retro culture in this fast-paced society

Night Tempo, a DJ/producer, has been in the limelight for his exquisitely reimagined city pop and kayōkyoku tracks featuring the “Showa groove.” Since the pandemic, he has been actively creating a “place” for online culture aficionados by offering talk shows on his YouTube channel from his home in Seoul. What kind of potential do Showa kayōkyoku and the likes have for Night Tempo, who has been breathing new life into the retro culture?

Translation Fumiko.M

The post Tune into “The Sound of Now” 「時音」 : Discover Ideas to Improve Your Life and Be Inspired. A Compilation of This Year’s 「時音」Series -Part 1- appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed our world, leaving many anxious about the uncertainty of our future. But the music that comes out of these fraught times might offer us a glimmer of hope or insights into how we can turn our situation around.

This time we talk with imma, featuring pink bob hair, is the first virtual model influencer in Japan.

imma, who burst onto Instagram in 2018, is not known for her height, weight, nationality or background. According to past interviews, she likes fashion, art, culture, has a younger brother (plusticboy/he is virtual human, too), has a dog named Einstein, has minor changes in makeup and hairstyles, and likes to joke around. As well as being virtual, she is “a woman,” a label that may stir up curiosity, and possibly sympathy, in the viewer. She has more than 290,000 followers on Instagram (as october 19, 2020). Since featuring on the cover of “CG World”, a comprehensive computer graphics magazine, in January 2019, she has been active in many industries in Japan and overseas.

She speaks words used nowadays, but they occasionally have persuasive regardless of real or virtual. When I heard imma’s story, I could see her belief in a bright future, even on dark topics.

ーーHow did you start modeling in the first place?

imma: At first, I was just posting what I liked on my Instagram account. Then, I gradually started to get requested, so I tried to model myself. It’s still challenging, even now.

ーーWhat do you think of for your Instagram posts?

imma: Actually, I may not think of anything (laughs). Perhaps because I’m changing my way of thinking flexibly. I take pictures in a place that I thought was cool, and I might only think about my posts as .

ーーWhat are you conscious of when you dress as a model?

imma: First, the concept of modelling has changed dramatically, and I feel that the model is chosen based on an individual and their lifestyle, rather than style. So, the first thing I think about is how to express my own identity.

ーーWhat was the most impressive job you’ve ever done?

imma: Working as a model for Burberry. As a representative from Japan, I was happy to work with the top models from Taiwan and Korea. It was also exciting to go beyond the normal modelling boundaries and appear in global commercial movie for SK-II.

ーーWhat are your interests at the moment?

imma: I like art, but I’m hooked on CGI production software, such as Maya and the Unreal Engine! I’m learning to make CGI by myself.

ーーWhat does it mean for you to encounter art and culture?

imma: I really feel it helps me collect myself.

ーーIn the past, you said that you like Gerhard Richter. I think pieces with an ambiguous line between painting and photography, such as “Over-painted photos” and “photo paintings,” are linked to your existence.

imma: I like his work very much. I first saw it in Paris, and it was love at first sight. I watched documentary and became even more enamored. Of course, the ambiguity of the boundary is something to think about, but the mind quickly settles down.

Virtual human has also each personality

ーーVirtual models are becoming more prevalent in Japan, but what would you say your advantages are?

imma: My pros… I guess it’s my desire to improve society? Everybody’s different and there are many things that only I can do, but I think it’s the same for others.

ーーYou post on Instagram with the hashtag #ithinkimcgi. If you say you’re CGI, I think you may be seen as something new or strange.

imma: I think things are consumed depending on how they are used. I look at each job and see what I can do, but I refuse jobs if I can’t express myself, in fact. I think my personality is what viewer feel. Since there are many things I don’t know, I want to absorb what I can and work to give constant output.

ーーNow, with VR and editing apps, humans are approaching CGI. How do you feel about the difference between real and virtual life?

imma: I don’t think there’s much difference. Virtual is now real, and real has become virtual. It’s all about what you believe.

Living in the Now and Facing the World

ーーYou sometimes send post your opinions on social situations through social network. Now that individual influence is growing, we must take responsibility for what we say, yet we can also say irresponsible things.

imma: I think many people find it difficult to live when anyone can say anything. However, I think it’s good to be able to communicate our feelings.

Sometimes it’s hard to build discussions and know them more deeply, but that’s just how individua is. How to make the most of that to their lives is up to individual, but I think it’s important not to be afraid.

ーーDue to COVID-19, some of your work appears to have been canceled. Have you had to change the attitude towards work throughout this period?

imma: Yes, we are in an age where there is always change, and I often think that what we took for granted yesterday may not be so today. However, there are many correct answers regarding social and human behavior. I believe that if I work on something with a pure intention, I will not lie to myself and go in the wrong direction.

ーーNow, there are many people who feel depressed because of all the negative news. How do you change your mindset?

imma: I sometimes feel depressed about the negative news myself. However, we can’t go back to the past, so I think about how we can make a brighter future and get better. By thinking and acting in this way, I want to always positively grasp the current situation.

ーーThe survival of origin of art and culture is in jeopardy. As someone who loves that, what do you think should be done?

imma: I think it’s important to protect and forgive, and to keep them in mind so they are not consumed.

ーーI think that people like you will expand the playing field in the future. Do you have any new projects or areas that you would like to take on?

imma: Many! There’s too much to say here, but now I’m gradually moving forward. The future is bright, and I think there is more that only I can do. I can’t say anything yet, but I got surprising request. I want to excite everyone through being myself.

imma
Opened an Instagram account in July 2018. Her height, weight, nationality, or career are unknown. She is mainly active as a model and has appeared in the collaboration of Sly and Puma, and the visuals of Porsche Japan. She is active in various industries such as forming partnerships with IKEA. https://www.instagram.com/imma.gram/?hl=ja

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