[ Winning Entries Gallery | Screening Committee Chairman Comment | Screening Committee Members Comments ] Screening Committee Member Mr. Nobumichi Tosa President of Maywa Denki Mr. Yojiro Shirakawa Hakuhodo DY media partners Interactive Media Division Development Department Executive Manager Kevin Meyerson Rainbow Japan, Inc., CEO Rainbow Partners, Inc., CEO Hiroshi Hamaguchi General Manager of Corporate Communications Dept., Toray Industries, Inc. Mr. Nobumichi Tosa President of Maywa Denki [Overall Evaluation] What I think is really unique with DCA is that it still offers awards for digital still pictures. Nowadays, you can make wonderful motion pictures with CG. But DCA sticks to the still pictures. I think this is very interesting. PCs are getting cheaper and you can buy not just a PC but a printer if you pay \100,000. It may be cheaper than purchasing canvases, oil paints, etc….. In tat sense, digital art using still pictures can be very handy and anybody can enjoy it. It used to be an expensive hobby costing 300 or 400 thousand JPY start ? up price, therefore, painting was only for the rich painters. So, now we have the possibility to generate a new pop world as Ukiyoe used to. As our surrounding environment digital art changes rapidly, I get really excited at anticipating what we will come across next year. Generally speaking, entries are pretty much mixed. I feel like when I go to Nitten Fine Art Exhibition and also enjoyed an illustration exhibition next door at the same time. I personally enjoy this kind of a melting pot and unpredictability. The most interesting work among the winners was the “Everybody is Here !” entry by Yutaka Yuguchi. Everybody has their own personal drawing experiences since we were children. Using the PC, however, it’s no longer the case. Some people start to use computers in their 60s. There is a possibility of coming across an ideal tool towards the end of their lives. Yuguchi’s work is filled with joy and fun as the idea of senior people using new tools. It is the unsmooth and the non-technical expression that point to the growing possibility of these new tools. There are other interesting works some of which did not get any prizes. I will exhibit them on my new page within DCA titled “Meidenki’s Attic”. So please visit and enjoy them. [Biography] Maywa Denki is an art unit produced by Nobumichi Tosa.It was named after the company that his father used to run bygone days. The costume is designed as a typical working uniform of Japanese electric stores, symbolizing small/medium-sized enterprises that had once supported Japan's economy during its high-growth period. http://www.maywadenki.com/ Mr. Yojiro Shirakawa Hakuhodo DY media partners Interactive Media Division Development Department Executive Manager 【Overall Evaluation】 Nobody is surprised when somebody says that PC has been an everyday tool. Thanks to such developments, judges now can select winners based on the way that one expresses oneself instead of based on PC skills. It is time for DCA to be valued as a means that offers opportunities to demonstrate ones personal techniques of expressions. The judging standards have been severe and based on sufficient techical ability, unless they achieve these criteria applicants can no longer be on the finals list. As judges believe the concept is very important, three themes are set to stimulate concept making. These include “Japaneseness or harmony” “Leisure” and “Dream”. As the Committee Chairman stated, I am also amazed by the variety of concepts developed from these three themes. I also was moved to find that the age certainly has an influencing factor on what the word means. At the same time, I reaffirmed the idea that inspiration and expression move people more than anything else. 【Evaluation】 For the Grand Prize, I thought “Symbolic Expressions Imaged through Lacquer Work” based on its technique, expression, concept, and completion are outstanding it is worth being on the site throughout the year. It sophisticatedly expresses Japaneseness and the aesthetic of elegance. The artist well understood the meaning of digital art and at the same time showed an understanding for the traditional methods. This is a well balanced work. Among other winners, I would like to make comments on works taking into account of themes given remaining generous. None of them have outstanding technical talents but to their best. I like “A Dream came from the heaven” and “A secret morning by Mrs. Easygoing” because of its human touch. The number of entries in the Youth Section is still limited but there are some works that are amazingly mature considering their age. Of course, it is not of their superior technique which is very important. Concepts invite expressions conveying messages that move audiences. I am looking forward to coming across such works boys and girls. Do not hesitate. We are waiting for your entries. [Biography] Hakuhodo DY media partners Interactive Media Division Development Department Executive Manager Graduated from Waseda University, Law Department Extensive experience in planning and production of films, plays and television programming. Key figure in establishment of New Media Department in 1980 at one of Japan's major advertising agencies. Oversees planning and production of software for video disks, cable television, satellite broadcasts, character broadcasting (for the hearing impaired), and high-vision as well as interactive video exhibition systems; directs production and publishing of video business. Currently involved with network-related business, including production of multimedia software systems for schools, Internet home pages and game software and also a member of Okinawa content Business support Committee. Kevin Meyerson Rainbow Japan, Inc., CEO Rainbow Partners, Inc., CEO [Overall Evaluation] This year's DCA contributions continue the trend towards the broad and general acceptance of the digital art medium. The entries continue to improve and the creative spectrum widens. With the advent of wide spread broadband and the full interconnected world I look forward to more international participation in the DCA going forward. This year's entries included a growing number of international artists' works from all over the world. However, there still seems to be room for more international participation: artists of the world, please participate! I look forward to seeing your works, and an even more exciting DCA next year! [Biography] President of Rainbow Japan Inc. After growing up in Detroit, Michigan, and graduation from Arizona State University, Kevin moved to Japan in 1988 to work for information magazine publisher Recruit. After a two year plus stint at the publisher he founded Rainbow Japan Inc. in 1991. Rainbow Japan has over the past 11 years grown to be Japan's most successful digital media production company producing websites, DVDs, CD-ROMs and other digital media for Japan's largest corporations. In 2000 Kevin co-founded Rainbow Partners Inc. which focuses on licensing meta data technology and contents to consumer electronics manufacturers. Rainbow Partners is the Japan reseller for world leading technology companies such as Gracenote and OCTiV Hiroshi Hamaguchi: General Manager of Corporate Communications Dept., Toray Industries, Inc. [Overall Evaluation] This year, we had very unique entries with a wide range of spectrum. We have been the host of Toray Digital Creation Award in order to offer digital artists opportunities of presenting their works. We hope many people will take this opportunity in order to show their creativity through this award regardless of age or nationality. This year, many people from the ages of 8 through to 71 years old living in 15 different countries entered the competition. We are very happy that so many people from so many different backgrounds were interested in our award. This year’s themes were: “Dream” “Harmony or Japaneseness” and “Leisure”. There were so many unique entries with so many interesting ideas far beyond our expectations that the judges had a hard time in making their final decisions. Among the winners were, Ryusuke Ikeda, the Grand Prize winner, who digitally expressed the world of traditional Japanese art featuring lacquer works as its motif. His “Abstract expressions portrayed through lacquer art” literally symbolized the harmonization of “Japaneseness” and the digital word. We are looking forward to receiving more entries not only artistic works as Mr. Ikeda’s but also energetic and fun works that make our audiences happy. [ Winning Entries Gallery | Screening Committee Chairman Comment | Screening Committee Members Comments ]