Naoko Tosa

Naoko Tosa is an Japanese media artist and professor. She received a Ph.D. in engineering for Art and Technology research from the University of Tokyo. She is professor at Kyoto University from 2005. She was Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS) 2002- 2004. She was a researcher at the ATR (Advanced Technology Research Labs) Media Integration & Communication Lab. 1995-2001.

In particular, She has been carrying out technological research that explores human emotions and the expansion of human sensibilities and consciousness by making innovative use of artistic creativity. The Neuro-Baby project is one example of this research. Some of her other projects include Unconscious Flow, which can express the emotion hidden within human communication. ZENetic Computer is an interface that evokes self-awakening through essential aspects of Zen Buddhist culture . i.plot is the future of narrative in a project that studies the hidden relationships and contextual emergence of language.

Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art New York, the New York Metropolitan Art Museum, ACM SIGGRAPH, ARS ELECTRONICA, the Long Beach Museum, International Berlin Film Festival New media Division and other locations worldwide. Her works are also part of the collections at the Japan Foundation, the American Film Association, the Japan Film Culture Center, The National Museum of Art, Osaka and the Toyama Prefecture Museum of Modern Art. In 1996, she received the best paper award from the IEEE International Conference on Multimedia. In 1997, the L'Oreal Grand Prix for research combining art and science awarded her first prize. In 2000, she received prizes from the Interactive Art section in ARS Electronica, as well as a 2nd Prize for Nabi Digital Storytelling Competition of Intangible Heritage, Organized by UNESCO2004. She received a research funding from the agency for cultural affairs in Japan 2000, from Japan Science and Technology Agency 2001-2004, from France Telecom R&D 2003-2005, from one of the biggest game company, Taito Corp. (they built "Space Invaders") 2005-2008, from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) 2005-2008.