Interviewer & Japanese Writer: Yamamoto Takaya; Translation & Editing: Matthew Cherry
After his time in the INNO-vation Program had come to a close, Shodai Kayama found himself buried in a mountain of work, preventing him from devoting too much time to Yorishiro’s development. That’s not to say he didn’t have several visions in mind for the device, thanks in part to the feedback he received from the program’s Supervisors.
“One of the Supervisors told me I should focus more on the device’s hanger shape and to think a little more about what kinds of communication only a hanger can bring to people and objects,” Kayama said about the feedback he received. “I had mostly been focused on how the device gave life to clothing while hung up, but the hanger itself can be carried around by hand and hung in different places. I haven’t really thought about what’s possible from that perspective, so I’d like to explore that a bit more.”
Scenes from the development process
Scenes from the development process The most basic function Yorishiro possesses is the ability to mimic the movements of people standing in front of it through the use of a camera. When Kayama showed off this feature at an event, three attendees stood in front of the device and noticed something peculiar. “It only responds to one person’s movements?” Kayama was asked.
“Because I was able to have so many people try it out, I was asked questions and learned new perspectives that I never would have thought about on my own. That helped me realize the device had potential that even I couldn’t see before,” Kayama explained.
Finally, Kayama had a few words for anyone thinking of applying to the INNO-vation Program.
“I’m sure other people who were selected had the same mindset as me. We create, regardless of whether or not we apply to the program. With that in mind, I’m not entirely sure I would have received such high evaluation had I applied without having created anything. So I encourage anyone with an idea to get their hands moving and start creating, and then think of the INNO-vation Program as just one more tool to help you make that idea better.”
Even outside of clothing, Kayama wants to try revitalizing our everyday lives, introducing communication and fun into the ordinary through movement. Even though his time in the INNO-vation Program has ended, that unique sense of creation continues to this day.
