Ingress, an App Merging Virtual and Real Worlds with GPS and World Maps, Receives Acclaim

The Japan Media Arts Festival aims to highlight domestic and international media works, capturing the "now" of media, and to provide broad opportunities to experience the award-winning creations. This year, out of 3,853 submissions, a record 2,035 were from Japan, with the Entertainment and Manga divisions also seeing their highest number of entries to date.

The judging panel and selection committee members for the Art division comprised leading figures in each field. In addition to Grand Prizes, Excellence Prizes, and New Face Awards for each division, a "Contribution Award" was presented to those who have contributed to media arts. A significant highlight this year was the absence of a Grand Prize winner in the Art division. However, an Excellence Prize was awarded toSakamoto Ryuichi and Manabe Daito's installation presented at the Sapporo International Art Festival in the summer of 2014titled "Sensing Streams - Invisible, Inaudible," which visualizes and sonifies electromagnetic waves imperceptible to humans. Other selections in the same division included "Nyloïd," a media performance by Cod.Act, who has won the Grand Prize in this division twice before, further demonstrating the high caliber of the works.

In the Entertainment division, a unique and diverse lineup of works was presented. The Grand Prize was awarded to "Ingress," a mobile application game developed by Google, highly praised for its innovative fusion of the virtual world within the game and the real world using GPS and world map data.

Excellence Prizes in the Entertainment division included the "Noramoji Discovery Project" (Rintaro Shimohama / Naoaki Nishimura / Shinya Wakaoka), which defines charming handwritten signs found in towns as "noramoji" and creates computer-usable fonts by analyzing their shapes, and "handiii" (Genta Kondo / Hiroshi Yamaura / Tetsuya Konishi), which uses 3D-printed parts and smartphone control to create affordable and stylish prosthetic hands.


In addition, the Manga division's Grand Prize was awarded to "The Five Colors of the Boat," a manga adaptation by Yoko Kono of Tsuruhara Yasumi's fantasy tale, while the Animation division's Grand Prize went to the short animation "The Wound" by Russia's Anna Budanova.

The exhibition of award-winning works, held primarily at The National Art Center, Tokyo, will showcase approximately 160 selected pieces. Around 150 programs, including talk events, performances, and workshops, will also be held during the festival period. Of particular note is the recurring "Lounge Talk & Live Performance" series, where award-winning artists present their work and give live demonstrations. This year, this event, previously held only once during the festival, has been expanded to four sessions. The first day will feature the award-winning artists from the Entertainment division, including a presentation of the Grand Prize winner "Ingress" and a live performance by

the New Face Prize winner "Slime Synthesizer" by Dorita / Air Garage Lab, showcasing the diverse expressions characteristic of this division, often referred to as the "catch-all division" of the Japan Media Arts Festival.Slime Synthesizerthe New Face Prize winner "Slime Synthesizer" by Dorita / Air Garage Lab, showcasing the diverse expressions characteristic of this division, often referred to as the "catch-all division" of the Japan Media Arts Festival.

This promises to be a unique opportunity to experience the "art of our times" as it evolves with technological advancements.

The 18th Japan Media Arts Festival: Exhibition of Award-Winning Works
Dates: February 4 (Wed) - February 15 (Sun)
Venue: The National Art Center, Tokyo (7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Cinemaart Roppongi (3-8-15 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Super Deluxe (B1F, 3-1-25 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
*Opening hours and closing days vary by venue.
Admission: Free

Lounge Talk & Live Performance 01
"Alternative Futures ~ Entertainment Division Award Winners Presentation"
Date: February 4 (Wed)
Time: 19:00 - 22:30
Venue: Super Deluxe (B1F, 3-1-25 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Performers: Yuji Kawashima (Grand Prize: "Ingress"), Dorita / Air Garage Lab (New Face Prize: "Slime Synthesizer"), and others
Moderators: Kazutoshi Iida (Entertainment Division Judge / Game Writer / Professor, Digital Hollywood University), Issei Yonemitsu (Entertainment Division Judge / Game Designer / Professor, Ritsumeikan University)
*Some sessions will have Japanese-English consecutive interpretation.
Capacity: 250 people (advance registration required)
*Registration will begin on the official website at 17:00 on Tuesday, January 20.

Inquiries
Japan Media Arts Festival Office
Tel. 03-5459-4668 (General Inquiries / 9:00 - 20:00)
http://j-mediaarts.jp/
https://www.facebook.com/JapanMediaArtsFestival
https://twitter.com/JMediaArtsFes