"Audio Planetarium Module for the Anthropocene (APMA-2000)" has been released by the Research and Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd. It is a website designed to provide a unique meditative experience by allowing users to engage in a deep contemplation on a life in harmony with nature, using the power of music and human voice.
Visit the APMA-2000 on website
(Free of charge, no registration is required)
Humans have thrived in the stable climate of the planet that lasted for the past 12,000 years. However, the “Great Acceleration” of our civilization in the Anthropocene is on the dangerous course, causing massive ecological destructions which are now threatening our own survival. Scientists have proposed the Planetary Boundaries, the biophysical limits to sustain our life on the planet, beyond which the Earth may no longer be a safe place for humans. We are now tasked with achieving systemic transitions toward a world in harmony with nature.
What if we were to build a technology which helps us to make them happen, allowing people to learn about the most advanced knowledge about the current planetary conditions and envision the pathways to achieve a truly sustainable future?
APMA-2000 invites you to join in a unique meditative experience on a human life in harmony with nature, using the power of music and human voice.
“Moss Chronicles” - Wac-Lounge for APMA-2000
Key features
Designed with an interface reminiscent of vintage audio equipment, APMA-2000, features three narrative channels and five music channels. It also emits virtual cards for learning purposes.
Using a web browser at home or elsewhere, you can play audio to immerse yourself in quiet, contemplative moments while learning about the latest knowledge related to our planet’s environment. Enjoy an experience akin to a planetarium, where you reflect deeply on Earth and our future.
In the Narrative channels, six narrators—speaking in Japanese and English—discuss the themes of (1) the Anthropocene, (2) Planetary Boundaries, and (3) Sustainability Transitions, drawing on the latest scientific insights.
In the Music channels, four musicians from Japan, Europe, and the United States offer unique musical streams: modular synthesizers, experimental soul, deep ambient, contemporary piano, and Lo-Fi beats. These channels lead listeners into moments of contemplation about the relationship between nature and humanity.
As the narratives and music play, cards appear to provide scientific diagrams and impressive photographs related to the current state of our environment and the anticipated transformations. Click or touch the screen to enlarge the visuals.
Visit the APMA-2000 on website
Artists
Musicians and narrators who guide your contemplation and reflection on humans and nature
APMA-2000 features various artists.
APMA-2000 focuses on music as a means to present a new perspective on the Earth's environment. German composer and pianist Benyamin Nuss travels in Europe and beyond to collaborate with musicians from various fields while performing in Europe, drawing inspiration from impressionism and jazz. Wac-Lounge, based in Japan, actively shares his unique audio-visual expressions using modular synthesizers on social media. Michael Louis, active on the West Coast of the United States, explores the genre of “experimental soul” with a cosmic and expansive sound, having participated in Grammy-winning works alongside renowned jazz and soul artists. analog_mannequin, a glitch artist incorporating analog media noise, has been influential on social media and has worked on visuals for music events in North America.
The Japanese narrative is voiced by Nao Kaneko, known for narrating TV programs and working in museums, Koki Yamamoto, a personality on FM radio programs, and Ayaka Hironaka, a popular announcer and writer in Japan.
The English narrative is voiced by Della Z Duncan, who studies and teaches alternative economics on the West Coast of the United States, Marc Thompson, a social activist working for racial and gender rights in the UK, and Aja Barbar, based in London, who advocates for a transformation in fashion and consumption.
Sam Conran, a sound artist from the UK, brings together these complex elements to create a unique sonic experience.
With its exceptionally unique music, APMA-2000 allows listeners to immerse themselves in a serene acoustic space, as if they were in a planetarium of the Earth's environment, by attentively listening to the narrative about the current state of the Earth's environment.
For more information about the artists, you can visit the "About" section of APMA-2000.
Music: Benyamin Nuss, Wac-Lounge, Michael Louis, analog_mannequin
English Voiceover: Della Z Duncan, Marc Thompson, Aja Barber
Japanese Voiceover: Nao Kaneko FM BIRD, Koki Yamamoto (FM BIRD), Ayaka Hironaka
Recording with Nao Kaneko at a studio in Tokyo
“Spirit Steps” - Michael Louis for APMA-2000
Visit the APMA-2000 on the website >
Channels
APMA-2000 receives 3 narrative channels and 5 music channels.
| NARRATIVES: 3 channels combining music and spoken words to invite you to learn about and reflect on the most advanced scientific insights into the current conditions of the planetary environment and the transitions to sustainable futures. |
|---|
| Channel 1 "Anthropocene" What is happening to the Planet's environment? 1. What is the Anthropocene? 2. Industrial Revolution 3. Great Acceleration 4. Climate Change 5. Sixth Mass Extinction 6. Capitalocene 7. Human-Nature Relationship * Music: Benyamin Nuss * Voiceover: Della Z Duncan (English), Nao Kaneko (Japanese) |
| Channel 2 "Planetary Boundaries" What is the safe and just operating space for humanity? 1. Planetary Boundaries 2. Tipping Points 3. Nine Boundaries 4. 16 Tipping Elements 5. Food and Our Planet 6. Safe and Just Boundaries * Music: Benyamin Nuss * Voiceover: Marc Thompson (English), Koki Yamamoto (Japanese) |
| Channel 3 "Transitions" What are the pathways for a human life in harmony with nature? 1. Transitions of Our Time 2. Towards a Climate Resilient World 3. Restoring the Biodiversity and the Ecosystem 4. Doughnut Economics 5. The Limits to Growth and the Earth for All 6. Designing the Transitions 7. Sharing Commitments for Ocean Stewardship 8. Transforming Ourselves, in Harmony with Nature * Music: Wac-Lounge * Voiceover: Aja Barber (English), Ayaka Hironaka (Japanese) |
| MUSIC: 5 channels of extremely unique sound journeys that guide you into immersive reflections on our being on the planet. |
| M - Meditate I: Wac-Lounge 1. Name of the wind 2. Moss chronicles 3. Last stop |
| V - Vibe: Michael Louis 1. Sprit Steps |
| M - Meditate II: analog_mannequin 1. And all its contents |
| P - Piano: Benyamin Nuss 1. Preludes Op. 1 No. 3 2. Windspiele 3. Letters Op. 9-S 4. Petite Piece for Clarinet and Piano Op. 4 5. Letters Op. 9-K |
| F - Focus: Michael Louis 1. Prophet Chill 2. Rhodes Chill 3. 808 Chill 4. Upright Chill 5. Wurli Chill FOCUS button will start playing the Lo-Fi music to accompany you during work or study. |
Quick guide
0. Go to www.boundaries-planetarium.earth >
1. Push “POWER” to turn on APMA-2000.
2. Select language.
3. Drag radio tuner lamp or turn dial to tune in to narratives or music channels.
4. Listen and reflect / contemplate / meditate on our life on the planet.
5. Control tracks - Backward, forward, pause, etc.
6. Cards are printed to help learning. Touch to enlarge them.
Visit the APMA-2000 on website
Digital Booklet
For more information on the Audio Planetarium Module for the Anthropocene, APMA-2000, please read the digital booklet.
Digital booklet (PDF, in English):Download
Digital booklet (PDF, in Japanese):Download
Visit the APMA-2000 on website
Production Team
CONCEPT, RESEARCH, AND NARRATIVE:Koji Sasaki (Hitachi)
WEB DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT: Michael Pecirno (Takram), Yosuke Ushigome (Takram)
MUSIC AND NARRATIVE DIRECTION:Koji Sasaki (Hitachi)
SOUND ENGINEERING:Sam Conran, Takamitsu Kashima (Sounds Next), Junya Suzuki (Sound Arts)
JAPANESE RECORDING SUPPORT:Makiko Nagakura-Stapf (FM BIRD)
SOUND DESIGN:Sam Conran
DIGITAL PAMPHLET:Yosuke Inoshita (Hitahchi Document Solutions), Ryo Ohwani (Hitahchi Document Solutions)
Dialogues
The concepts, texts and visuals of this project are inspired by the dialogues with some of the most important and influential scholars of the Earth system science and anthropology. We would like to express our enormous gratitude to the following individuals:
GERMANY
Johan Rockström (Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research)
Jonathan Donges (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research)
SWEDEN
Henrik Österblom (Professor / Science Director, Stockholm Resilience Centre)
Magnus Nyström (Professor / Deputy Science Director, Stockholm Resilience Centre)
ICELAND
Gísli Pálsson (Emeritus Professor, University of Iceland)
* The titles and positions are at the time of October 2022.
Special thanks...
The production team gratefully acknowledges the support and contributions of the following individuals and organizations for their assistance and support in the research and production of this website:
-IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
-IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services)
-The Club of Rome
-Stockholm Resilience Centre
-Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
-SeaBOS
-Oxfam International
-Wendy Broadgate (Future Earth)
-Frank Geels (University of Manchester)
-Terry Irwin (Carnegie Mellon University)
-Embassy of Sweden in Japan
-Dan Hill (University of Melbourne)
Visit the APMA-2000 on website
Contact Us
Please contact Hitachi's Research and Development Group for any inquiries regarding this website.
URL:https://www8.hitachi.co.jp/inquiry/hitachi-ltd/hqrd/rd/en/form.jsp >
Related content
Watch the video produced by Hitachi-UTokyo Lab to learn more about the Planetary Boundaries and Transition discussed in the Audio Planetarium Module for the Anthropocene. It features music performed by Benyamin Nuss and Wac-Lounge.
Video:
Toward a World in Harmony with Nature: The Planetary Boundaries and the Sustainability Transitions in Japan
Participants:
Johan Rockström (Director, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research / Professor, Potsdam University)
Kazuhiko Takeuchi (Director, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, IGES / Project Professor, the University of Tokyo)
Frank Geels (Professor, the University of Manchester)
Hideaki Shiroyama (Professor, the University of Tokyo)
Takahiro Ueyama (Special Advisor for Regional Revitalization, Nishiawakura Village, Okayama Prefecture)
Tomoko Suzuki (Corporate Chief Researcher, Hitachi)
Benyamin Nuss (Pianist-Composer)
Koji Sasaki (Chief Researcher, Hitachi)
Presented by Hitachi-UTokyo Lab
Supported by Research & Development Group, Hitachi (Kyoso-no-Mori Webinar)
The Planetary Boundaries and the Sustainability Transitions in Japan
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