Collage artist Kosuke Kawamura once again feels the fun of the digital world.

village along a riverThat's not like I had no choice in a way, or ...... (laughs). . It must have been about 2 or 3 years after I started making collages digitally. During my stay in the U.S., I had a chance to meet Winston Smith, a collage artist whom I respect very much. When I brought my work to him at that time, he praised it very much and asked me to create a piece with him.

I was extremely excited and kept waiting for the data back in Japan, but nothing arrived no matter how long I waited. So I was disappointed that he was just flattering me, but about two months later, I received a cardboard box full of analog materials (laughs). We are now like father and son, but at the time, he was like a god whom I simply respected, so I said to myself, "I can't betray him! I couldn't betray him! So, I cut and pasted analog materials that I had never done before and created ....... That was the first analog piece I ever made.

village along a river. Surprisingly, I felt no discomfort. The only thing that changed was the tool used to cut out the material from the mouse to a cutter, so I was able to work in my usual style. On the contrary, I enjoyed the process for the first time and have been hooked on analog production ever since.

I was young at the time, and in some ways, works created digitally were seen as nothing more than a reproduction of data , rather than art. But when you create an analog piece of art, it becomes a one-of-a-kind piece of art. I was comfortable with that feeling, and I think that was one of the reasons I fell in love with it.

village along a river. I think it is interesting to use a PC to do things that are not possible with analog.

village along a river. Analog relies on intuition. If I cut out a photo from a magazine, the size of the photo is fixed, and even if I copy the photo and adjust the size, I cannot achieve the fine size I want with a copying machine. It's not like giving up, but you have to make a decision and move on. Digital, on the other hand, is a calculation. You can zoom in and out as much as you like, and even if you accidentally erase something, you can restore it. However, the opposite is true with analog: because you can do anything, you sometimes overdo it, and I used to get very worried about the size of a 1mm or 2mm.

village along a riverWhen I look at the work I made digitally when I first started collage, many of them are overstuffed. Perhaps it was because I once leaned toward analog and went through a constrained process that I was able to bring the boldness of the analog style to the digital.

village along a river. Of course, the specifications are important. Of course, specifications are also important, but nowadays, compared to the past, all products have specifications that are adequate. A little above the minimum specs is sufficient.

village along a riverI move around a lot anyway, and often go abroad. Once I go there, I sometimes stay for at least 10 days. But as you can imagine, I can't stop working during that time. So I always carry only a small hard disk and a laptop with me so that I can work on the move or while I am there. So, anyway, it is important that it be compact and light. You don't want to carry something heavy, and even if you put it in a backpack, it would be really stiff on your shoulders...

village along a riverIt's crazy thin, light, and compact. It's perfect for carrying around and looks minimalistic and cool. The other thing that surprised me was the material inside . It looks like stylish stationery.

village along a riverThat's right. I go out to buy new products whenever they are released, and I touch my smartphone so much that I think I am addicted to it (laughs). But last year, for the first time in probably 20 years, I spent a week without opening my computer at all. I often go abroad, but I realized that I was too busy with work every time and didn't have time to play at all. So I went to Berlin for about a week on a private trip, and during my stay, I didn't open ...... even once.

village along a riverOf course, I had brought the CD with me with the intention of opening it there, but after a week of playing around during the day, returning to my hotel room in the middle of the night, and immediately going to bed, I had no time to open it. Berlin is full of good record stores, bookstores, and clubs, and the cost of living is cheap, so it's a lot of fun. That's why I ended up going to ...... (laughs). (Laughs.) I did come back to myself on the flight home and did some work.

village along a riverIt is as indispensable to me as eating a meal. . For me, a PC is like a meal (laughs).

village along a river. Not all places have a power supply when you're on the move. On the bus, for example, or in the short time before boarding a plane. I keep my battery charged right up until just before I leave the house, but if I concentrate on my work for an hour or so, it runs out quickly. But if it lasts that long, I don't have to worry.

village along a river. This is the first time I have used a PC with a touch screen monitor, and I find it incredibly easy to do research. When I create collage works, I sometimes have to search for what I am looking for from among the huge number of images on stock sites, but instead of scrolling with the mouse, I can intuitively slide the mouse at the speed that is best for me. It's a small thing, but I think it saves a lot of time. . It's as if the feeling of convenience I had when I first started using a smartphone is happening directly on my PC as well.

village along a riverAlso, PCs are often only available in one color, right? . If there is one, it is either silver or black. But the Surface Laptop 2 comes in a wide variety of colors, and I think that's one of the appeals of this model. Platinum and black, which I am touching now, are nice and simple, but burgundy is shiny and beautiful, and cobalt blue is a deep, cool color.