EXPO 2025 CO-DESIGN PROJECT

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Designing an open future
where multiple “worlds” resonate.

We’ve launched a project, called EXPO WORLDs, and have been working on promoting the visual and sound design for EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Through this project, we seek to create a wide variety of buzzing “lives” in every corner of the EXPO venue to spark excitement and encourage more people to participate in this event and create something new together.

EXPO WORLDs is an open design project in which diverse collaborations take place. We design visual and sound experiences, breathing new life into every corner of the EXPO venue.

Here on Yumeshima Island, humans, nature, and technology resonate, countless lives intersect to create a new world. We envision this kind of future together with many distinctive artists and creators.

The venue is filled with unique flags, monuments welcoming visitors from across the world, playful signs, and lively characters depicted by artists. Various music pieces playing in each different area create the EXPO soundscape.

Our creations are more than just designs—rather, they are a step forward for us to create a new world together.
We will design an open future beyond this place where people, nature, and technology resonate.

Statement

Visual Design

The visual design that spices up the EXPO venue on Yumeshima Island is based on the concept of the “Circulation of Lives.”

We make all the elements unique and vivid in the venue, including the monuments, flags, signs and art works, and create the EXPO landscape where those elements exist like living things.

Japan’s ancient belief that all things have a living soul can be expanded into the present time. We see spirits in technology, not to mention humans, animals, and plants.
We create a lively EXPO venue, not only as a visually beautiful and playful place, but also as a platform for open design through the collaboration of various artists.

EXPO2025 Dressing

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CO-MYAKUSign

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CO-MYAKU'25

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Sound Design

The sound design that embraces the EXPO venue on Yumeshima Island is based on the concept of the “Ensemble of Lives.”

The venue is divided in several sections. In each section, different audio is played.Seven sound artists collaborate with the EXPO soundscape creative team, creating various sounds for each section.

Every musical piece is composed based on the same BPM, so that each piece naturally harmonizes with others across each section. It seems as if the sounds of all living things and objects in the world—humans, nature, animals, and technology—blend together to create a whole new ensemble.We design such soundscapes throughout the entire venue where visitors can feel the “Circulation of Lives” with their ears and sense the unity of the sound and the space.

Statement
WORLDs creating a new WORLD.

The world we are living in is made of interactions of countless “worlds.”

People are living in various countries and cultures, animals and plants in nature.They, living in different “worlds,” have led their lives while getting close, separating, confronting, and laughing at times.

Today, in this highly connected world, we tend to assume we are communicating and networking with each other more than ever.Yet, we have already built walls, spending less time together and widening gaps even further.

We want to connect these “worlds” again.

Since ancient times, people in Japan have found living souls in myriads of things and treasure each existence.

If you see things through that perspective, you will be aware that technology also generates new lives and enlivens today’s world.

If humans, nature, and technology—all three—embrace each other to take a step forward beyond divides, possibilities will expand and our future will become more exciting.

We can design a new world—a life-centric place created by countless worlds.

  • ©David Vintiner
    Venue Design Producer
    Sou Fujimoto
    Sou Fujimoto Architects
    X
  • Producer
    Hanaoka
    Ningen
    X
  • Creative Director
    Kota Hikichi
    VISIONs
    XInstagram
  • Sound / Music Director & Sound Producer
    Bruce Ikeda
    JKD Collective
    XInstagram
  • Project Producer
    Satoshi Kawaguchi
    ZIZO
    X
  • Technical Director
    Junichi Akagawa
    XInstagram

Visual Design

Soundscape Design

Credits

  • ALL
    Venue Design Producer
    Sou Fujimoto (Sou Fujimoto Architects)
    Producer
    Hanaoka (Ningen)
    Creative Director
    Kota Hikichi (VISIONs)
  • VISUAL DESIGN
    Project Manager
    Toi Takada (AID-DCC) / Tamami Kawakata / Hiroki Takahashi (Takahashi Construction)
    Art Director
    Kota Hikichi (VISIONs)
    Spatial Designer
    takashi Inoue (t.i.d.a.)
    Graphic Designer
    Satoshi Matsuo (Ningen) / Takuma Yamaoka (Ningen) / Karina Tani (Hanadiboo)
    Typography Design (MYAKU-MYAKU Monument)
    Ryu Mieno
    3D Modeler
    FES Inc.
    Playable Sign Art Direction & Illustrator
    Shinji Hamana (Beach)
    Planner
    Shiboru Yamane (Ningen) / Issei Asato (TANSAN) / Aya Shimada (Minnano)
    Copywriter
    Takahiro Hisaoka (parks)
    On-site Director
    Takahiro Andras Suzuki (synasta) / Sachi Hashimoto
    Assistant
    Mika Hamada (Ningen)
  • SOUNDSCAPE DESIGN
    Sound / Music Director & Sound Producer
    Bruce Ikeda (JKD Collective)
    Project Producer
    Satoshi Kawaguchi (ZIZO)
    Technical Director
    Junichi Akagawa
    Audio Mixing / Mastering Engineer
    Yoshihiro Yamaguchi
    Sound System Engineer
    Koji Fujita (HIRANYA ACCESS)
    Assistant Producer
    Kei Okazaki (JKD Collective)
    ARTIST
    Composers / Sound Artist
    evala / Hiroshi Watanabe aka Kaito / Kuniyuki / Takahashi / KEIZOmachine! / Koshi Miura / Masayoshi Fujita / Midori Hirano
  • MOVIE PROJECT
    Movie Director
    Kota Hikichi (VISIONs) / Bruce Ikeda (JKD Collective)
    Executive Producer
    Bruce Ikeda (JKD Collective)
    Producer
    Kei Okazaki (JKD Collective) / Ryoichiro Honma (HATCH)
    Animation Director
    Shinji Hamana (Beach)
    Motion Designer
    Takahiro Yamamichi (Beach) / Fujiko Hamamoto
    CG Designer
    Hana Fujii (Beach) / Takayoshi Sasai (CAVIAR)
    Copywriter
    Takahiro Hisaoka (parks)
    Production Manager
    Kenji Kinoshita (HATCH)
    Director of Photography
    Chris Rudz
    Drone Operator / 2nd Camera
    Shota Nakajima
    Camera Assistant
    Yuya Morimoto / Satoru Kitagawa
    Editor
    Shane Lester
    Colorist
    Mai Kawamura
    Music
    KEIZOmachine! / Koshi Miura / Masayoshi Fujita / Hiroshi Watanabe / Kuniyuki Takahashi / Midori Hirano
    Music Director
    Bruce Ikeda (JKD Collective)
    Sound Editor / Mixing & Mastering
    Yoshihiro Yamaguchi
    Production Companies
    JKD Collective / HATCH / Beach
  • Web PROJECT
    Art Director
    Kota Hikichi (VISIONs)
    Web Director
    Satoshi Atake (C/C/N)
    Copywriter
    Takahiro Hisaoka (parks)
    Web Designer
    Kengo Takeuchi (LIVINGSTON DESIGN)
    Web Engineer
    Masaaki Okamoto
    Photographer
    Yohei Shimada / Haruki Miyoshi
    Translator
    Sayako Kidokoro (TRUNK) / Yutaka Suzuki
  • Venue Produce
    Sou Fujimoto (Sou Fujimoto Architects)
  • Construction & Fabrication
    Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    atelier Loji
    ARTRACT Inc.
    M.J Co., Ltd.
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