Beyond Technological Depression: Reimagining Japanese Futurism through Artificial Intelligence

Author : Haoyu Wang

Abstract :This project develops AI-driven research methods to transform the media-recycled concepts of architectural imagination, demonstrated through my ongoing experiments on the technological depression of Japanese futurism. The subject addresses contemporary challenges of both Japanese and global imaginaries, where technological advances can no longer transform urban landscapes under the grand narratives of socio-economic stagnation. Relevant cultural biases circulate through the media reproduction of Japanese urban scenes in retro-futuristic concepts of arts and design, which undergoes further development through the data-informed creativity of AI content generation. Alternatively, my project takes AI image generation models as synthetic representation devices to reshape targeted concepts through counter-narratives from captured local scenes. The research leverages progressive text-image generation exercises on Stable Diffusion (SD) to identify significant architectural concepts and media references of Japanese futurism, followed by field research to document architectural and urban scenes with alternative implications. By fine-tuning SD models with curated datasets of captured local concepts, the project visualizes alternative interpretations of Japanese futurism beyond technological depression. The current progress involves data collection and AI training experiments on Kansai urban imaginaries through my participation in the Architect-in Residence Program at the Space Department Nara. Targeted concepts to synthesize include the Osaka Expo project, sea-front infrastructures in Kobe, and urban-ecological design in Kyoto and Nara. In addition to sharing theoretical frameworks and research methods, my presentation will demonstrate test images of Kansai-inspired futurism from my AI training progress for creative exchanges in shaping further experiments.

Keywords :Architectural imagination, contemporary visual culture, artificial intelligence, technological depression, Japanese futurism, artistic research

Conference Name :International Conference on Multidisciplinary Scientific Social Sciences and Arts (ICMSSSA-24)

Conference Place Kyoto, Japan

Conference Date 3rd Dec 2024