When Wordplay Takes Form: “DAJ“AR”E” by Lychee Tomita

Beware: Dad Jokes Ahead!

With DAJ“AR”E (“Dad jokes” in Japanese with “AR” highlighted in quotation marks to emphasize the pun) by interior designer Lychee Tomita, you can experience some classic Japanese puns in AR.

What kind of chemistry will you create between language and visuals when nonsensical word combinations such as Futon-Ga-Futtonda, Arumikan-No-Ue-Ni-Aru-Mikan, and Kabu-Ga-Ukabu are brought to life in AR?

Translations for each pun:

• ふとんがふっとんだ (Futon-Ga-Futtonda): The futon flew away.
• アルミ缶の上にあるみかん (Arumikan-No-Ue-Ni-Aru-Mikan): There is a mandarin on top of the aluminum can.
• かぶが浮かぶ (Kabu-Ga-Ukabu): The turnip floats.

 

By tapping the center of the clock that first appears, the hands of the clock will begin to rotate, and when they stop at nine o’clock, a lottery appears. The first pun, “draw from a lot (nine o’clock),” was just activated.

On the lottery ticket is a picture of a futon.

Translation:

• くじ（9時）を引く (Kuji-Wo-Hiku): Draw from a lot / Stop at nine o’clock. (Kuji means both “lot” and “nine.”)

A futon appears in front of you. The futon—under a clear sky and laid out by the bay—looks very cozy to sleep on. However, if you tap the dangerous-looking button at the front of the scene, the futon explodes and flies away.

You’ll find many cows in the next scene. If you turn around, there is a cow…right behind you! This occurrence may not happen often, but the surprise of this unusual experience will eventually turn into laughter.

Translation:

• うしが後ろに (Ushi-Ga-Ushiro-Ni): There is a cow behind you.

Can you guess what pun these images represent?

DAJ“AR”E begins like a riddle and fascinates with its unique pacing. Viewers can’t resist their excitement each time they draw from the lot and encounter a new joke.

There are many more scenes available—we recommend trying them out!

When Wordplay Takes Form

This work is about experiencing puns visually.

Even if one understands the words, one experiences word play visually in the real world beyond the bounds of imagination. While everyone has fleeting thoughts, the majority never leave our inner minds. I came to think that XR was the tool that would help manifest the thoughts trapped in our heads. I wanted to reaffirm that XR can transcend the realities of words in our heads and the real world itself.

—Via the official NEWVIEW Website

Lychee Tomita believes that the embodiment of the mind—the ability to give form to an individual’s imagination and create an experience in the real world—is the most special characteristic of XR.

XR is technology that can fuse real and virtual worlds together to create entirely new landscapes and experiences. In this work, the “virtual world” is perpetually linked to the inner mind and its possibilities, and it will transport you to an “imagined reality” directly created by those thoughts.

A Friendly Approach to an Unfamiliar Medium

Since the Edo period, ‘dajare’, or puns, have been a staple of Japanese word play. This made me think – if this tradition has existed for over 400 years until the Reiwa period, there must be something at its core that continues to resonate with people. Then it hit me—if I were able to utilize technology to elevate dajare, this could make the experience an entirely different thing[.]

—Via the official NEWVIEW Website

Joke-telling was originally part of the etiquette of the nobility. DAJ“AR”E focuses on jokes that used to be clever but now have become bad puns and aims to reassure and comfort people. In Tomita’s words, he hopes that the viewer “sees it as a breath of fresh air and a silly thing in the midst of many difficult-to-understand XR works.”

I hope you can forget your tedium and have a good laugh as you experience these scenes.

If you wish to view this work outdoors, please make sure that your surroundings are safe and free from obstacles like cars or other pedestrians.

How to Experience an AR Scene

If you are accessing this page from a smartphone, tap the “Try Now” button.
If you are using STYLY for the first time, please also refer to the instructions below.

After tapping “Try Now,” you will be redirected to a page like below.
If you have already downloaded the STYLY Mobile app, select “Activate in STYLY app.”

If you are accessing this page from a PC web browser, first click the “Try Now” button to open the scene page.
Then, in the scene page, click “Experience in AR” and scan the QR code with your smartphone to launch the scene on the STYLY Mobile app.

Download the STYLY Mobile app

 

 

For those who want to know more about how to experience the scene:
For more information on how to experience AR scenes, please refer to the following article.

Edited by SASAnishiki
Translated by cpnnn