Design Culture - [English]: John Maeda at TEDxTokyo

Summary

The speaker, a proponent of Japanese culture and art-science intersection, discusses his advocacy for integrating art into STEM education for national security and innovation. He shares personal experiences, including growing up in a tofu store and studying in Japan, emphasizing the importance of cross-cultural understanding. Drawing from Japanese folklore and popular culture, he highlights values like perseverance, technology, and benevolence, and how they've shaped his life. He concludes by expressing optimism in TEDxTokyo's potential to spread Japan's rich cultural ethos globally.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The speaker is a strong advocate for the integration of art and science, believing they are not separate but intersecting fields.
• 🎨 The speaker has been lobbying in the US Congress to include art in STEM education, coining the term STEAM to emphasize creativity's role in innovation.
• 🗽 The speaker's personal journey from a tofu store in Seattle to MIT and Japan reflects a breaking of walls and an openness to cross-cultural experiences.
• 🎭 Japanese culture, particularly through common cultural elements like TV shows and movies, has significantly influenced the speaker's understanding of art and technology.
• 🤖 The speaker's early experiments with technology and art, such as 'reactive square' and 'tap type ride', demonstrate a lifelong interest in their intersection.
• 🏛 The speaker discusses the importance of leaders who are benevolent and caring, a concept he learned from Japanese folklore and culture.
• 👨‍👨‍👧‍👦 The idea of brotherhood and deep bonds, formed in blood, is a Japanese value that resonates with the speaker and is reflected in Yakuza movies.
• 👨‍💻 The speaker's work in technology is driven by a desire to make a difference, echoing the Japanese concept of perseverance and hard work.
• 🎥 The influence of Japanese animation and storytelling, such as Studio Ghibli and Astro Boy, highlights the importance of everyday life and humanity in creative work.
• 👴 The character of Tauruson, always failing but getting back up, represents the Japanese spirit of resilience and curiosity.
• 🌟 The speaker concludes by emphasizing the values he's learned from Japan, such as perseverance, technology risk, failure, wonder, benevolence, brotherhood, mashups, and learning from new things.

Q & A

What was the main topic of the TEDxTokyo presentation?

The main topic was the intersection of art and science, and how these two seemingly different fields can connect and intersect.

Why does the speaker believe art education is vital to national security?

The speaker argues that art and design creativity, when combined with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), leads to innovation, which is essential for national security.

What is the acronym 'STEAM' and how does it relate to the speaker's advocacy?

STEAM is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. The speaker advocates for adding 'Art' to STEM to create STEAM, emphasizing the importance of creativity in innovation.

What is the 'reactive square' mentioned in the presentation?

The 'reactive square' is an interactive piece created by the speaker that responds to sound, changing its display based on the audio input.

How does the speaker's background as the son of a tofu store owner in Seattle influence his perspective?

The speaker's upbringing in a simple environment and his father's belief in education as a means to break out of the 'wall' of limitations influenced his drive to excel and his understanding of the importance of perseverance and hard work.

What is the significance of the character 'cocoros' in the speaker's life?

The character 'cocoros' represents the idea of being a warrior with heart, embodying Japanese culture's ethos. It was a value passed down from the speaker's father and later understood by the speaker as he learned more about Japanese culture.

Why does the speaker mention Admiral James Stavridis in his presentation?

Admiral James Stavridis spoke at TEDGlobal about the importance of nations building bridges instead of walls for security, which resonated with the speaker and his own experiences of breaking out of cultural and societal walls.

What is the significance of the 'tap type ride' in the speaker's work?

The 'tap type ride' is a monochrome typewriter-based artwork created by the speaker, showcasing his ability to blend art and technology, and his response to the limitations of technology at the time.

How does the speaker's experience in Japan influence his views on cross-cultural identity?

The speaker's experience in Japan, being both American-born and having Japanese heritage, led him to navigate multiple cultures and understand the complexities of being a cross-cultural individual.

What is the message behind the speaker's reference to 'Totoro' and 'Godzilla'?

The speaker uses 'Totoro' and 'Godzilla' as examples of Japanese cultural icons that have influenced his work and thinking, representing the blend of art, culture, and technology.

How does the speaker connect his personal journey with the broader themes of Japanese culture and creativity?

The speaker connects his personal journey with Japanese culture and creativity by drawing parallels between his own experiences of breaking barriers and the values and themes prevalent in Japanese art, folklore, and popular culture.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Art and Science Intersection

The speaker begins by expressing excitement about TEDxTokyo and their belief in the importance of Japan and its culture. They emphasize the intersection of art and science, arguing that these two fields are not as distinct as they seem and that it's people who create or bridge the gap between them. The speaker's personal interest lies in advocating for art education in the US Congress, arguing for the inclusion of art in STEM education to foster innovation. They share their past experiences with art and technology, such as creating the 'reactive square' that responds to sound, and mention their upbringing in a tofu store in Seattle, which influenced their perspective on life.

05:00

🌉 Breaking Down Cultural Walls

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the concept of security and how it has evolved from physical walls to building bridges, as illustrated by Admiral James Stavridis, the NATO Supreme Commander. The speaker reflects on their own life, from growing up in a tofu store to studying art in Japan, and the cultural barriers they've encountered. They talk about their dual identity as an American and Japanese, and the challenges of being a cross-cultural individual. The speaker also shares their father's influence and the importance of education in breaking through societal barriers.

10:04

🎭 Japanese Cultural Influences

The speaker delves into the influence of Japanese culture on their life and work, mentioning various cultural elements such as Yakuza movies, Japanese folklore, and popular anime like Gundam. They discuss the values these cultural artifacts represent, such as perseverance, the warrior spirit, and the importance of technology in aiding one's skills. The speaker also touches on the concept of benevolence in leadership and the idea of the warrior with a heart, exemplified by characters like Tauruson and Astro Boy.

15:08

🌟 Embracing Japanese Ethos

In the final paragraph, the speaker summarizes the Japanese values they've discussed, such as perseverance, technology, risk-taking, benevolence, brotherhood, and the importance of learning from new things. They reflect on how these values have shaped their life and work, and express optimism about the potential of TEDxTokyo to spread these ideas globally. The speaker concludes by thanking the audience and expressing confidence in Japan's ability to influence the world positively.

Keywords

💡Art Science

Art Science refers to the intersection of artistic creativity and scientific inquiry. In the video, the speaker emphasizes how these two domains, often seen as distinct, can intersect and connect, leading to innovation. The speaker's personal interest in this area is highlighted by their advocacy for integrating art into STEM education to form STEAM, which they argue is vital for national security and innovation.

💡STEAM

STEAM is an educational approach that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. The speaker argues for the inclusion of 'Art' in STEM to create STEAM, which they believe is essential for fostering innovation. They have been advocating for this in the US Congress, aiming to amend legislation to reflect the importance of creativity and design alongside traditional STEM fields.

💡Misalignment and Alignment

These terms are used to describe the relationship between different fields or ideas. The speaker suggests that people often create 'misalignment' by separating fields like art and science, whereas 'alignment' can occur when these fields are brought together. This concept is central to the speaker's argument for the integration of art and science.

💡Reactive Square

Reactive Square is an example of a project that combines art and science. It responds to sound, changing its display based on auditory input. This project is used to illustrate the speaker's point that technology can be creatively used to make art, thus bridging the gap between the two fields.

💡Cross-Cultural

Cross-Cultural refers to the blending of different cultural elements or experiences. The speaker discusses their own cross-cultural identity, being American-born but with Japanese heritage. This identity shapes their perspective on art and science, as they draw inspiration from both Western and Japanese cultural influences.

💡Tofu Store

The Tofu Store is a metaphor used by the speaker to represent their upbringing and the 'wall' they had to break out of. It symbolizes the limitations of their early life and the importance of education in transcending those limitations. The speaker's father's belief in education as a means to break these walls is a key theme in the narrative.

💡Tedxtokyo

Tedxtokyo is the event where the speaker is presenting. It serves as a platform for sharing ideas and is used as a backdrop to discuss the importance of art and science, as well as Japanese culture. The speaker's involvement with Tedxtokyo is a testament to their belief in the power of ideas to connect and inspire.

💡Kokorozuke

Kokorozuke is a Japanese term that the speaker discusses in the context of their family heritage. It represents the importance of character and values in Japanese culture. The speaker's father wanted to pass on a character from his name to the speaker, symbolizing the传承 of values and identity.

💡Mashups

Mashups refer to the blending of different elements to create something new. The speaker uses this term to describe the mixing of art and science, as well as the influence of Japanese culture on their work. They see mashups as a powerful way to create alignment and innovation.

💡Gundam

Gundam is a reference to the Japanese anime series, used by the speaker to discuss the complex themes of technology, humanity, and the warrior's soul. The speaker sees Gundam as more than just robots fighting; it represents the struggle with the power of technology and the responsibility that comes with it.

💡Totoro

Totoro is a character from a Studio Ghibli film, mentioned by the speaker to illustrate the importance of everyday life and simple human experiences in Japanese culture. The speaker connects this to the broader theme of art and science, suggesting that everyday experiences can inspire creativity and innovation.

Highlights

Proud to be at TEDxTokyo, a big believer in Japan and its cultural contributions to the world.

Interest in the intersection of art and science, advocating for the integration of art into STEM education.

Campaigning to add art to STEM, creating STEAM, for innovation in national security.

Lobbied in the US Congress to include art in the America COMPETES Act.

Showcasing the Reactive Square, an early project combining art and technology.

Presenting Tap Type Ride, a monochrome typewriter project inspired by 1996 graphics.

Discussing personal background, growing up in a tofu store in Seattle and the importance of education.

The influence of Japanese culture on the speaker's life and work.

The concept of breaking out of walls and expanding what one believes is possible.

Admiral James Stavridis' talk on nations needing to build bridges instead of walls for security.

The importance of cross-cultural experiences and the challenges of being a cross-cultural person.

The significance of the Japanese surname and the character 'kokoro' in the speaker's family.

The influence of Japanese common culture, such as movies and TV, on the speaker's perspective.

The concept of 'kill or die' and brotherhood formed in blood as a Japanese value.

The idea of benevolent leadership in Japanese folklore and its relevance today.

The complexity of the Gundam series as a metaphor for humanity versus technology.

The perseverance and public failure of the character Torajiro, inspiring curiosity.

The concept of kokorozashi, being a warrior with heart, as a core Japanese ethos.

Totoro's influence on the speaker and the importance of cultural symbols like him.

The speaker's confidence in TEDxTokyo to spread the essence of Japan globally.

Transcripts

hello everybody hi okay so I have a 15

minute presentation but the clock looks

different so I'll to go fast or I'll go

over so sorry about that I'm very proud

to be here when I heard that tedxtokyo

topic was this I wanted to get involved

I'm a big believer in Japan and what it

offers to the world

I'm also believer in Japanese culture in

many ways when I heard up tedxtokyo my

first instinct was to think of TEDx

Twitter son because I'm photo son is an

international icon in a way it doesn't

have much reach of course where I think

he's a great symbol and you're making a

face or whether I see that but I'll

explain why so first of all art science

is a great topic because art science is

about what appears to be two different

things but if anything we learned to

nowadays is that everything can

intersect and connect it doesn't have to

be misaligned it is people that create

the misalignment it is people that can

create alignment I believe now my own

interest in this area has been in the

governmental space I'm arguing heavily

in the US Congress to advocate for art

education in America because I believe

that art and design creativity is vital

to national security we're talking about

America about STEM education science

technology entering mathematics and I

believe that stem alone doesn't lead to

innovation and so we're advocating

heavily to turn stem into steam to add

art into stem and thank you this is a

and this is a active now and the US

Congress for last year and a half we

lobbied to get legislation to put art

into the America COMPETES Act and more

countries are curious what we're doing

and so we hope to adopt as different

countries as well so in a steam side

I've been personally invested in this

boundary between art and science I if

the camera person is here Thanks I woke

up my old computer by the way he's very

happy to be here and I used to make

things for the computer like this that

crossed arts and science I want to show

you a few things

this is the reactive square it responds

to sound it's very old actually but as

you can see by talk it changes I can say

hello hello

I can dictate test test test

I made this by listening to Nisshin Maru

a friend of kendama son over there and

it likes it a lot so I'll play a little

bit from her songs

so gives you a sense of how I've always

been making things but I've always been

inspired by Japanese art and this was a

little experiment to wait long ago I

have a few others I can show you this is

called tap type ride it's a typewriter

based completely in monochrome I made

this because in 1996 this kind of

graphics was becoming very common and my

students were becoming much better than

I was so I had to give up so this is my

last piece it was in black and white

it's all themed a national hyper

direction the ten variations on it

and for this one this is sort of like a

spin the pipe around the ring of type

like flowers this is a balloon and so

these kinds of things I made a lot of

them over a hundred of these types of

experiments and move back to the

computer place the old could be a new

computer and it was a way to play with a

computer when the computer was still

just emerging now I said the computer

has changed a lot but I find that I

don't change very much at all I look

back to my own life to find different

inspiration and I'm my life began at the

tofu store in Seattle you know people

find a strange in Japan when I tell them

I was a son of a tofu yo song that's how

I grew up I grew up in this place in a

Chinatown in Seattle it's a very simple

place and years later I asked myself how

I changed life it was because my father

believed in education my father believed

that someday we could go to college

someday MIT or Harvard where the only

colleges he knew but he believed that

someday he'll go to college and it was

about breaking out of the wall and what

you believed was possible and tEDGlobal

the first date a global this person

spoke his name is Admiral James

stavridis is the supreme commander of

NATO this amazing man he was talking

about how nations can no longer be

secure

based upon walls building walls

he was saying how the only way nations

can be secured now is to build bridges

instead closed versus open as a

brilliant thought

now for the NATO guy to say this was

amazing and so if anything I think back

to tofu stir which was kind of a wall it

was like a prison basically and and the

prison my father ruled he just had that

one vision work hard work hard you must

work hard and so you know going to

college is working hard it was the wall

and I left the wall and it was kind of

happy and I went to MIT and I went to

Japan I came to Japan to study art and

design and in coming to Japan was

another kind of wall for me because I'm

across many cultures intellectual

cultures and also culture cultures I'm

American born or raised but I'm also

Japanese as well in different ways as

well and it's everyone easy to be that

person who's a cross-cultural person in

here

or many here it's very awkward because

you want to be in one which never end

one you're in the other one at the wrong

time for instance when I came to Japan

my name is John Maeda everybody wants to

call me John sung I couldn't figure this

out and I always bothered me and why is

that it's because when I was a child my

father

Yoji mida in the toffee ax whenever the

ocala song come I said why don't

everyone call you yo G son daddy I says

no that's bad they have to call me - son

it's not a respect

I kept thinking like why is if I call me

John son then you know and so I tried to

brand myself as Chuck issue my Japanese

name but so nobody cares the comment

John song so it's a found very awkward

but if anything this this important

surname in Japan we know that the

characters mattered my father told me

when I was maybe 7 years old how his

father had the had the Coco Rosati in

his name kikuchi my Ducati and he had in

his name and he wanted to give it to me

this this this character cocoros hace

which as a child I didn't understand

what it meant you know it's interesting

an interesting character but I want to

share with you my journey on the

airplane making a presentation for all

of you what that means

so that ok let's try this

so first of all Ted stands for

Technology and MIT gaping technology but

the E and D stands for entertainment and

design and these things came to me

through culture through actually

Japanese common culture not the culture

you seen the museum's or the shrines

just from my father's view of Japan now

my father's view Japan was all formed by

things like this now yet understand

we had movie theaters there was no cable

TV or video tapes and so we would watch

with aghast and in June every year and

as a child like what is this thing

they're doing in the summer like what is

this you know I know concept of every

year I could see some incredibly strange

people I remember a Susan G Kyoko kind

of common butts across different things

very interesting I remember go ahead o

me kind of like Lady Gaga of the time

and I'll never forget the crossed over

moment of this person matsumoto Kazuko

because she combined Enka and popular

together is crazy right

what is she she has a shamisen but she's

popular is she cute or is she old I

can't tell and so that's why I saw the

culture of Japan mash up Japan mashups

are okay any which way powerful thing s

point number one whenever two is the

Yakuza movies my father loved these

through technology these two men were

the groundings of my family my mother

loved these guys my father adored these

these symbols of manlihood of Japan who

knows who these people are can you raise

your hand

so maybe half of you yeah you got to

check it out but I mean cuz they're only

doing one of two things they're gonna go

out and die or is it gonna go out and

just like kill people and there's some

combination to and I always said it's

funny how like every scene whatever has

like a gravestone in it there's always

like someone died so I'm gonna fight for

that person who died it's very

sentimental in a way but from that I

learned the concept of kill die you know

Brotherhood deep formed in blood which

is the Japanese value when it's a

awesome time it's on his kid like you

know if I die you must die to for honor

it just awesome you know and like this

guy was like James Bond because as you

know closerto coming he had this this

baby cart not like a Bugaboo like this

VIP Bugaboo this thing could like

shooting everything and so he's like

pull it out and machine guns would pop

out an amazing idea really and if you

think about this you know people talk

about Batman the tumbler I mean that was

the old tumbler so early Japan has

always embodies idea of like putting

your life on the line training for all

your skills and using technology to help

you out in a pinch other value

you know this moment I was wonder what

the hell is he what is that but I knew

it was important but more importantly I

saw this idea on Japanese folklore that

there are the peasants and there are the

God type people and the God Thai people

are benevolent okay the leaders will

help you they care about you and I think

Japan is a society that believes in a

leader however in this day and age it's

hard to believe in the leaders not just

in Japan in every country today it's a

big question right now this kind of

leader is hard to imagine this

benevolent old guy who kicks butt

everywhere he goes and saves young saves

people a great concept and it's a great

concept because about benevolence a

leader that cares

that's am Nishant and then this gun gun

and too many people they see Gundam and

they say oh that's like robots fighting

whatever so that's like shooting and

stuff but as all of you know who know

Gundam Gundam is very complex it's about

a young warrior who doesn't understand

what he can do with his power Jumeirah

Amarula a new title Shin GI tak Reba ah

no no psycho Savita you have to rock you

up that's coming so this idea he's

basically a digital native who is able

to use the mobile suit and like

everyone's like how does he do that and

it's and also he's he struggles with the

fact that he has this amazing technology

but the technology is killing people

which he has to overcome or understand

as a warrior so don don was very complex

but it shows you how the warrior's soul

is not so clean it's not so clear and

also he had this trouble because he knew

he could use it the best but even though

I can use it the best what will he do

with it

how will his life be formed because of

it was a common common question so it's

about humanity versus technology and

there Joe

to Naga she uh she Oh Scott Mississippi

Katja god this guy kept keeps getting

beaten up and like he keeps getting

beaten up in the end he beats up the

other guy so it's this idea that we will

beat you to pulp but I will come back so

this idea is common in Japan I want to

say that in great creative people

because creative people have to work

double hard to make a difference and

this is John J from white and Kennedy

and John J often teaches a class

attending in New York and he tells his

students on the first day you know you

guys might be younger than me you guys

might be smarter than me you guys might

have a resource with me but guess what

you can't do you cannot work harder than

me I can work hard you pretty cool but

his keys here was Asano Jo so these

iconic parts of Japanese culture

influenced a lot of culture today

you know central cheeto so this idea

everyone no need no the onigiri scene

yeah so like you know kind of lost the

main characters lost and then finds this

the rice balls from a friend Italy oh

I'm too crying you know why the crop why

are people crying because it's a moment

of coming in touch with something you

remember something very human the spirit

of your being food core basics and we

just had mr. Suzuki here at RISD thanks

to tie a sheet over there

he gave the honorary speech and in his

speech he talked about how the studio

ghibli approached animation is to never

go out in the field and do research they

never do research they don't study

things they have to research their

everyday life to make animations so this

idea of the everyday life is so

important I think in Japan and then

finally Taurus on

bounine on you Steven that'll open on

Salwa so this is his nephew saying I

wonder I wonder what my uncle is doing

right now what is he doing and this is a

great opening scene where tourists on

sees the old man and a young young

people who are not letting him sit down

and Souter son says oh I'll fix that so

he goes over to the old man and says

I'll tell them to go away don't worry

old you sound and I get out of the way

now get out of here gets go move move

and he says so excited everything for

you no problem sit down in all that says

don't call me an old man you know it

says what use the wine or what it's okay

okay

don't be embarrassed sit down old man so

all bad starts like then he's getting

upset cuz old man was to fight him and

in turns beating up the old man you know

and then they were the young people have

like say vetoed a sound from like

beating up the guy but this idea of

tourists on is so fascinating because

it's a person who is always failing

publicly all the time

but every time he fails kind of like

Austin enjoy you want him to stand up

again but if anything you're proud of

him because you wonder what will he do

next you know in the beginning he says

what is my uncle doing now that wonder

that curiosity is possible because of a

character like Taurus on now you know

going back to closing cocoros Oscar this

character to me made much sense later in

life because as I could read congeners I

could see oh this is a two characters

warrior and heart and if anthias

embodies Japanese culture the idea being

a warrior with heart or a heartful

warrior its core to the ethos in Japan

and what our son just before he died he

did one last interview I'm not sure if

you saw who saw the last interview with

Toto son remember that interview he

talks about how Superman people wants to

remind to fly when reality Superman

can't fly I'm told us I can wave my hand

when people say told us on I laid my

hand but at some point I can't because

I'm not super-powered now the one hand

you can read this as wow he has given up

he's old he could no longer do it

another way we read it is

Wow you know he spent his entire life

devoted to this role and he gave

everything he had to it so he really is

that Kokoro zosky the warrior with heart

he's someone that symbolizes something

Japan may have lost but still has and

said its culture and said we're

optimistic about that so closing all

these values had talked about our values

that I've been influenced between people

in Japan persevere he managed for

technology to risk your life with

technology to fail to wonder benevolence

cocoros Oishi brotherhood mashups and

finally learn from new things many

people you over here here have

influenced me for us Ishi over there

thank you turn up turn them over there

there people here this audience who I

think our emblem the best of Japan and

what it can do and I'm confident that

tedxtokyo can help to spread this idea

of Japan all over the world thank you

very much

you