Regeneration of the Traditional Folding Screen as Media Art by Lenticular Technology

In recent decades, rapid progress in technology and changes in media environment have made it possible to convey works of art to the masses, even if it is hard to preserve the meaning of an original work of art’s conception. Such problems have occurred particularly with respect to several Asian nations whose works of art have a long history, since they cause concern among lovers of such art works as to whether or not they are willing to give up the meaning of their entire culture. Japan is among the forefront of such nations, and is going through a period of trouble on whether it should give up its unique styles of art as a result of changes in life-style. Consequently, Japan is taking pains to determine how to preserve its cultural traditions while at the same time taking steps in the right direction to take its place as one of the member nations of modern society. In our research work we have attempted to graft traditional art and culture onto the new concept of media technology to enlarge the field of media art and to expresses works of art in the form of products that can be used in day-to-day life, not simply as simple pieces of work in which mass media has no interest. We also attempted to find ways to adopt art works to media and to this day and age, escaping out-of-date techniques or artisan’s skills that remain useable today. We not only show the techniques involved in creating works of art but also analyze how the media’s re-analysis of traditional art and culture affects the public and makes it reassess the meanings of works of art.