Project ‘OMOTE’ is a collaboration between Japanese media artist Nobumichi Asai, makeup artist Hiroto Kwahara and French digital image engineer Paul Lacroix.[Omote] is a Japanese word for face or a mask.
The face is considered a mirror that reflects the human soul, a separation between Omote (exterior) and Ura (interior), and in Nogaku, Japan’s classical musical plays, performers use Omtoe masks to express a multitude of dramatic emotions.
As we spent more time on the project, we became more aware of its similarities with Nogaku’s Omote masks and explored further possibilities through Integration of the latest technology and classical Japanese art.