First interview: MINOTAUR INST. × THINK AND SENSE "The ultimate goal is to create a movement"

Part 2 Interview: " MINOTAUR INST. × THINK AND SENSE: How a graphic T-shirt that transforms the sounds of the city into colors and patterns was created "

"Satellite Perception as a Massive Perspective"

--The third edition features designs using photographs. What is the theme this time?

This time, we're looking at cities from a macro perspective. Up until now, we've looked at cities from a micro perspective, so we're going to look at them from a larger perspective. As you can see from the ©JAXA caption, we're using images from JAXA's satellites. These are orthorectified AVNIR-2 image products taken by the Japanese satellite Daichi.

Image = ©JAXA

──Looking at the image of the T-shirt, there seems to be a lot of yellow. Are the tall buildings and mountains yellow?

That's what people generally think. In reality, satellite images are not taken with a color camera, but with multiple infrared cameras that use different frequencies. Because the reflectivity of infrared light varies depending on the object on the ground, combining and analyzing the information from the infrared images in each frequency band makes it possible to determine things like elevation and land use status.

However, this T-shirt deliberately avoids this and instead converts the data into the visible light range that can be seen by the human eye. Furthermore, instead of simply replacing the color information, an algorithm called pixel sorting is used to scan each pixel based on the pixel's luminosity, emphasizing areas of higher brightness within the image. While satellites typically see in black and white, this T-shirt expresses the idea that "satellites are also one perspective," suggesting "what if satellites had the ability to perceive visible light?"

──The idea of ​​turning that into a T-shirt design is amazing.

Until now, we have used sounds we have recorded ourselves and photos posted on social media, but in the end, it is all ``information that indirectly connects us to the city.''

It's called satellite observation, but to put it simply, I think of it as something like a giant eye. The first installment visualized Shibuya not in person, but as seen via the internet, as an alternative perspective, filtered through the filter of generative art. This time, I've visualized an alternative perspective of the city seen from the massive perspective of a satellite.

--The satellite image is designed at an angle. Was this Matsuyama's suggestion?

That's right. The overall design, such as where to place what, was decided together with MINOTAUR INST., but I suggested that this image be tilted. Satellite images are often conventionally displayed at an angle like this.

Explaining it in detail can be complicated, but since the Earth is round and rotates, it is correct to show it at this angle. The satellite image used this time was also shown this way, so we used it as is. As mentioned in the second article, this is incorporated as a balance for commercial design as fashion. In a sense, it is used as is this time, but this angled image suggests that it is a satellite image. Also, the string of characters in the bottom left is an identification code given to each satellite image. This was also included in the graphic to balance the design.