Spanning the Centuries




Copyright(C)1996 MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO.,LTD.

Ito: The fact that we are now able to hold a World Exposition on the Internet is in itself self-contradictory, isnt' it? The Net is already a venue of exposition, while the Olympics as an exposition of the body and the idea of the exposition of goods and people has to undergo a change at the end of the 20th century. If something were to take over the function of the Olympics or the World Expo in the 21st century, or something were to arise that was similar to these events, what would it be? You yourself have always been quite negative with regard to doing things on the Internet, haven't you?

Ueshima: There is a common awareness that we have arrived at an important juncture, but we still have to come up with a vision as to what we should do with it, how we should develop it. If we extend what everyone has always thought, the answer is that the Internet cannot develop any further. Do you believe, Mr. Ito, that the present juncture in communications technology is more or less the final destination?

Ito: No, I think communications technology will continue to change quite a bit. Cinema was invented a hundred years ago, and as symbolized by the 1900 World Expo in Paris, the World Exposition itself has developed an element of showing images through various media, more than just goods. This has evolved further and further, so that with the development of film and video technology, sports, for example, can be watched at home, experienced in a completely different way than by going to the stadium. This has now culminated in the idea of holding a World Expo on the Internet, or in the identification of medium and content. In that sense, I do think of this year as a crucial transition point. Based on the current vision of communications technology, the answer to the question of what kind of function such vehicles as the Olympics and the World Expo will have in future is that there is a great possibility of their becoming expositions of the senses. Why not hold a Perception Expo?

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