Natural Wood Speaker That Vibrates the Entire Cabinet

What is “Forest Notes”? It is a service and product that delivers the real-time sounds of the forest to urban living rooms and offices, conceived as “senseware that makes you feel the forest” (tools and systems that engage the senses and awareness).

Born from a design concept that evokes an “entrance to the forest,” these speakers are manufactured with integrated management from material selection to finishing by artisans, respecting Hida’s traditional craftsmanship. With built-in Bluetooth® receivers, lithium-ion batteries, and exciters, they can easily connect to smartphones, tablets, or computers, allowing you to wirelessly enjoy the “sounds of the forest.”

At first glance, it appears to be a natural wood cabinet that doesn’t suggest audio equipment, but by incorporating an exciter (a type of effector), the entire cabinet vibrates, producing a clear tone. Unlike conventional speakers where the speaker unit vibrates, the entire cabinet vibrates here, allowing for a natural and relaxing enjoyment of the forest’s voice.

Creating a Richer Society with the Forest Notes System

At the “Forest Notes 2014” exhibition, companies, schools, and artists who resonate with Forest Notes’ theme of “connecting people and nature across distances” have prototyped and created their own “idea models” of Forest Notes from their unique perspectives.

Through the exhibition of over 40 works proposed as systems for playing the sounds of the forest, it offers new proposals for a style of living in harmony with nature. Simultaneously, the aim is to create a platform for industry-academia exchange, corporate collaboration, and mutual promotion for the future.

＜Talk Event＞
March 18 (Tuesday) 13:00–14:30 (SYNQA 1F)
Speakers: Kaoru Saito (Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo), Yoshihiro Kawasaki (Sound Artist, Department of Intermedia Art, Tokyo University of the Arts)
A dialogue on the activities and future prospects of both individuals who observe the ecosystems of forests across Japan and the world through "sound."

March 20 (Thursday) 13:00–14:00 (SYNQA 1F)
Speaker: Yosuke Kato (ITOKI Corporation, Marketing Division, Ud&Eco R&D Department)
A lecture for designers, incorporating research on how wood is perceived as a material and how humans experience it.

Forest Notes 2014 Exhibition
Period: March 18 (Tuesday) – March 23 (Sunday), 2014
Opening Hours: March 18, 10:00–17:00 (Last entry 16:00)
March 19–22, 10:00–18:00 (Last entry 17:00)
March 23, 10:00–14:00 (Last entry 13:00)
Venue: ITOKI Tokyo Innovation Center SYNQA
1F, Sogo Kan 110 Tower, 3-7-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Free Admission
http://www.jvckenwood.co.jp/

Forest Notes
http://www.forestnotes.jp