Ken Tanabe

Halloween 2012: Death of Discs

Ken Tanabe — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 17:01:28 +0000

This costume represents the “Death of Discs,” especially CDs and DVDs, and foreshadows the end of Blu-ray and spinning hard drives. It is made of DVD cases and blank DVDs, which are either free or very inexpensive as they approach obsolescence. The concept for this costume came from my Death of VHS costume in 2004, which was made from discarded VHS tapes. Thank you to Catherine Leung for taking these photographs.

MATERIALS:
Free: 16 single-disc DVD cases. Bought: 10 dual-disc DVD cases ($4.29), 50-pack of white printable blank DVDs ($12.50). Already owned: black jeans, black turtleneck, black Y-3 high top shoes, gaffer’s tape, black elastic bands, X-acto blades, gaffer’s tape, scissors.

Beyoncé “I Was Here” (United Nations World Humanitarian Day Performance)

Ken Tanabe — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 04:10:20 +0000

This was a massive projection-mapped animation for Beyoncé’s performance of her song “I Was Here” at the United Nations General Assembly Hall on 8/10/12 in New York City. The piece was custom designed for the largest indoor curved projection screen ever built: 224 x 46 feet (68 x 14 meters), 240 degrees, with a horizontal resolution of 9000 pixels. World Humanitarian Day honors humanitarian aid workers around the world, and encourages everyone to help others in their community. The project shared more than one billion messages of hope via the Thunderclap platform.

I was an art director on this project for NYC animation and production studio Dirt Empire. I also provided design and animation for select scenes. We worked in partnership with directors Kenzo Digital and Sophie Muller, ad agency Droga5, and film/commercial production company Ridley Scott Associates. Projection technology was directed by SuperUber, and key animated scenes were created by motion graphics studio Founding Fathers. Label: Parkwood Entertainment/Sony Music Entertainment. Producer: Scott Robinson.

Learn more about the project at whd-iwashere.org

Hafu Film Infographics

Ken Tanabe — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 22:34:15 +0000

“Hafu” is a film about the experiences of mixed-Japanese living in Japan. The word “hafu” literally means “half,” but is used to refer to people of mixed Japanese descent. I designed and animated these infographics to illustrate changing demographics of Japan. The design is bilingual to accommodate Japanese and international distribution. The animation is the last scene of the film, but is also effective as a stand-alone trailer. Produced by Megumi Nishikura and Lara Perez Takagi. Music by Justin North. Learn more about the film at hafufilm.com.

The Good Morning Show

Ken Tanabe — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 22:57:42 +0000

CBS 2 WFMY: “ It’s the 45th anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia case…And in honor of this, hundreds of people will attend celebrations across the country hosted by an organization called Loving Day.”

CNN piece I wrote about Loving Day

Ken Tanabe — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:14:28 +0000

I was asked to write an opinion piece about Loving Day for CNN’s “In America” series, which focuses on identity. This piece was published on Valentine’s Day. Read on CNN, or learn more about my work as a community organizer with Loving Day.

The Lovings: unsung heroes of the civil rights movement

Ken Tanabe — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:55:30 +0000

CNN: “The June 12th anniversary of the Loving decision is celebrated as “Loving Day” in cities all over the U.S., and internationally in Tokyo and Barcelona.”

Brooklyn Historical Society: Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations

Ken Tanabe — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:34:39 +0000

The Brooklyn Historical Society’s “Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations” is an oral history project and public programming series about mixed-heritage. I designed the logo and website for CBBG, as well as two print pieces: the fall 2011 brochure, and the spring 2012 brochure/poster. In addition to my design work, I was also a moderator/interviewer for an event at the Museum of Chinese in America for this series. The Loving Day Project (of which I am founder/president) was a sponsor of this series.

Spring 2012 Poster/Brochure:

Website:

Brochure Fall 2011:

Logo:

Halloween 2011: Red Scooper

Ken Tanabe — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 06:29:07 +0000

This costume’s features giant scoop-hands are designed for rapid collection of tiny “fun-sized” Halloween candy. It was inspired by construction equipment and the robotic suit Sigourney Weaver wore in the movie Aliens. Other inspiration included fireman’s helmets and old school Transformers action figures. Note that the original costume was red, and the extra colorways were created in Photoshop. Thank you to Catherine Leung for taking these photographs.

MATERIALS:
Repurposed: 12 red Ikea “Gles” storage boxes ($26). Bought: Kimberly-Clark heavy duty coveralls ($10.98), Frost King 1/2 inch pipe insulation for 3/8 inch pipes ($2.47). Already owned: Ook invisible hanging wire, two 3/16 x 1 fender washers, two 6/32 x 2 machine screws with bolts, ruler, X-acto blades, gaffer’s tape, scissors, awl.

How The World Got Mixed Up

Ken Tanabe — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:21:50 +0000

BBC Two: “On what its organizers call Loving Day, thousands of people in cities across America celebrate the anniversary of a verdict that legalized mixing.”

DJ Spooky: Antarctica

Ken Tanabe — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:31:31 +0000

DJ Spooky is the stage name of Paul D. Miller, a composer, multimedia artist and writer who has performed everywhere from the Whitney to the Venice Biennale, and has collaborated with everyone from Chuck D to Yoko Ono. I designed numerous pieces for his projects related to Antarctica, including the cover of The Book of Ice and numerous posters – which are both featured in the book and have been exhibited globally.