Shunsuke Takawo is a Japanese generative artist and educator who believes that coding can be integrated into everyday life and personal experiences.
He approaches coding with an improvisational mindset, often likening it to playing a musical instrument. He enjoys incorporating elements of wordplay and humor into his projects as a way to express his personal style.
Born in the late 1980s, Takawo has always been drawn to the intersection of technology and art. He graduated from the University of Tsukuba with a degree in Literature. In 2008, he earned a Master's degree from the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences (IAMAS) with a focus on exploring new ways of viewing digital photography and creating interactive applications.
His thesis project, Depth of the Field - Processing Photography Blink Series (2008), was exhibited at the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM). The project used computer vision to detect the blink of an eye when viewing a photograph, creating a unique and immersive viewing experience.
It was during this time that Takawo first met Zach Lieberman, a fellow generative artist. This encounter inspired him to explore new ways of expression through code.
In 2015, Takawo began a daily practice of writing personal code using Processing, a programming language specifically designed for artists and designers. He continued this practice for four years, until 2019, when he switched to p5.js.
In 2021, he launched "Generativemasks," an NFT art project that sold out 10k artworks within two hours of its launch. He donated all of his profits from the project to the Processing Foundation and other organizations related to generative art. Additionally, he is the founder of the Japan General Art Foundation, where he continues to promote the intersection of art and technology.
Takawo shares code on OpenProcessing under a Creative Commons license, inviting others to use and build upon their work. He views programming languages as a natural language, akin to music or spoken language.
For him, coding has become a form of sketching, a way to hum a melody and explore new creative possibilities. Through his unique approach to code and technology, Takawo continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in the intersection of art and technology.
