ComoNe Program #03
in TOUCH — Within Tangible Range

In an era where a single fingertip allows us to purchase items, travel to unknown lands, and view the entire world, we have become accustomed to understanding many things without ever physically touching them.

An individual's experience summarized and integrated by AI.
Emotions and bodies processed as data.
Distant events observed entirely through a screen.

Within this optimized environment, the world is presented to us as something efficiently packaged and easily comprehensible.
On the flip side, however, the physical texture of the real world, the moments of hesitation, and the time required for true verification may be slipping away.

Under this theme, we are seeking artworks and projects that reimagine and recontextualize the world through the act of "touching."

Stepping outside barefoot to feel the grass underfoot.
Reaching out a hand to acknowledge another's tears or body heat.
Journeying to unfamiliar worlds to feel the air on one's skin.

By reconnecting with the world through touch, we may discover unexpected misalignments or awaken new sensibilities.
Perhaps there is a world that can only be revealed when we actively try to touch and verify it for ourselves.

Let us close our screens and step out to discover it with our own hands.

What is "ComoNe"?

Tokai National Higher Education and Research System Common Nexus

Common Nexus (ComoNe) is a co-creation space operated by the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System. Conveniently located with direct access to Nagoya University Station, the facility opened in the summer of 2025.

It is an exploratory space open to everyone—not only students, faculty, and staff of Nagoya University and Gifu University, but also local residents, children, and the broader community.

Through diverse facilities and a wide range of interdisciplinary programs, ComoNe fosters new interactions and generates fresh value by connecting people across generations and fields of study.

▼ Official Website: https://comone.thers.ac.jp/

What is the ComoNe Program?

The ComoNe Program is a curated collection that establishes cross-disciplinary themes to gather and showcase artworks and projects from around the world.

The theme for this third edition is "in TOUCH — Within Tangible Range —". In the autumn of 2026, a group exhibition featuring a maximum of 10 selected artworks/projects will be held at Common Nexus ("ComoNe").

▼ Past Programs: https://awrd.com/series/comone

Application Guidelines

How to Apply

Applications for this open call must be submitted through this AWRD platform. ※ Submitted information will be shared exclusively among ComoNe stakeholders (including the ComoNe project team at Loftwork Inc., the contracted operator of ComoNe) and will not be utilized for any purposes outside of the ComoNe initiative.

Application Period

June 26, 2026 (Friday) 12:00 PM – August 4, 2026 (Tuesday) 11:59 PM (JST)

Eligibility

There are no specific restrictions on qualifications. Anyone is welcome to apply. We especially welcome:

• Individuals interested in new methods of expression and inquiry.
• Individuals interested in cross-disciplinary initiatives.
• Individuals wishing to showcase and share their own projects.

Eligible Formats

We welcome works of any form or discipline that offer unique and creative ways of rethinking the world through touch.
Examples include artworks, services, communities, products, research projects, and interdisciplinary initiatives that bring these fields together.

Application Conditions

• Applicants may submit multiple entries.
• Selected participants are required to exhibit their work in the group exhibition.
• Projects that have already been made public are eligible for submission.

Awards & Benefits

Up to ten works will be selected from all submissions and featured in a group exhibition.

Exhibition Opportunity at ComoNe (Nagoya)

Selected works will be exhibited as part of a special exhibition at ComoNe between October 2026 and March 2027. Installation is scheduled for late September 2026.

Located within a university campus yet open to the public, ComoNe is a civic space where diverse audiences can encounter research, art, and creative practices.

Selected works will be featured on the ComoNe website and promoted through social media and other communication channels. In addition, some of the selected participants may be invited to join a public talk event as guest speakers.

Please note:

• Transportation costs for installation and deinstallation will be covered by the Common Nexus office. For shipments exceeding 30 kg, transportation arrangements may require additional consultation.
• Exhibition panels and other explanatory materials for the works will be produced by the Common Nexus office.

Evaluation Criteria

This open call places significant value on perspectives that reimagine the world through the act of "touching." Submissions will be evaluated based on the core criteria outlined below, alongside the unique insights stemming from the specific fields of expertise of our selection committee members.

1. Motivation for Touching (WHY) Why do you wish to touch the subject? Why is it necessary to touch it?
2. Uniqueness of the Approach (HOW) Is there novelty or originality in the means, methods, or processes of touching?
3. Perspectives Beyond Touch & Evoking Empathy (FUTURE) Does the world revealed through touch, or the future envisioned from it, evoke empathy and resonance in others?

Artwork/Project Ideas & Examples

There are no restrictions regarding the field, genre, or format (tangible or intangible) of the project. Art, design, services, research, communities—we welcome expressions in any form.

【0717 OPEN】Judges

Shunsuke Aoki
CEO, Yukai Engineering Inc.

While studying at the University of Tokyo, Shunsuke Aoki co-founded TeamLab and served as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO). After later serving as CTO of pixiv, he founded the robotics startup Yukai Engineering. Guided by the vision, "Making the world a happier place through robotics," he has developed numerous communication robots for the home, including BOCCO emo, Qoobo, Amagami Ham Ham, and mirumi. He has served as a juror for the Good Design Award since 2015 and has been a Specially Appointed Professor at Musashino Art University since 2021.

Yasuaki Kakehi
Professor, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, The University of Tokyo

Yasuaki Kakehi is a researcher and artist, and Professor at the Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies at the University of Tokyo. He holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Information Studies. His work spans engineering research on interfaces that harness the unique qualities and textures of materials, design, and artistic practices that explore the relationships between the human body, objects, and the environment through making. His work has been exhibited internationally at venues including Ars Electronica Festival, NTT InterCommunication Center (ICC), LVMH Métiers d'Art La Main, and AkeruE. His honors include an Honorary Mention at the STARTS Prize 2022, the Excellence Award in the Art Division of the 23rd Japan Media Arts Festival, and the Young Scientists' Prize in the MEXT Commendation for Science and Technology (2014).

Mariko Kihira
Assistant Professor, Department of Social and Human Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University

After working for a chemical manufacturer and as an agricultural writer, Mariko Kihira completed her Ph.D. in Environmental Studies at the Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, in 2025. She joined the Department of Social and Human Environment as an Assistant Professor the same year. Her research specializes in environmental sociology and Science and Technology Studies (STS). Focusing on the "gaps" that emerge between people, technology, nature, and institutions in the contexts of agriculture, fisheries, and environmental issues, she develops and applies methodologies such as Visual Problem Appraisal, which uses video and simulation games, and m-PULSP, a method for understanding collaborative processes. She is a contributing author of The Encyclopedia of Potatoes (Rural Culture Association Japan, 2023). Her forthcoming book, Designing Collaboration in Chaos: Technology Development for Sustainable Agriculture (Shōwadō), based on her doctoral dissertation, is scheduled for publication in autumn 2026.

Hirohisa Saito
Professor, Future Society Studio, Institutes of Innovation for Future Society, Nagoya University / Professor, Faculty of Co-Creation, Co-Innovation University (CoIU)

Hirohisa Saito is Professor at the Future Society Studio, Institutes of Innovation for Future Society, Nagoya University, and Professor in the Faculty of Co-Creation at Co-Innovation University (CoIU). After living abroad for more than twenty years, he joined the founding of CoIU and relocated with his family to Hida City, Gifu Prefecture, in 2022. As a sociologist specializing in Science and Technology Studies (STS), he explores how universities can foster innovations that enhance the well-being of society by integrating mindfulness and design thinking into education and research. In his spare time, he enjoys meditating on GREEN TERRACE, the rooftop garden of ComoNe, while experiencing the breeze, birdsong, sunshine, and the feel of soil and grass.

Natsumi Wada
Researcher / Designer

Raised by Deaf parents, Natsumi Wada grew up navigating between Japanese Sign Language (JSL) and spoken Japanese. Her work explores the potential of media emerging from the unique perceptions and embodied experiences of individuals. Her projects include Qualia and, together with Hayato Tabata as magnet, the tactile sign language–inspired communication games YUBIBO and Touch Match (Tacchimatchi). Since 2023, she has been pursuing a Ph.D. in Design at the Politecnico di Milano, where she conducts research on homemaking among people living with dementia as part of the European research program Homedem. She is also a Research Fellow at the University of Tokyo and has been a certified Japanese Sign Language interpreter since 2016.