The Person in a Culture Dish — Otaku

A — INSPIRATION

The term “Otaku” originated in Japan in the 1970s and has become an enduring part of East Asian culture. It generally refers to people who are deeply passionate about subcultures — especially anime, manga, and video games. Today, “otaku” is seen as a neutral identity, embraced by many in Japan.

Otaku culture has many branches, such as ACG fans, idol enthusiasts, “rotting girls” who enjoy BL content, and niche groups like railroad or car otaku. Some are also defined by lifestyle, such as NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).

Despite their diversity, otaku share a tendency to stay within their own worlds, building small spaces shaped by personal interests. To me, this state is like a culture dish — an enclosed environment that grows and changes on its own.

B — PROCESS

First, I distinguished nine types of contemporary otaku with distinctive characteristics and extracted their figurative features to form a collection. In this process the representative colours, materials, and objects of each type become apparent, and create the basis for the subsequent installation. The figurative representations are then distilled into simple moving shapes, made even more mysterious by the flow of ink and the symmetry of origami, and finally overlaid with corresponding colours to form unique symbols.

Type No.1 — Military Otaku

People passionate about the military field and related ACGs, often showing a high level of passion for politics on the internet. Graphic extracts: guns, ammunition, keyboards.

Type No.2 — Occult Otaku

People passionate about metaphysics such as tarot cards, astrology, or I Ching Bagua. Graphic extracts: eyes, hexagrams, reptiles.

Type No.3 — ACG Otaku

The most typical otaku, obsessed with games, anime, and manga. Graphics extracted: from books and pen and paper.

Type No.4 — Transportation Otaku

People obsessed with collecting models and information about transportation, including buses and plane tickets. Graphic extraction: wheels and triangles representing roadblocks.

Type No.5 — Pop Culture Otaku

People obsessed with popular online culture, covering a wide range of media platforms. Image extraction: morphing of logos from various social media.

Type No.6 — Earthy Culture Otaku

A special group reflecting poverty and hardship, often creating their own circle in marginalized markets. Graphic extraction: cigarette butts and wine bottles.

Type No.7 — Phantom Concept Otaku

People passionate about studying speculative and post-apocalyptic worldviews such as cyberpunk and steampunk. Graphic extraction: red and blue pills, scattered data from The Matrix.

Type No.8 — Alien Pet Otaku

People who breed special plants and animals such as lizards, snakes, and spiders. Graphic extraction: snakes and alien flowers.

Type No.9 — Clothing Otaku

Mostly women passionate about culturally specific clothing, inspired by European Rococo, Japanese school uniforms, and punk fashion. Image extraction: Rococo corset, ribbon bow.

C — BOOK DESIGN

In the book design, the content takes the form of haiku — a short classical Japanese poem — using phrases and words to poetically summarize the qualities of each type of otaku.

In the typographic process, graphics and text are seen as part of the symbol, linked together with flowing lines that reflect the wholeness and rhythm of the composition.

D — OUTCOME 1: PRINT

Instead of traditional paper, the material is weighted transparent acrylic, which is designed to allow readers to experience the various effects of the work in different combinations, in different environments, and under different lights. It makes the process of reading no longer boring, but as much fun as exploring.

E — OUTCOME 2: INSTALLATION

A small interactive installation was developed to echo the theme The Person in a Culture Dish — Otaku. Using traditional craft techniques such as acrylic fluid painting, felt work, and clay modeling, it recreates a miniature ecological environment that quickly visualizes the persona of this social group.

F — DETAIL

In order to simulate the growing state of the fungus in the installation, clay was used to pinch out the different forms of fungus, then fluid acrylic and silicone oil were used to colour the texture of the cellular form — the same with the bottom surface of the petri dish. Lastly, a layer of UV adhesive was applied to fix the colour and enhance the brightness.

The fungus is also made in the form of mycelium using wool felt with miniature models that can represent the fixed characteristics, to make it more vivid.