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The Art Bank had the privilege of interviewing Otodojo Nodes and spoke with Creator & Co-founder Otodojo and Project Manager and Co-Founder Ryu Goto. The duo have been friends since meeting at a Karate Dojo in New York many years ago; they shared a love for Sega, martial arts, and Anime, particularly Uzumaki Narato, which formed the foundations of a lifelong friendship. They went on to create Otojo Nodes and the Genesis project Uzumaki.
Otodojo is an audiovisual artist and scientist based out of Detroit, Michigan. Their work explores sensing within the natural world, reflections of its change, and presence. With 11 album releases and several digital art collections under their belt, they are approaching a sound and vision for interpreting environments they visit, embodying the translation of 'otodojo' - 'a sound place for learning.’
Otodojo is an affiliate of Microtones. Aside from their art, they have a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Cornell University and hold a black belt in karate.
Before entering the Cardano space, Ryu Goto was a prolific classical violinist who toured with Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Fabio Luisi, and Lorin Maazel and performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. He also holds a black belt in karate and recently opened his dojo in New York.
Ryu graduated from Harvard College with an A.B. in Physics. His experiences in social ventures and the music world led him to Cardano and NFTs, which he believes represent a paradigm shift in democratizing art and finance.
Otodojo Nodes is a community enriched by an interconnection through audiovisual art. The name originates from a Japanese word meaning "A place of learning for sound," and the idea that each of us is a confluence within a larger ecosystem. Their collections showcase otodojo's aesthetic and novel techniques. In addition, each will be a musing upon a philosophical concept from otodojo's unique perspective.
Uzumaki translates into "Spiral, eddy, whirlpool." Otodojo’s Genesis collection features the idea that we often experience our lives in a cyclical way, wherein the events are iterations of themselves, similar but distinct, made so by our ever-evolving perspectives.
The Genesis project has an exclusive and handmade set of 144 pieces, with 12 fully looping pieces each across 12 moods. The generative aspect is algorithmically derived from the moods established in Genesis.
There are some easter eggs and future utility to look out for; you can hear more about it in the interview below.
Interview Questions & Sections
0:00 - Intro
0:23 - Why Cardano?
2:44 - Where did you meet?
5:28 - Why Cardano for artists?
8:39 - Why audiovisual art?
10:40 - Tell us about Uzumaki
14:53 - What are the limitations of working on Cardano?
16:09 - How unique is Uzumakin on Cardano?
18:20 - What is missing in the Cardano ecosystem?
21:13 - What do you wish you knew when you were just getting started?
22:26 - Any easter eggs or future utility for Uzumaki collectors?