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[title]In mid-July, contemporary art collective [mé] launched a gigantic face floating over Tokyo, titled ‘Masayume’. The work is part of the Tokyo Tokyo Festival Special 13, and is based on the face of an actual person selected from about 1,000 photos submitted from around the world.
The idea for ‘Masayume’ was inspired by a dream. At the age of 14, [mé] artist Haruka Kojin dreamt about a massive face floating in the sky and the image stayed with her. Unfortunately, when the artists began working on ‘Masayume’, Kojin wasn’t able to remember the exact face she had seen. So the art collective started workshops in Tokyo and online to encourage people of all ages, genders and nationalities to send in pictures of their own faces instead.
The process for Kojin to realise her dream spanned over three years. Beginning in March 2019, several events were held to find and select the ideal face. People from around the world submitted their portraits and [mé] conducted in-person workshops across Tokyo to encourage people to participate in the project.
Once the portraits were in, the artists held live panel discussions with an expert in facial science and a court sketch artist to help them select the final portrait. Then, in April 2020, [mé] held a three-day series of talk sessions with a photographer, an artist and an academic that was live-streamed online. The talks explored topics such as the connection between the city and people, the science of seeing, and the reconsideration of Tokyo’s scenery.
The final artwork was unveiled on Friday July 16 2021. Around 7am, the face of a person, whose name remains anonymous, rose into the sky above Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park. Its distinctive expression was the reason why this face was chosen. No matter which angle you look at it from, it always seems to be looking back at you.
The massive artwork may or may not float over Tokyo again. So keep your eyes on the sky and hopefully you’ll be lucky to catch a glimpse of this surreal floating face again.