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The Person in a Culture Dish — Otaku
#004Nine types of contemporary otaku distilled into nine symbols, each sealed in resin like a specimen — small enclosed worlds that grow and change on their own.
- Année
- 2023
- date
- 2023.08 – 2023.11
- dimension
- 25cm × 25cm × 0.3cm · 19cm × 19cm × 4cm
- media
- resin, acrylic paint, clay, ultraviolet epoxy
A — INSPIRATION
“Otaku” comes from 1970s Japan, where it reads as a neutral identity — anime, manga and games, but also idols, fujoshi, railways, cars, NEET. What they share is staying inside a world of their own making.
B — PROCESS
Nine types of otaku. Each one’s objects and colours are collected, drawn in ink, folded into symmetry, then coloured into a symbol — the four columns below, in order.
Type No.1 — Military Otaku
Type No.2 — Occult Otaku
Type No.3 — ACG Otaku
Type No.4 — Transportation Otaku
Type No.5 — Pop Culture Otaku
Type No.6 — Earthy Culture Otaku
Type No.7 — Phantom Concept Otaku
Type No.8 — Alien Pet Otaku
Type No.9 — Clothing Otaku
C — BOOK DESIGN
The content is haiku — short classical Japanese poems summarising each type. In the typography, graphics and text are treated as one symbol, linked by flowing lines that carry the rhythm of the composition.
D — OUTCOME 1: PRINT
Weighted transparent acrylic instead of paper, so the work changes with how you stack it, where you are, and what light is on it. Reading becomes something closer to exploring.
E — OUTCOME 2: INSTALLATION
A small interactive installation echoing the title. Acrylic fluid painting, felt work and clay modelling build a miniature ecology — the persona of the group, visible at a glance.
F — DETAIL
Clay pinched into fungal forms, fluid acrylic and silicone oil for the cellular texture, UV adhesive over the top. The mycelium is wool felt, with miniature models set into it.
