From October 25th (Fri) to November 3rd (Sun), 2024, the Microwave International New Media Arts Festival 2024, an international media art exhibition with a history spanning over 20 years, was held at Hong Kong City Hall. The art installation "Inclusive Quiet Room"—led by Assistant Professor Masako Kimura (Department of Integrated Information Technology, College of Science and Engineering) from Aoyama Gakuin university—was selected as an invited work for exhibition. The project was a collaborative effort involving team members from Nagoya Institute of Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Diver-X Inc., and the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (MUK), and features a portable, foldable temporary structure (instant house).This installation was the only work from Japan nominated for the exhibition and marks the first time a work from Aoyama Gakuin university has been invited to be part of the main exhibition at this prestigious international media art festival.

This year’s Microwave International New Media Arts Festival 2024 is themed "你好不好 HOW YOU DOIN’"—a question meaning "Are you okay?" directed towards those emotionally affected by Hong Kong's current social climate. Against the backdrop of a rising number of people facing mental health challenges, including conditions such as ASD, ADHD and autism, the festival primarily invited and showcased works that aim to heal and speak to the heart. On Saturday November 2nd, an invited talk show by Assistant Professor Masako Kimura was held, focusing on "Inclusive Quiet Room."

Artwork Introduction

Inclusive Quiet Room (2022)

"Inclusive Quiet Room" is an art piece that uses a foldable and portable instant house to create a space where anyone can calm down and relax. By spending time inside of the "Calm Down Space," which combines visual and sound expressions, anyone -including those who are prone to panic symptoms in places with a lot of stimuli and people due to sensory hypersensitivity such as perception and hearing, and those with mental health issues, can calm down and quiet their mind. In the Calm Down Space, you can experience digital rehabilitation by combining immersive VR images that are conscious of the Snoezelen effect (comfortable sensory stimulation), calming music, soft sofas, and weighted chain blankets.

This work was introduced on social media by influencers in Hong Kong and China, and many people lined up to get in the room. At the event held in Hong Kong, more than 1,000 of the approximately 4,000 visitors experienced the "Inclusive Quiet Room."

• Inclusive Quiet Room

Comment from Assistant Professor Masako Kimura

This artwork was exhibited at international events such as Laval Virtual (France) and SIGGRAPH 2023 (USA) in 2023, and this is the third international exhibition of this work, including the Hong Kong exhibition. I sincerely hope that this work will help people with mental health issues find peace of mind and spread socially meaningful spaces and ideas.
Through this artwork, I felt that it was very meaningful to have many discussions with people in Hong Kong and China about the social position of people with mental health problems and mental disorders. I believe that in the future, not only will efforts to create a calming environment for people with mental disabilities and mental health problems spread throughout society, but we will also realize a society where people with mental disabilities and mental health problems can work together without being discriminated against at school or in the workplace.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Joel Kwong, who invited us to this exhibition, the microwave team members Florence, Joy, Jackson, Jason and other staff, the Hong Kong student volunteers, the support team from Japan, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Aoyama Gakuin University, Diver-X, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (MUK), other supporters, everyone who experienced the work, and everyone who supports this work. Thank you very much.