Tomoko is a multidisciplinary artist trained in Kyoto and London.
In the vast desert in America, where she lived as a child, and in the multinational city of London, where she spent her postgraduate years, she became interested in the distance and connection between people. She began to explore the theme of 'modern human intimacy and communication' in ways that stimulate the five senses, starting with tactile textiles during her time at Central Saint Martins College and Design (UK). After graduating from university, she moved to Dublin to collaborate with Media Lab Europe (MIT) to create an interactive work using communication technology for long-distance lovers, entitled “Mutsugoto,” which was then exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, UK (2005), the National Museum of Art, Osaka (2007) and the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto (2015). She has since collaborated across disciplines in various countries. She is currently back in Kyoto, where she creates works inspired by the circular and intuitive thinking of the East and the rich natural environment, including works incorporating ancient and modern natural science thinking on the interconnectedness of all things, including humans and nature.
林 智子
兵庫県生まれ。 幼少期に暮らしたアメリカの広大な砂漠地帯や、学生時代を過ごした多国籍な街ロンドンでの暮らしの中で、人と人とのつながりや距離感について興味を持ちはじめ、五感を刺激する様々な方法で『現代人の親密さと交感』をテーマにした作品を模索し始める。卒業後にダブリンに渡りMIT Media Lab Europeとのコラボレーションの元で、遠距離恋愛の恋人達の為のコミュニケーションテクノロジーを使ったインタラクティブ作品 ｢Mutsugoto｣を制作、2005年に英国Victoria and Albert美術館、2007年に大阪国立国際美術館、2015年に熊本市現代美術館で展覧会に参加。その後も様々な国で分野を超えたコラボレーションを行い、現在は京都に戻り、華厳思想と豊かな自然環境に触発されて『森羅万象の相互関連性』をテーマに、自然科学の思考を取り入れた作品を制作している。
Publication + Press Coverage 2021, 23 May 祖父の記憶と森羅万象 現代美術家林智子が織った「虹」, Erena Tanaka, Asahishinbun, Osaka 2021, 05 April アネモメトリ てのひらのデザイン ｢祖父の写真｣ 林 智子, Kyoto University of the Arts, Kyoto 2019, 14 Nov 煙霧香港觀「煙‧起‧天」微波新媒體藝術節中的飲食與眼淚, Stand News, Hong Kong 2017, 22 Feb Exploring the concept of absence by Jyoti, Calsi, Gulf News, Dubai, UAE 2017, 19 Feb Arts & Culture, by Anna Seaman, The National, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2015, 10 OctExhibition Catalogue, Stance or Distance?, Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan 2015, 04 Sep Culture, Kumamoto Nichi Nichi Newspaper, Kumamoto, Japan 2014, 20 JunTear Collector Tomoko Hayashi, by Michael Abatemarco, Pasatiempo, New Mexican 2013, 08 July Cultural Development Consulting "Q&A Alternatives Tomoko Hayashi Part 2" by Alasdair Foster read more 2013, 26 June Cultural Development Consulting, "Q&A Alternatives Tomoko Hayashi Part 1" by Alasdair Foster read more 2013, 14 August PUNKT Magazine Issue11 read more 2009, 17 August The Scotsman "How absence makes the heart grow fonder" by Claire Black read more 2009, 04 August BBC News, Cities test for 'intimacy' device read more 2009, 24 June The Skinny, Drawn Together by Mutsugoto Mark Daniels read more 2009, 07 May The Globe and Mail, The future of sleep Zosia Bielski read more 2009, 21 April BBC News "Couples to test 'intimacy' device" read more 2008, 19 October The Sunday Times "How you can feel the love across thousands of miles?" read more 2008, 11 - 15 August SIGGRAPH 2008 International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, Los Angeles 2007, December Kansai Scene Magazine :: Art, Skin of/in Contemporary Art by Maki Nibayashi, Nihon Paper Inc., Osaka, Japan 2007, December Artscape, Exhibition Review by Chiho Sakai, Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan 2007 November The Japan Times, Skin goes only so deep by Matthew Larking, The Japan Times Ltd., Tokyo, Japan 2007 November Art-iT, Exhibition ReviewsSkin of/in Contemporary Art by Ozaki Tetsuya, Art iT, Tokyo, Japan 2007, October Museum News, by Yukihiro Hirayoshi, The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan 2007, October L magazine, Art by Taku Okayama, Keihanshin L magazine, Osaka, Japan 2007, October Kansai Art Beat Magazine, Skins of Contemporary Art Exhibition, KANSAI ART BEAT, Osaka, Japan 2007, October Nikkan Sports, Osaka event, Nikkan Sports News, Osaka, Japan 2007, October Kansai.com, Event, Kansai.com.Inc, Osaka, Japan 2007, October Mainichi Daily News, Contemporary Art by Haruo Mita, The Mainichi News Papers Co.,Ltd.,Tokyo, Osaka 2007, October CINRA.NET, Art/Design News, CINRA.Inc., Tokyo, Japan 2007, October Moonlinx, Headline-Visual, Moonlinx, Tokyo, Japan 2007, September AERA, ART-BIT by Hisako Hara, Asahi Shinbun Company, Tokyo, Japan 2007, January idCast, Do not touch...? An interview with Lauren Parker, Curator of V&A,interactiondesignlab, Milan, Italy 2007, January Fiberarts magazine, Curtains by Liz Good, Interweave Press LLC, Colorado, USA 2006, JulyBT magazine, "zerozero generation2", Bijyutsu Shyuppan-sha, Tokyo, Japan 2005, June Sunday Times, Getting a bit physical at the V&A by Nancy Durrant, London, UK 2005, June new Directions in Jewelleryby Jivan Astfalck, Caroline Broadhead and Paul Derrez, Black Dog Publishing, London, UK
TV 2016 Éros au futur, ICI ARTV, Quebec, Canada 2009, 26 August Discovery Science Channel PopSci's Future Of: Mutsugoto
