Hinemosu 30 displays letters and patterns by twisting five white elastic bands with thirty actuators to represent the passage of time. The computer software that controls the device generates dynamic images that evoke textile patterns, ocean waves, mountain storms, and falling snow, as well as the date and time. The mechanical sounds produced by the actuators are reminiscent of the sounds of water and wind in nature. The creativity and novelty of this device lies in the fact that it displays computer-generated information using line-like objects rather than dot-like objects.
Yuichiro Katsumoto is an artist and educator based in Saitama, Japan. He experiments with manipulating linear objects such as strings, strips, and springs to display letters and pictures. We humans have created art by writing and painting. It can be said that we have compressed our expressions into two dimensions by lines. He therefore seeks to decompress those lines into physical space, and display kinetic typographies and motion graphics using linear objects. He trained in video production, physical computing, and design thinking at Keio University SFC. He received a Ph.D. in 2010 and worked as a researcher at the National University of Singapore. He returned to Japan in 2018 and has been teaching design and practicing art at Tokyo Denki University since 2019.
Utsuroi is a poetic Japanese word that means change, transition, transformation, movement, or passage. The Utsuroi Lab creates Utsuroi gadgets by inventing novel technologies and finding multi-cultural contexts. This lab was founded in 2019 by Yuichiro Katsumoto at the School of Science and Technology, Tokyo Denki University. And, Hinemosu 30 was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP20K12125.