Professor Shinichi Takemura will demonstrate his magical Tangible Earth project, an interactive multimedia representation of our planet, presented on a glowing globe that shows real time views of daylight and weather patterns. Takemura spins the globe with his hands as he explains the meaning of the images, calling up a series of events and predictions about ocean currents, tsunamis, global warming, earthquake patterns, and so on. His demeanor is quiet and professorial as he explains the richness of the scientific data that he has assimilated and made instantly easy to understand. He succeeds in giving us a holistic vision of the state of our planet.
Takemura is known for his numerous cutting-edge, IT-driven social activities, as well as for his incisive views as an anthropologist. He is a professor at the Kyoto University of Art and Design, where he teaches anthropology, international relations, and information society theory. Takemura is engaged in the development of social information platforms, or what he calls "socialware," with the Earth Literacy Program, a nonprofit organization he founded that serves as a base for his activities. In 2001, he conceived the Tangible Earth project, in collaboration with scientists from various fields. For the first time in the United States, participants will be able to see and experience Tangible Earth at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.