午夜剧场

In the past, when people found it difficult to move their bodies as they wished, they invented technologies to provide prosthetics for physical functions. Eyeglasses are one such example. Today, the trend is shifting from prosthetics toward the augmentation of abilities.

For example, in the case of a missing leg, the action of walking is made possible by wearing a prosthetic limb, while the action of running is made possible by augmenting the body with sports prosthetics that utilize spring technology. This has enabled individuals to stand on the field of entertainment known as sports.

Prosthetic limbs are gaining attention in the field of sports, and it is a fact that the records of athletes using prosthetics have surpassed Olympic records. I was fascinated, like a child seeing a superhuman, by the way individuals with disabilities "exceed the physical abilities of able-bodied people," and I developed a strong interest in this. At the same time, I strongly questioned the fixed stereotype of "disability," which carries a negative connotation in society.

At the time, I was involved in research on physical augmentation and wondered if prosthetic arms might hold some kind of potential, similar to prosthetic legs. Therefore, I reframed the disability of a missing limb as a "blank space (sketchbook)" that can be freely designed, augmented, and customized.

Conventional research on prosthetic arms focuses primarily on functional aspects, with few proposals focusing on entertainment value. Entertainment is inherently defined as a cultural act aimed at amusing the participants, regardless of whether they have a disability.

However, it is difficult for individuals with disabilities to fully enjoy existing musical instruments or sports designed for able-bodied people, and the environment is not properly established. In the case of congenital limb deficiency, the current situation is such that future options are limited from the moment of birth.

I am working on creating a new framework for entertainment by designing the "MusiArm," a prosthetic arm musical instrument with free performance functions, for the "blank space" of a missing limb. The prosthetic arm instrument realizes intuitive musical expression by making a part of the body function as an instrument through the fusion of physical and musical expression. At the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics, a performance by a user was showcased, and the prosthetic arm instrument captivated many people's hearts.

By turning musical performance—one of the things individuals "cannot do"—into something they "can do and enjoy," I aim to transform the prosthetic arm from something used to "hide a disability" into something that "captivates people," shifting the paradigm regarding prosthetic arms and disabilities.