INTERVIEW: Yoshi Akai

Hot off the heels from Didier’s Steamthesizer article, NHQ brings you Yoshi Akai, a consummate inventor and designer whose 19th century designs meet 21st century technology with more taste than Sriracha sauce. Whether its hacking a toy to make a synthesizer out of LEGO bricks or making notes appear out of thin air (like the wireless catcher shown above), Mr. Akai’s creations boggle the eyes and inspire the mind. Yoshi took some with me to talk about his pieces, his perspective, and the invisible.

Circuit bending, hacking and prototyping is spreading almost as fast as the moving electrons that inspired its genesis. A growing community built around the re-purposing of consumer electronics can in part be attributed to some cornerstone books: “Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking” by Chicago circuit-bending professor Nicholas Collins and Reed Ghazala‘s “Circuit-Bending: Build your own alien instruments.” Citing Collins as reference for his creations, Yoshi Akai applies his talent, imagination, and bronzed and bejeweled aesthetic sensibility to the creation of nervous nano-scale soundscapes and analog acid-sonic washes.

On a cultural level, the allied fields of bending and hacking have merged into a medium for teaching that is literally the sharing of knowledge from experimentation. Articles to come will explore this transformation of hackerspaces to making spaces, but for now little imagination is required to think of Akai’s pieces as products of an airship guild, the fruits of hours of toiling and attention to detail that comes from rigorous apprenticeship. Yoshi talks about the beginnings of and inspirations for work that has not gone unnoticed, and that arguably ushers in a new breed of Steampunk.

Alex: Tell me a little bit about your background and what led to building these instruments?
Yoshi: My background is art and design. I have been researching interaction design. What led to building these instruments is simply curiosity. I always desire to visualize my idea.

A: Your designs strike a balance between utility and turn-of-the-century charm. How do aesthetics affect the you way make instruments?
Y: I always believe that high quality or expensive instruments are not only about quality of sound. They are also about delicate craftsmanship.

A: There is a wonderful playfulness in your inventions, from using a LEGO as a conductor to your crispbread record player. Is that an important aspect of your art?
Y: The concept of the LEGO Sequencer was started as an interaction design project. The concept is to make a 3D tangible user interface. To make a device for a computer, LEGO has limited possibility, however for simple instruments, LEGO is a nice material. Because almost people have played with LEGOs, it invites the user to have fun. I usually get ideas and questions from something surrounding me. Knäckebröd (Crispbread) Turntable is a conceptual art piece, so the Swedish bread has a meaning on this work. When I saw the crispbread in Sweden I thought that could be almost same size as a record; it is only a little bit bigger than vinyl.

Knäckebröd (Crispbread) Turntable © Yoshi Akai, 2009

A: Pieces like the Wireless Catcher, White Magic and Velvet remind me of Edison and his “invisible” technological breakthroughs. What about the invisible is attractive to you?
Y:I do use the ideal of the invisible for my art and design works. For the design, if technology is the infrastructure, the designer should make the technology invisible. For the art and performance, the invisible is a kind of magic for me.

A: Hacking consumer goods obviously plays a large part in your creations. What was your first hacking/modifying experience?
Y: Actually I cannot remember. I should probably talk a bit about my family first: my great grandfather was a professor of Japanese Tea Ceremony, and my grandfather was a stonemason. They both made their own tools from consumer tools to fit a new purpose, for example making a stone carving tool from a kitchen tool. I have been doing it since when I was kid. I still do not have an exact definition of “hardware hacking,” but for me an Hawaiian Aloha shirt also a type of hacking.

Yoshi Akai in performance

A: What resources would you suggest for people interested in building their own devices?
Y: I always get inspiration from different fields, if I look only in the music field for making the musical instrument, I cannot find a new idea. Also a toy store is full of inspiration. From a technical perspective, “Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking” by Nicolas Collins is a great book.

Detail on one of Yoshi’s handmade pieces © Yoshi Akai, 2009

A: What are you currently working on, interested in or listening to?
Y:Right now I’m working on an interface with bionics sensor.

Yoshi Akai’s collection of modded instruments © Yoshi Akai, 2009

A: Can people purchase any of your creations?
Y: Unfortunately, I do not have plans to sell anything at the moment. It’s because I only have one set for my performances. Also, every piece is handmade, so production requires several months. I hope one day to make limited editions for sale.

Yoshi Akai was born in Nagoya, Japan. He obtained a BA in textile design and a MA in design from Tama art University in Tokyo, and a MA in textile art from Southampton University Winchester School of art in UK. After his work as a designer in Japan, he joined programs at Kungliga Konsthögskolan and Chalmers University in Sweden. He has had numerous exhibitions in Japan, UK, The Netherland, Korea, and Sweden. He is currently producing original musical instruments with a unique input system, and is doing performance with those creative gadgets.

You can check more of Yoshi’s pieces at his website or on youtube.

circuit bending electrical audio hacking japanese music steampunk video yoshi akai Posted under Interviews by deraadt