Kenichi Kimura, Guest Professor (Part-time): "An Attempt to Make 'Experience' a Subject of Academic Study"

April 27, 2023

Courses Taught: Academic Project: Study of Experience (Spring and Fall Semesters)

As one of the mentors, I participate in the Academic Project: Study of Experience (Spring and Fall Semesters). This Study of Experience stems from the question of whether our methodologies are immature, not only for the "study of things" (mono) in design but also for the "study of experiences" (koto)—the raw experiences within the context of life.

In design research fields such as artistic expression, graphic design, UI/UX design, and architectural planning, it is common practice to design various objects and release them to the market. However, there is currently a significant lack of research on what kind of "experiences" these objects provide to users and how they change their lives or their awareness of life.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to explore this research together in a learning environment like SFC, which has produced many outstanding individuals who design and implement various artifacts, including new social systems.

During my student years, I created sculptures at Tokyo University of the Arts, but I later took a job writing articles for an information magazine called "Pia," which comprehensively covered information on films, music, theater, and art in the Tokyo metropolitan area, conveying the achievements and activities of creators. The blissful life of conducting interviews and writing with a pencil on manuscript paper quickly transformed with the spread of DTP. My work shifted to creating new value (such as databases and ticket issuing systems) as text turned into bits. I concretely experienced the process of "public relations" to society through media. Around this time, local governments and private organizations across the country were building new cultural facilities like art museums and theaters one after another, and many schools were established to train people involved in creative expression. At this point, I became involved in educational activities and worked on establishing a new department called the "Department of Information Design" at a national college of technology.

From around this time, I experienced various volunteer-based projects with networkers. There are three that I am particularly fond of. One is my encounter with Katsurao Junior High School in Fukushima Prefecture through participation in the 100-School Project; another is my involvement in the "Sendai Mediatheque" project, designed by Toyo Ito; and the third is my encounter with design projects in Hakodate. In Katsurao Village, I helped design a "learning space" using the internet environment, working alongside networkers and junior high school teachers. This connection led to the development of an electronic weather station.

At the Sendai Mediatheque, we held a citizen-participation event themed on early-stage SNS, which allowed me to collaborate enjoyably with many media volunteers. These efforts expanded into art direction for design projects such as holding "community development workshops" in the Hakodate City central revitalization area, the "Hakodate Tram Centennial Project," the "150th Anniversary of Goryokaku Fort Construction," the "Hakodate Litfaßsäule," the "Hakodate Ropeway," and the "Hakodate Arena." First, go to the actual site of daily life and immerse yourself in it. By connecting the "experiences" (koto) found there with objects (mono), new value and experiences are created. Ultimately, I came to feel that I had ended up engaging in community design. In any case, I conduct practical design research through projects that target the real world.

In the Study of Experience, based on Michizo Noguchi's book "Karada ni Sadaku," I want to explore methods for amplifying experience using interactive media and information tools, a methodology for evolving experience itself by narrating it from a first-person perspective, a methodology for manifesting and evaluating "experience as a narrative," and a methodology for passing down "experience as a narrative."