Kazokutchi

So Kanno (JP), Akihiro Kato (JP), Takemi Watanuki (JP)

Kazokutchi is a project about reproductive digital artificial life that uses a swarm of physical robots as its host. The project consists of a family of "Kazokutchi", digital artificial lives that live in each movable robot house. 

Each Kazokutchi is linked to a NFT with its own name, date of birth, family name and gene. The cycle of life—reproduction, birth, growth, and end of life—is digitally recorded and perpetuated. All Kazokutchi born in the same family have the same last name and also their own names. By inscribing those information into the blockchain, we are trying to depict a life that is digital but cannot be reset. 

Kazokutchi’s gene consist of 64 characters. When a child is born, it’s generated by mixing the gene of  its mother and that of its father. A Kazokutchi's color, shape, and personality are determined by its genes. The visualizer in the exhibition space has a family chat room, where AI generates conversations reflecting the personality of each Kazokutchi on themes such as current affairs or philosophical questions. 

At the latest exhibition held in Tokyo, a diorama of Tokyo was deployed. Each building has an IC tag attached to it, and the robots can check in to receive information from the buildings. The diorama is sloped from the urban area in the east to the mountainous area in the west, just like the real Tokyo. In addition, day and night are simulated in 10-minute cycles, with day-time, sunset, and night-time illuminations alternating, depending on the time of day. Kazokutchis are influenced by the environment, such as brightness, time of day, and inclination, and their behavior patterns are designed to be changed. 

By overlaying a diorama of an actual city with an ecosystem of digital artificial life, the Kazokutchi installation connects the viewer's imagination with local knowledge and memories. The conversations and discussions that take place in front of the installation are intended to provide diverse perspectives and insights.

Kazokutchi is a project about reproductive digital artificial life that uses a swarm of physical robots as its host. The project consists of a family of "Kazokutchi", digital artificial lives that live in each movable robot house. 

Each Kazokutchi is linked to a NFT with its own name, date of birth, family name and gene. The cycle of life—reproduction, birth, growth, and end of life—is digitally recorded and perpetuated. All Kazokutchi born in the same family have the same last name and also their own names. By inscribing those information into the blockchain, we are trying to depict a life that is digital but cannot be reset. 

Kazokutchi’s gene consist of 64 characters. When a child is born, it’s generated by mixing the gene of  its mother and that of its father. A Kazokutchi's color, shape, and personality are determined by its genes. The visualizer in the exhibition space has a family chat room, where AI generates conversations reflecting the personality of each Kazokutchi on themes such as current affairs or philosophical questions. 

At the latest exhibition held in Tokyo, a diorama of Tokyo was deployed. Each building has an IC tag attached to it, and the robots can check in to receive information from the buildings. The diorama is sloped from the urban area in the east to the mountainous area in the west, just like the real Tokyo. In addition, day and night are simulated in 10-minute cycles, with day-time, sunset, and night-time illuminations alternating, depending on the time of day. Kazokutchis are influenced by the environment, such as brightness, time of day, and inclination, and their behavior patterns are designed to be changed. 

By overlaying a diorama of an actual city with an ecosystem of digital artificial life, the Kazokutchi installation connects the viewer's imagination with local knowledge and memories. The conversations and discussions that take place in front of the installation are intended to provide diverse perspectives and insights.

kazokut.ch

3D printed buildings: Yuji Onoda 

Logo design: Chihiro Oyama 

Photography: Ioto Yamaguchi 

 

This work was realized in part within the framework of the European Media Art Platform residency program at KONTEJNER | bureau of contemporary art praxis with support from the Creative Europe Culture Programme of the European Union. Co-developed by NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC]

So Kanno (JP) is based in Berlin. He is an artist and project professor at Aichi University of the Arts. He specializes in creating swarm robot systems for art installations and performances. His work explores unpredictability, swarm intelligence, collective behavior, emergence, errors, and serendipity. Akihiro Kato (JP) is based in Tokyo. He specializes in web engineering and produces a wide range of installation works, including blockchain/NFT-based works, board games, sculptures, and video works. He creates works that depict the relationship between technology and society through a combination of digital/physical media. Takemi Watanuki (JP) is a visual artist based in Tokyo. He specializes in graphics and video, and also works as a VJ. He has created complex simulations and simulations of artificial life cycles, mainly using programmed simulations.

So Kanno (JP) is based in Berlin. He is an artist and project professor at Aichi University of the Arts. He specializes in creating swarm robot systems for art installations and performances. His work explores unpredictability, swarm intelligence, collective behavior, emergence, errors, and serendipity. Akihiro Kato (JP) is based in Tokyo. He specializes in web engineering and produces a wide range of installation works, including blockchain/NFT-based works, board games, sculptures, and video works. He creates works that depict the relationship between technology and society through a combination of digital/physical media. Takemi Watanuki (JP) is a visual artist based in Tokyo. He specializes in graphics and video, and also works as a VJ. He has created complex simulations and simulations of artificial life cycles, mainly using programmed simulations.

Kazokutchi delves into the persistent questions of life's origin, evolution, demise, and legacy in an era where the physical and digital increasingly intertwine. Using blockchain and robotics, the project simulates the life cycle of Kazokutchi NFTs, visualizing their evolution through cellular automaton-like patterns. These digital beings, showcasing diverse traits and interactions, are further manifested as physical robots inhabiting a simulated Tokyo. This interplay mirrors urban life and the city's post-pandemic adaptation, while also examining the concept of the unique world each being perceives. Kazokutchi is prompting a re-evaluation of the concept of life itself and the diverse Umwelten experienced within human society and beyond.

Kazokutchi delves into the persistent questions of life's origin, evolution, demise, and legacy in an era where the physical and digital increasingly intertwine. Using blockchain and robotics, the project simulates the life cycle of Kazokutchi NFTs, visualizing their evolution through cellular automaton-like patterns. These digital beings, showcasing diverse traits and interactions, are further manifested as physical robots inhabiting a simulated Tokyo. This interplay mirrors urban life and the city's post-pandemic adaptation, while also examining the concept of the unique world each being perceives. Kazokutchi is prompting a re-evaluation of the concept of life itself and the diverse Umwelten experienced within human society and beyond.