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In this program, we invite popular artists, Vocaloid producers, and writers who participated in the special exhibition “Speculative Music” at the Osaka Kansai International Art Festival to explore the power of new forms of storytelling that influence people. The discussion will include ideas that apply speculative design—an approach that vividly presents visions to inspire imagination about which social and global issues we should confront—to the field of music. By examining topics such as self-awareness in the age of artificial intelligence, validation by others, differences in values and interpretations between individuals and society, and the underlying concept of “we,” each creator’s insights will serve as a lens to consider how music and entertainment can drive social change.

【Reflection】
This session, “New Storytelling: Speculative Music Shaping the Future,” explored the potential of speculative design through music, set in a future society of 2050. The Shape New World Initiative, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, provided a space for participants—primarily young people—to actively imagine the future and confront societal challenges by envisioning future societies.

Throughout the session, participants discussed “New Storytelling” techniques centered around eight themes related to the SDGs, designed to inspire motivation for the future.
*Speculative Music: Experimental and conceptual music that goes beyond mere background music or entertainment, exploring future possibilities and stimulating the listener's imagination.
* Speculative Design: A methodology that poses questions like “What if this future were to occur?” and contemplatively designs the form of future society.

Through discussion, it was highlighted that the central feature of this cultural formation is the interactive relationship with the audience, exemplified by musical expression represented by Vocaloid culture. A key characteristic is that visitors' comments and reactions are immediately reflected in the work, allowing the work itself to function as a participatory creative process for the audience.
Examples included music generated based on individual participants' experiences, experiences comparing AI and human composition, and installations reflecting participant responses into the work. These were cited as prime examples of “participatory art” where meaning evolves through the viewer's active involvement.

Furthermore, it was demonstrated that techniques such as “cutting (editing)” and “distortion (variation)” in music and video enable the raising of social issues through the fragmentation of information and the interpretation of the recipient. For instance, expressions such as combinations of words split across multiple screens or devices allowing manipulation of music and video speed/pitch enable recipients to actively reconstruct the work's meaning. This experience was noted as potentially prompting a reexamination of unconscious habits in consuming information and media.

Furthermore, underlying themes included the value of ambiguity, participatory art, and the cutting and distortion of media within speculative music and Vocaloid culture. It was demonstrated that music and art transcend mere information transmission, becoming means to foster awareness of social issues and behavioral change through dialogue with the audience.

Furthermore, it was noted that the experiences, demos, and artwork displays featured a co-creative structure where meaning transforms through participant intervention, playing a crucial role in fostering understanding of future societal challenges and values. The works were designed combining physical space with digital expression, premised on viewer interpretation and participation, embodying music's potential to become a device for social dialogue beyond entertainment.

The perspective on the future gained from this session was the recognition that the future is not something imposed from the outside, but is shaped by the choices and participation of individuals. The discussion concluded that music, through its narrative quality and ambiguity, encourages active interpretation by the audience and contributes to shaping the values of future society. Participatory and interactive musical expression is expected to expand further as a form of “new storytelling,” where young creators and audiences jointly re-examine values and co-create a new society.

【Post EXPO Initiatives】
The speakers highlighted the following as key perspectives for their respective activities following the conference:

(1) Deepening participatory expression (continuing to explore interactivity and audience-participatory techniques in music and video works) promotes efforts to encourage viewers' active interpretation through the experience of the work.

(2) Emphasizing ambiguity and diverse interpretations (continuing approaches that avoid asserting definitive meanings and embrace varied interpretations and audience participation) creates potential for expanding possibilities for thinking about and dialoguing with future society.

(3) Exploring interdisciplinary collaboration (connecting fields like music, AI, film, and literature) leads to incorporating new storytelling methods into individual creative practices.

(4) Continuing to pose questions about future society (attempts to prompt viewers to imagine social issues and future visions through works and expressions) holds the potential to contribute to the formation of values for individuals and society.

(5) Experiential and participatory expressions should be explored in ways applicable to education and cultural activities.

*Part or all of this report was generated by AI.