exhibition

Loophole

Loophole is a lighting product shaped after the loading icon, translating the digital experience of “waiting” into physical space. A symbol that would normally disappear once a process is complete is reconstructed as a light that continues to rotate without loading anything, making visible the pauses and intervals increasingly lost in a culture of speed and efficiency. In collaboration with Japanese traditional dancer Tokutaro Hanayagi, the project brings digital temporality into dialogue with a sense of time cultivated through the body. By placing product and performance, technology and tradition side by side, Loophole proposes a different experience of waiting—one that creates space for pause, attention, and reflection.

overview

Loophole is a lighting product that transforms the loading icon commonly seen on smartphones and other digital devices into a physical object. Its circular metal structure and programmed lighting recreate the icon’s rotating motion in real space. The exhibition presents the product itself alongside a collaboration with Japanese traditional dancer Tokutaro Hanayagi. The rhythm of the rotating light is brought into dialogue with the pauses, timing, and bodily movements of Japanese dance, creating a spatial presentation in which digital interfaces, product design, and physical performance intersect.

member

The project is developed by four collaborators who have worked together across previous projects. Shōei Matsuda leads the creative direction, drawing on his practice of translating digital symbols into physical forms. Hiroki Shimizu is responsible for metal fabrication and production, while Yusaku Kimura develops the technical aspects across both hardware and software. Tokutaro Hanayagi contributes bodily expression rooted in Japanese traditional dance. Together, the team brings art, product design, technology, fabrication, and performance into a shared creative process.