Daito Manabe

Daito Manabe (Japanese: 真鍋大度; born 1976) is a Japanese media artist, programmer, engineer and DJ, who creates interactive works and installations using contemporary technologies such as virtual reality, with a strong use of light and sound. He founded Rhizomatiks in 2006, after graduating from the University of Tokyo. His work with Rhizomatiks includes collaborations with Perfume, Björk, Nike, Honda, as well as an augmented reality installation for the closing ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In 2016, Manabe collaborated with American artist Nosaj Thing to create a touring show combining real-time augmented reality visuals using multiple Kinect cameras on stage. Their first performance at the Coachella Festival was described by Pitchfork Magazine as the “big winner for best visual production,” and was presented by the Sónar Festival as an “extremely captivating, technologically advanced, and overwhelmingly beautiful” show.

Manabe won the 2016 Mainichi Design Award. In 2023, he collaborated with two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu to create his solo ice show, Gift, the first figure skating event held at the Tokyo Dome.