| Abacus CPU. |
| Picture: Pantograph |
Abacus-type CPU, wind-powered computer "Self-propelled beer server"──
A mysterious catalog "Parallel World Souvenir Book" (1944 yen) that collects products that seem to be possible and impossible, but are sold in parallel worlds.
The product was "developed" by the artist group Pantograph, which handles the planning and production of videos and music, such as advertising art and stop-motion animation.
Recently, the "Google Japanese Input Piro Piro Version" released by Google on April Fool's Day, and in the past, the commercial for Google Chrome was also made with pantographs.
| Google Japanese Input Piro Piro version |
Currently exhibiting works at the "Kagaku of Movement Exhibition" currently being held at Roppongi 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT. It's a well-known creative group in its own right.
"I've always loved plastic models and crafts. I studied contemporary art at the University of Tsukuba as a junior to Maywa Denki and Ryota Kuwakubo," says Hitoshi Inoue, representative of pantographs.
The non-existent products created by such pantographs are not CG but actually exist as advertising art. It is a graphic object that has been used on the cover of the computer magazine "Nikkei Personal Computer" for about eight years from 2006 to 2013.
Let's make a product that doesn't exist
| Photo: ASCII |
"Nikkei PC also has a long history. , there was an order to create a new image.”
We proposed a new concept of "tools" for the cover, which until then had been decorated with miniature furniture. "Life size" can shorten the production period rather than miniature. I thought it would be easier to bring out the reality by using parts that are actually used.
The humorous cover of the special feature was well received, but as the issue progressed, there was a problem that the ideas gradually narrowed down.
"The times are changing rapidly. In the beginning, we were able to use mice and HDDs as motifs, but eventually cathode ray tubes disappeared, HDDs disappeared, smartphones and tablets became just black boards... …It’s getting harder and harder to get started.”
| Antique smartphone. Is it a picture-story show? |
| Photo: Pantograph |
Even if you seek achievable fun, it is no longer as good as the real thing. To go. As expected, things that are unlikely to exist are being realized more and more.
"I had the idea of a 'tablet that can be written with a brush,' but if it actually exists... even if it's realized, it shouldn't be this one."
When I was actually shown the idea notes, there were a few projects that made me think, "Ah, this might be possible."
Nowadays, there are places like Kickstarter where hardware startups and inventors can fully demonstrate their skills, and even projects that would otherwise be rejected by manufacturers are starting distribution with a normal face. do. Creating an "impossible product" is also difficult.
However, what surprised me the most was the production time. ``In the end, it took about two days to make it, and the color was added in one day,'' says Inoue. Why is that possible?
Know-how accumulated from scratch
| Handwritten word processor. |
| Photograph: Pantograph |
"Know-how for quick delivery is advertising art It's something I put on," says Inoue.
However, I didn't come all the way to a major advertising production company.
The pantograph was originally started when CEO Inoue, who was managing Maywa Denki at Sony Music, thought, "I want a place to make things." It was, so to speak, an independent, design startup.
Unlike 2D graphics, advertising art and stop-motion animation studios require a fairly large space. Mr. Inoue reached out to acquaintances, collected money, and built a small communal studio that everyone could use freely.
"I thought that I could use it in my free time at work. Before long, I was able to get advertising art work for games such as 'XI' and 'Unjama Ramy' through Sony's connection, and gradually Maywa Denki's management. From there, I shifted my focus to production.” (Representative Inoue)
| Steam USB unplugger. |
| Picture: pantograph |
Advertising art production started in a small studio. The work was exciting and fun, but I had no know-how.
"At university, I was doing contemporary art and motorized works. I didn't study advertising art, so I learned everything on my own. It's a shoot, but I'm doing things like 'Eh!'" (Representative Inoue)
Nevertheless, as I worked for nearly 10 years, I managed to accumulate know-how in advertising art. In the latter half of the 2000s, the media side took a turn for the worse. It's a video.
"Parallel World" pays off
| Paper printer. |
| Picture: Pantograph |
"Six or seven years ago, The number of shooting jobs has increased,” says Shinsuke Yoshitake, a staff member of the company.
Increased requests from IT companies to create "things" that can be displayed on the web. Chrome's time-lapse animation CM introduced at the beginning is exactly that.
"I didn't study, so I taught myself videos.However, what I learned in the advertising art era is also useful there. How to make it with a fixed budget and time limit So," (Mr. Yoshitake)
The products developed in "Parallel World" have a continuous flow of "technology to make anything". "It's the culmination of technology to make things look like they are in a short amount of time," says Inoue with a smile.
| Parts are available at the parts shop in Akihabara |
| Photo: ASCII |
"Buy up switches and lamps in Akihabara. Radio Kaikan or parts shops. In order to make 'roller skating geta', I would go to a geta store and tell my grandmother, 'Give me just the thong.'"
In order not to look like CG when taken in photos, I intentionally weathered (dirt) and left some quirks. The technology to create the "impossibility" of the real thing without spending time is the result of years of thinking while constantly running.
"The fact that I did it with the strength of something I didn't know made me stand out. Of course, it was difficult, but it would have been even more difficult if I suddenly started working as a writer without the time to trial and error. Now I think that the detour might have been a good result.”
*
Let's go see the nonexistent product
| Aoyama Book Center Main Store |
Introduced in "Parallel World" The real products that have been made are lined up in the bookstore. The fair is being held at 7 stores in Tokyo and Osaka, including the main store in Aoyama Book Center. Let's go see what it's like. You will be surprised to hear, "Ah, this is what the other side looks like."
List of fair stores
Aoyama Book Center Main Store
PAPER WALL Ecute Tachikawa Store
PAPER WALL Ecute Shinagawa Store
MARUZEN & Junkudo Umeda Store
Standard Book Store Abeno Store
Parco Book Center Shibuya Store
Nakameguro Book Center
(As of the date of posting on the 29th, this store is currently running a fair. Please note that it may have ended due to circumstances.)
Parallel World Souvenir Book
Author: Hiroshi Homura / Pantograph
List price: 1944 yen
Size: A5 size
Format: 150mm x 150mm
Pages: 160 Pages (Full Color)
Binding: Soft cover ISBN: 978-4-7562-4597-7 C0072 Sold by Pai International
●Related Sites
Parallel World Souvenir Book
