What is “experimental”? Vol. 2 Biomedical Engineering for Space × Physical Expression

Yoshinobu Ohira is a visiting professor at Doshisha University’s Organization for Research Initiatives and Development. He completed a doctorate at the University of Southern California and was a special visiting professor at the Faculty of Health and Sports Science, Doshisha University, from 2014. He was appointed to his current position in 2019. He is also a member of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Astronaut Supporters Committee and the steering committee of the Science Union for Human Planetary Habitation in Space. Fascinated by the sky from a young age, he applied to be the first astronaut sent into space by the National Space Development Agency of Japan, the predecessor of JAXA, and reached the final shortlist of seven candidates. In his research, he studies how muscles and nerves change in space, and ways to prevent this, and endeavors to link those insights to help extend health life expectancy on earth.

Masaru Kakio is a dancer and choreographer based in Osaka. While strongly influenced by modern dance and Kazuo Ohno’s butoh, his work also interacts with the fields of contemporary music, philosophy, film and street culture. Since 2004, he has made guest appearances in Toshiko Oka’s Ensemble Sonne. Between 2006 to 2009 he was active as a member of contact Gonzo. He has performed in Invisible Man (2003) choreographed by Zan Yamashita, Sea Water (2014) in collaboration with Yukichi Matsumoto and Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, Monkeys and Mortale (2015) choreographed by Jareo Osamu, Prayer (2015) choreographed by Nora Chipaumire and The Operation Theatre (2017) choreographed by Toshiko Oka. In 2018 he was selected for the FIDCDMX (Mexico) Solo Dance Competition. In 2019, Kakio's first solo dance work Ai no Yukue premiered at Dance Box, Kobe.