Seiya Matsumoto

About

Seiya Matsumoto is a London-based conceptual artist. He explores the relationship between humans and non-humans through a real experience with both creatures and non-creatures. His projects stimulate people to think of symbiosis and imagine a sustainable world.

He is also interested in the possibilities through both physical and virtual experiences. His latest work, “hug,” an interactive installation, and “trip”, VR content, were displayed in the same place. They both communicated the “animism” theme by creating immersive feelings. He aimed to experiment with how physical and digital outcomes can synergize and enhance audiences’ experience in intuitive and intellectual ways.

He has a professional background as a creator in the advertising industry prior to undertaking an MA in Information Experience Design at the Royal College of Art.

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Degree Details

Statement

In this era, environmental issues are inevitable for everyone, and I am willing to contribute to the issue somehow. This piece focuses on algae as a means to tackle crucial issues such as global warming and the food and energy crises.

The work explores the symbiosis between humans and non-humans, because it is essential to have respect and cooperate with other species like algae to solve global-scale issues. As I researched the hierarchical way we tend to view non-humans, I noticed that I initially had a symbiotic way of communicating with others, because animism is still believed in my home country Japan.

I continue working with objects including algae and stones, aiming to develop knowledge as deeply as possible.

hug

“hug” is a physical installation created with four kinds of stones from Seven Sisters, Bournemouth, Cotswolds, and Themes River in London. The theme of this work is symbiosis and animism, the ancient way of seeing the world in which people feel the gods and spirits in everything in their life, including non-humans and non-creatures.

Shinto is a Japanese local animism that finds spirits even in nothing special like dust, radish, toilet, etc. It especially makes trees and rocks/stones important, and they are worshiped. This installation shows the stones at the human's eye level and allows people to touch them to make unusual feelings with them by using the four senses of vision, touch, sound, and smell.

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Physical Installation

Medium: Physical installation

trip

VR content

“trip” is VR content that invites people to the Japanese person's inner mind. The Japanese are generally said to be polite, honest, and responsible, but it is often too much and can seem excessive. But, the idea of animism to take good care of non-humans can be helpful to make a symbiotic world. It shows some Japanese cultures inspired by Shinto, Japanese animism, and makes audiences see different ways to see the world.

Medium: VR content

Green Tattoo

Eating
Eating — This is an image for a future project “Green Tattoo” in which humans can photosynthesize by implanting Algae as a “Tattoo” on their skin. She looks just standing but actually absorbing nutrients.

This project aims to realize a symbiotic relationship between humans and microscopic life. It invites audiences to imagine a speculative world in which people are re-shaped with a particular tattoo and get the ability of algae to make oxygen and nutrients. Humans become producers of oxygen and nutrients instead of consumers.

Global warming and food shortages are among the most significant issues in the present and future. This project is a provocation for people to rethink those environmental issues.

SymGenesis — Regarding the origin of the hierarchical relationship between humans and non-humans in today’s society, the historical Western way of seeing the world based on Christianity plays a significant role. For instance, the phrases in Genesis of the Bible represent it.
It shows the historical fact of algae and human’s possible future of “symbiosis” by arranging the original sentences of Genesis and utilizing green tattoo visuals as an animation story.
Spirulina (Cyanobacteria)
Spirulina (Cyanobacteria) — Spirulina is a type of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria constitute the most important group of organisms ever to appear on our planet since they started to photosynthesize two billion years ago. It is also considered one of the most efficient oxygen-producing organisms. Wine decanters and glasses are used to mix wine and air, a process is known as aeration, to release the wine's aroma and flavor, as algae also need the mixture with air.
The Producer
The Producer — By adding the core elements of Green Tattoo with encapsulated living algae, Auguste Rodin’s masterpiece “The Thinker” comes to have an opposite meaning. The man looks only to think; however, he is “producing” oxygen and nutrients and contributing to the environmental issue. Moreover, the statue lights when people breathe to the back, making audiences intuitively learn about algae’s photosynthesis using CO2.
Green Face Tattoo — This installation shows the visuals of the green face tattoo and living algae living in the deep green jelly by encapsulation. At the same time, it allows the audience to experience having a tattoo by shooting photos through a clear acryl board. They usually look like only green water, but each tiny creature lives and breathes there. They live anywhere, such as in the sea, ponds, rivers, and puddles around us, and produce oxygen using carbon dioxide, which is 1,000 times more efficient than general trees.

Medium: Concept movie, Physical installations