CREATIVE KIDS TOP Other Osaka Expo: Naomi Kawase’s “Dialogue Theater”

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2025.05.06
Osaka Expo: Naomi Kawase’s “Dialogue Theater”

Osaka Expo. Naomi Kawase’s “Dialogue Theater.”

Amid a landscape of buildings featuring unconventional exteriors and cutting-edge technology, Naomi Kawase chose not to construct new structures, but instead to repurpose school buildings from closed schools in Nara and Kyoto. Rather than architecture that points toward the future, it gives the impression of architecture that gently touches upon the memories of others, connecting people of the past, present, and future.

The moment I stepped into the school, I felt a sense of nostalgia and comfort, and at the same time, it felt as if I were on a movie set.

There, a dialogue unfolds with the audience. True to Kawase’s style, the staging involves an improvisational dialogue; however, by entrusting that improvisation to the audience, the audience members themselves become characters in the story.

Rather than a pre-planned, one-way exhibition, the process in which the exchange of words and emotions among the people gathered there took shape into a work of art right before our eyes had the immediacy of a live performance; it was as if we were watching a living movie unfold within the space.

At “Dialogue Theater,” I felt as if I was being told that to talk about the future, we first need to confront the past and engage in dialogue with others!

The uniforms designed by Akira Minagawa are charming, too!


　

Profile


  • Digital Picture Book Author

    Professor, Keio University; Ph.D. (Policy and Media)
    Director, B Lab
    Chairperson, Learning of Tomorrow (General Incorporated Association)
    Chairperson, CANVAS

    After graduating from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, he served as a visiting researcher at the MIT Media Lab before founding the NPO CANVAS and the Learning of Tomorrow Association, a General Incorporated Association, and assuming the role of representative. He serves as an outside director for Matsuya Co., Ltd., Fuji Media Holdings, Inc., and Digital Garage, Inc.
    He has served on various government committees, including the Information and Communications Council of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as well as the NHK Central Broadcasting Program Council. He also serves as a director of the Digital Signage Consortium, among other roles. He holds a Ph.D. in Policy and Media.
    His publications include *Turning On Children’s Creativity!*, *What Are Smart Kids Doing on Their Smartphones?*, *The Forefront of Online Education in Japan: Considering Learning in the Post-COVID Era*,“What Is Programming Education? 45 Questions Parents Want to Know,” and “Declaration on Digital Education.” He has also provided supervision for numerous works, including “Ah, I See! Programming Education for Parents and Children Through Manga.”