This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (2024)

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Katie Canales

2018-04-03T17:55:35Z

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (1)

In Japanese artist Hiroto Ikeuchi's designs, you'll find clusters of plastic, circuit boards, and electrical wiring. At first glance, you might not think his cyberpunk-style masks, headsets, and other pieces would be functional, but they are. Every last piece.

Take a look at his apocalyptic gadgets:

Meet the Tokyo-based artist Hiroto Ikeuchi.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (2)

His designs take the shape of masks, headsets, goggles, earphones, and dioramas, all decked out with unmistakable cyberpunk fixings.

If you've seen "The Matrix" trilogy or Ridley Scott's 1982 "Blade Runner," you probably have a good grip on the cyberpunk concept.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (3)

Cyberpunk is defined as a science-fiction subgenre of steampunk that usually features computer technology dominating futuristic urban societies.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (4)

Cyberpunk began as a literary genre before trickling into film. Ikeuchi told Business Insider that only recently had he seen "Blade Runner" and learned about cyberpunk generally.

Ikeuchi says he's inspired by William Gibson's 1984 novel "Neuromancer," credited for kicking the cyberpunk genre into high gear.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (5)

Source: Merriam Webster

Cyberpunk also has a niche in Japanese culture.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (6)

Japanese cyberpunk is considered a subgenre of a subgenre, and is evident in Japanese media like "Ghost in the Shell."

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (7)

Think computer hackers, dystopian cities, electrical wires, Burning Man-esque apocalyptic gear such as masks and goggles, and the relationship between humans and technology.

Here's a look at Ikeuchi's work. It consists of functioning objects modified to emulate fantastical cyberpunk wear.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (8)

With this headpiece, the foundation is the virtual-reality goggles and earphones.

Ikeuchi builds on it with electrical components and materials, including some from manufacturing company 3M. He says, though, that no electrical engineering is involved in construction.

このメガネが欲しい。

A post shared by 池内啓人 (@_ikeuchi) on Mar 18, 2018 at 9:17pm PDTMar 18, 2018 at 9:17pm PDT

For pieces involving VR, Ikeuchi says he uses goggles from various brands, including some Chinese manufacturers.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (9)

Most of the goggles he uses involve placing a smartphone inside for use. This gray headpiece has 3D K & J goggles installed.

A small portion of his pieces are available online through a web store in Japan as well as through occasional social-media sales promoted by Ikeuchi himself. The rest can be bought at art exhibitions held throughout Japan, like this VR-equipped headset.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (10)

This one was recently shown at a Tokyo gallery's 2018 Readymade Exhibition and costs 220,000 Japanese Yen, or $2,079 USD. The lapel attached to the hoodie above is a transmitter that allows for Bluetooth connectivity.

A user takes the headset for a test run back in 2016.

近衛様がアトリエにお越し下さりました2。

A post shared by 池内啓人 (@_ikeuchi) on Sep 13, 2016 at 6:09am PDTSep 13, 2016 at 6:09am PDT

This monocular-style VR headset was also showcased at the Readymade Exhibition.

単眼

A post shared by 池内啓人 (@_ikeuchi) on Mar 27, 2018 at 10:59pm PDTMar 27, 2018 at 10:59pm PDT

Ikeuchi's designs extend beyond VR gear and into masks and spectacles.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (11)

This mask is one of the few pieces listed for sale on Japanese online pop-culture site Otaku Mode. It sells for a casual $2,056.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (12)

Source: Otaku Mode

Themaskincludes earmuffs and a respirator.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (13)

This one's at a slightly lower price of $1,247.

3M3点セット。

A post shared by 池内啓人 (@_ikeuchi) on Apr 10, 2017 at 7:40am PDTApr 10, 2017 at 7:40am PDT

Source: Otaku Mode

These earphones are for sale and actually work. They're listed at $453.

赤2

A post shared by 池内啓人 (@_ikeuchi) on Apr 8, 2017 at 1:53am PDTApr 8, 2017 at 1:53am PDT

Source: Otaku Mode

Behold: The dystopian equivalent of a pair of Beats.

赤

A post shared by 池内啓人 (@_ikeuchi) on Apr 7, 2017 at 7:33am PDTApr 7, 2017 at 7:33am PDT

Then there are these purple earphones. They're also priced at $453.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (14)

Source: Otaku Mode

It takes four weeks to produce and ship out to the customer, according to the website.

色変更と透明感向上。

A post shared by 池内啓人 (@_ikeuchi) on Aug 12, 2015 at 10:25pm PDTAug 12, 2015 at 10:25pm PDT

Source: Otaku Mode

There's also this little flash-drive fella for $270.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (15)

Source: Otaku Mode

Look at it go.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (16)

Ikeuchi has developed other flash drives, but the tank is the only one for sale on the online store.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (17)

Ikeuchi's work has been embraced by modern Japanese culture. His designs have been featured in editorial photoshoots.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (18)

Ikeuchi's designs were used as a prop for an oil painting by Japanese artist Hiroki Yamamoto.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (19)

The painting is titled "The Third Kind."

Source: Ikeuchi Products

The Japanese rock group A9 featured Ikeuchi's designs in its 2017 album cover release.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (20)

Source: Ikeuchi Products

Ikeuchi's designs were featured in the band's promotional photos as well.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (21)

And an Ikeuchi mask found its way into a music video starring Japanese artist Toriena.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (22)

Source: YouTube

Dioramas and installations are also among Ikeuchi's artworks.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (23)

This figure is inspired by Japanese artist Hokusai's "Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji," a series of landscape paintings depicting the Japanese volcano from different perspectives and in different seasons.

Ikeuchi drew inspiration specifically from the ninth part of the series, Fuji View Field.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (24)

Source: Ikeuchi Products

This planetarium diorama projects bits of lights onto the device's surroundings, emulating a starry night.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (25)

Would choose this over a lava lamp any day.

Ikeuchi's "Fantasy Captured in Plastic Models: A Desk Diorama" was featured in the Austrian arts, tech and innovation festival Ars Electronica.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (26)

The piece exhibited in 2013's "TOTAL RECALL: The Evolution of Memory," which focused on artists and scientists and their work exploring the idea of how memory can be stored, in nature and in technology.

The desk diorama depicts a military fortress with toy soldiers standing guard of a processor, therefore protecting a portion of Ikeuchi's memory from online treachery.

Source: Ars Electronica

In 2015, Ikeuchi partnered with Japanese robotics company Skeletonics Co.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (27)

Skeletonics is known for building exoskeletal robots, not with electricity but machinery that mimics the movements of the wearer. The Tokyo-based company's products are for various purposes, including for use in the entertainment business, and can be rented out for exhibitions or events.

Skeletonics supplied the technology while Ikeuchi provided his eye for design.

スケルトニクスにマルチ見に行きました。

A post shared by 池内啓人 (@_ikeuchi) on Jan 16, 2017 at 3:22am PSTJan 16, 2017 at 3:22am PST

It's the first collaboration between Ikeuchi and Skeletonics. The model Ikeuchi built with the company is called the MPS-15sk, or "Multi."

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (28)

It's completely wearable, with a tablet embedded into the front armorfor the user to use as a guide and speakers installed in the shoulders to play music.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (29)

Some of Ikeuchi's pieces have also been categorized as "readymades," a term coined by 20th-century conceptual artist Marcel Duchamp to describe the modification of ordinary manufactured objects.

チェキ。

A post shared by 池内啓人 (@_ikeuchi) on Feb 22, 2017 at 9:14am PSTFeb 22, 2017 at 9:14am PST

This functioning analog Polaroid camera is modified with additional camera and eyewear accessories.

This reflective telescope is also considered one of Ikeuchi's readymades.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (30)

The diorama is titled "Autour de la lune," or Around the Moon.

Note the tiny soldiers as part of the diorama.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (31)

Ikeuchi also cyberpunked this iPhone case.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (32)

I can't imagine it being too back-pocket-friendly, though.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (33)

He even built a diorama around this laptop.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (34)

It's completely functioning, just embedded into the cluster of electric panels and wiring that the artist is known for.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (35)

Ikeuchi says his work has not yet been featured in film or any kind of conference yet, only in music videos, cosplay, and exhibitions, and because of the delicate nature of his work, he can supply his designs only in Japan. But Ikeuchi says he would like to expand his reach overseas.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (36)

Considering how many Burning Man-goers would find his work appealing, not to mention useful when needing to tramp around in the Nevada desert, that may be a possibility someday.

This Japanese artist creates the trippiest cyberpunk wearables and art pieces of your Burning Man dreams (2024)

Meet the Tokyo-based artist Hiroto Ikeuchi.

If you've seen "The Matrix" trilogy or Ridley Scott's 1982 "Blade Runner," you probably have a good grip on the cyberpunk concept.

Cyberpunk is defined as a science-fiction subgenre of steampunk that usually features computer technology dominating futuristic urban societies.

Ikeuchi says he's inspired by William Gibson's 1984 novel "Neuromancer," credited for kicking the cyberpunk genre into high gear.

Cyberpunk also has a niche in Japanese culture.

Japanese cyberpunk is considered a subgenre of a subgenre, and is evident in Japanese media like "Ghost in the Shell."

Here's a look at Ikeuchi's work. It consists of functioning objects modified to emulate fantastical cyberpunk wear.

Ikeuchi builds on it with electrical components and materials, including some from manufacturing company 3M. He says, though, that no electrical engineering is involved in construction.

For pieces involving VR, Ikeuchi says he uses goggles from various brands, including some Chinese manufacturers.

A small portion of his pieces are available online through a web store in Japan as well as through occasional social-media sales promoted by Ikeuchi himself. The rest can be bought at art exhibitions held throughout Japan, like this VR-equipped headset.

A user takes the headset for a test run back in 2016.

This monocular-style VR headset was also showcased at the Readymade Exhibition.

Ikeuchi's designs extend beyond VR gear and into masks and spectacles.

This mask is one of the few pieces listed for sale on Japanese online pop-culture site Otaku Mode. It sells for a casual $2,056.

Themaskincludes earmuffs and a respirator.

This one's at a slightly lower price of $1,247.

These earphones are for sale and actually work. They're listed at $453.

Behold: The dystopian equivalent of a pair of Beats.

Then there are these purple earphones. They're also priced at $453.

It takes four weeks to produce and ship out to the customer, according to the website.

There's also this little flash-drive fella for $270.

Look at it go.

Ikeuchi has developed other flash drives, but the tank is the only one for sale on the online store.

Ikeuchi's work has been embraced by modern Japanese culture. His designs have been featured in editorial photoshoots.

Ikeuchi's designs were used as a prop for an oil painting by Japanese artist Hiroki Yamamoto.

The Japanese rock group A9 featured Ikeuchi's designs in its 2017 album cover release.

Ikeuchi's designs were featured in the band's promotional photos as well.

And an Ikeuchi mask found its way into a music video starring Japanese artist Toriena.

Dioramas and installations are also among Ikeuchi's artworks.

Ikeuchi drew inspiration specifically from the ninth part of the series, Fuji View Field.

This planetarium diorama projects bits of lights onto the device's surroundings, emulating a starry night.

Ikeuchi's "Fantasy Captured in Plastic Models: A Desk Diorama" was featured in the Austrian arts, tech and innovation festival Ars Electronica.

In 2015, Ikeuchi partnered with Japanese robotics company Skeletonics Co.

Skeletonics supplied the technology while Ikeuchi provided his eye for design.

It's the first collaboration between Ikeuchi and Skeletonics. The model Ikeuchi built with the company is called the MPS-15sk, or "Multi."

It's completely wearable, with a tablet embedded into the front armorfor the user to use as a guide and speakers installed in the shoulders to play music.

Some of Ikeuchi's pieces have also been categorized as "readymades," a term coined by 20th-century conceptual artist Marcel Duchamp to describe the modification of ordinary manufactured objects.

This reflective telescope is also considered one of Ikeuchi's readymades.

Note the tiny soldiers as part of the diorama.

Ikeuchi also cyberpunked this iPhone case.

I can't imagine it being too back-pocket-friendly, though.

He even built a diorama around this laptop.

It's completely functioning, just embedded into the cluster of electric panels and wiring that the artist is known for.

Ikeuchi says his work has not yet been featured in film or any kind of conference yet, only in music videos, cosplay, and exhibitions, and because of the delicate nature of his work, he can supply his designs only in Japan. But Ikeuchi says he would like to expand his reach overseas.

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