Roppongi Hills has launched an interactive website called Tokyo City Symphony as part of a digital campaign that allows users to create and project symphonies of light and music onto a 1:1000 scale model of the Tokyo cityscape.
Operating under the theme of ‘LOVE TOKYO’, the website is being released as part of a number of creative events happening around Roppongi Hills to celebrate their 10th anniversary. The experience starts off by accessing the site and choosing from three visual motifs: “Future City”, “Rock City” and “Edo City”.
Each user is given an eight second score which they can use their keyboards like a piano to input various combinations of matching light projections and melodies onto the scale model of Tokyo. If desired, they can then choose to save and share their symphony creations on Facebook, Twitter or Google +. Submitted symphony scores are put together in an online archive as part of an infinite symphony.
The result is an incredibly lifelike simulation of what customised projection mapping on the whole of Tokyo would look like. In fact, the scale model of the city that was used was previously used in a bid to host the Olympic Games in Tokyo back in 2009. To provide some additional perspective, the handcrafted model measures about 5 square meters while real life Tokyo stretches over 6,400 acres of land.
The project was made in collaboration with a number of Japan’s most prominent creators, including creative direction by Tsubasa Oyagi, who was behind OK Go’s Cannes Lion winning video All Is Not Lost. The campaign is the first from his new creative boutique, SIX P.I.C.S, and also involves talent from well-known interactive design agency Bascule Inc as well as motion specialist TAKCOM and music by Koshi Miura of Kuchiroro.
The small details of the project are eerily accurate, from the sounds – anyone who has ever gotten off at Roppongi Station, for example, will recognise the voice of the train conductor announcing ‘Roppongi, Roppongi’ – to the actual visual display of the Tokyo cityscape itself. All of these things create a dynamic experience of being in Tokyo city, albeit online.
Creative Director: Tsubasa Oyagi, Web Director: Kampei Baba (BASCULE), Programmer: Noriyuki Watanabe (BASCULE), Designer: Sadanori Maeda, Movie Director: TAKCOM, Composer: Kouji Miura, 3D Projection Mapping: Hironori Terai, Takahiko Kashima, Production/System: Toshiyuki Hashimoto, Seiya Nakano, Tomoya Kishimoto.
