An art museum curator is curating tech. Miyuki Tanaka invites you to learn about the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Japan, and the ways they are connecting individuals to the world and the future. Her beautiful exhibitions feature robotics, cellular engineering, regenerative medicine, prostheses, and computer-created art. They pose the questions, "How can we sustain ourselves when our total population will reach 10 billion people in the near future? How can we use our imaginations to live and prosper on this planet?" To Ms. Tanaka, the answer is: Diversity.
This lecture will both introduce the general activities of the Miraikan, as well as how it has approached the very important issue of "disability."
Permanent Exhibition: Geo-Cosmos @ Miraikan
>The Movements
About the lecturers
Miyuki Tanaka, Miraikan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation)
Miyuki works in the Exhibition Development Division at Miraikan. After obtaining MA Curating Contemporary Design at Kingston University in collaboration with London Design Museum, she has curated and coordinated various exhibitions and events on design from various perspectives. Her exhibitions include bones (21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, 2009), The Definition of Self (21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, 2010), Life by Media - Proposing new forms of life and living with media (Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM], 2013)" Her most recent work is Cells in progress (Miraikan, 2015) which is a permanent exhibition about regenerative medicine and human life. She believes design as a solution to improve society and life of human beings. Aiming for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, she leads a project on disabilities from 2014, including the prosthetic fashion show Rhythm of athletics.
About the Miraikan
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, known as the "Miraikan", opened in Tokyo in 2001 at the turn of the 21st century. In Japanese, "Miraikan" means "Center of the Future." Although it is called a museum, it has acted more as a science center, introducing the latest scientific technology rather than collections from the past.
The idea of the Miraikan is to conceptualize a society that can support the lives of 10 billion people, a quickly approaching landmark. It was also designed as a space for researchers, politicians, residents, and the media to gather and talk about the role and potential of scientific technology. Therefore, the Miraikan does not only focus on environmental issues such as climate change and the diversity of life, but also on natural disasters, information technology, androids, and biological science.
"The development of science and technology enriches life and helps us see challenges the Earth faces such as global warming and natural resources' limitations. For 10 billion people to live on planet Earth, we must face these global issues with a global perspective. Miraikan will continue to review and present the evolutionary role of science, and accumulate wisdom from each part of our culture, share and combine those with wisdoms from other cultures so that together, humans can develop global solutions, and create hope for the future."
(Mamoru Mohri. Ph.D Chief Executive Director)
5700 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036-
jflainfo@jpf.go.jp
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