How Tradition Evolves: Speculation in the Age of Intelligence

This is a free event. RSVP for free admission to this discussion and reception.

How are innovation and tradition linked? What does it mean to trace long timescales, beyond existing constraints, amidst evolving economies, technologies and ideologies? How can we claim ownership of our environment in New York or elsewhere?

This event marks the culmination of a program involving 25 Gen Z thinkers, aged 15–21, from across Japan. Over the course of the winter, participants engaged with traditional performers and explored aesthetics in Kyoto, creating new works through creative inquiry and/or computational methods. The evening will feature:

• Student Presentations from Kyoto University’s educational program.
• A Special Guest Talk and Panel Discussion titled “Not Here, Not Now” with Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, designers and professors from The New School, broadening the discussion with Masatoshi Honda, Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Kyoto University.
• Live Performances and Social Gathering with food, drinks and opportunities for further dialogue. Performances by Masayo Ishigure and Kenneth Hutchison.

This program marks the third year of the “Technology Reimagines Timeless Beauty” initiative which explores the intersection of entrepreneurship and future field studies in both Kyoto and NYC. Previous themes have included “Living Necessities” and “Cities and Data.” This year’s theme is “The Future of Traditional Performing Arts.” Lecturers included Masataro Imafuji (Living National Treasure, Shamisen), Katsushiro Kineya VI (Collective Holder, Important Intangible Cultural Property, Nagauta and Nihon-buyo) and Ryochu Miyako (Icchubushi, Grand Master), alongside contemporary artists, composers and industry experts. The program revisits Japan’s preserved aesthetics and urban sustainability, connecting them to “what-if” scenarios within the intelligence era. 

Speakers

Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby
Designers Dunne and Raby explore how speculative forms of thought from different fields can be applied to design to explore and test new ideas. Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby are partners in the design studio Dunne & Raby. They are University Professors of Design and Social Inquiry and Co-Directors of the Designed Realities Studio at the New School in New York. Their books include Hertzian Tales (1999), Design Noir (2021) and Speculative Everything (2013). Their design projects are in several permanent collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and the MAK, Vienna. In 2021 they were made Royal Designers for Industry and Life Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts.

Masatoshi Honda
Masatoshi Honda began his career at McKinsey & Company before serving as a strategic advisor to major municipalities, including the Governor’s Offices of Tokyo and Osaka. He later co-founded a biotech company, combining his technical expertise with strategic vision. As a Specially Appointed Associate Professor at Kyoto University’s IAC, he has led the entrepreneurial and future studies program, focusing on environmental, cultural and urban innovation. Masatoshi holds graduate degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Columbia University and Materials Engineering from the University of Tokyo, where his research focused on biosensing applications for allergies, diabetes and neural interfaces. Based in New York, he draws inspiration from his cultural heritage, with family members who are professional performers of Nagauta and Yamatogaku classical music.

Performance by Masayo Ishigure (Koto) and Kenneth Hutchinson (Shamisen)

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Top Image: KyoYu – Conceptual Complex for Japanese Performing Arts and Cuisine Experiences (Student Work, 2024)

This event is planned by and presented by Kyoto University IMS. Venue provided by Japan Society.

This event is in partnership with Panasonic Design NY.

This event is sponsored by the Mitsubishi Foundation for Educational Excellence.

Japan Society programs are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional support for cultural programs is provided by an anonymous donor and the Sandy Heck Lecture Fund.