WORK

Coded Fireplace is a compact device that transforms any screen into a continuously evolving canvas of generative art simply by connecting via HDMI. It requires virtually no operation or initial setup and runs quietly on its built-in battery. The device’s own states, such as CPU load, temperature, and battery level, become elements of the generative process. In response, colors and shapes shift and transform, emerging organically across the screen.

In recent years, screens have come to be seen not only as windows for consuming information, but also as integral parts of a space that shape its atmosphere. The growing popularity of ambient videos such as fireplaces, waterfronts, and rainfall reflects a broader desire to step away from purpose and efficiency, and to experience time more quietly through visual immersion. This sensibility also resonates with the kind of accidental beauty once embodied by screensavers, where computation gave rise to unexpected forms and patterns.

Coded Fireplace reinterprets that lineage for contemporary interiors, positioning generative expression somewhere between image and space. It is meant to be both an object of contemplation and a quiet presence within everyday life. In doing so, it expands the role of the screen into a medium that blends seamlessly into its surroundings.

As a co-development partner, we were involved across all phases of the project, from concept development and implementation to team structuring and evaluation of scalability for production.

This project was jointly developed by Dentsu Lab Tokyo, NEORT, and BASSDRUM. We participated from the earliest stages of discussion, contributing to the direction of the project and the definition of the intended experience. From both a creative and technical perspective, we explored how the initial concept could be realized as a viable product. Rather than simply responding to proposed ideas, we collaboratively designed the very process through which those ideas took shape.

During implementation, we continuously refined the overall structure by iterating between experience design and technical design, defining the technical requirements necessary to realize the concept as a physical device. In addition to determining the hardware configuration and prototyping strategy, BASSDRUM led research and specification planning with future mass production in mind. Through these efforts, we verified the feasibility of moving beyond the R&D stage toward practical implementation.

In the areas of hardware development and 3D printing, we assembled the necessary technical partners and specialized personnel, establishing the development framework itself. For the playback environment of the single-board computer running the generative art, we collaborated with NEORT, whose expertise lies in media player operations. By leveraging the strengths of each organization, we advanced the system design through a clearly defined division of roles. As this project spanned multiple disciplines, another key responsibility was organizing the overall structure and facilitating decision-making, ensuring steady progress across all areas.

In addition, from the standpoint of technical direction and technical project management, we oversaw overall project execution, including budget management and schedule coordination. Within the inherent uncertainty of an R&D project, we balanced technical decision-making with a holistic perspective, connecting concept, experience, and implementation into a coherent structure. 

Our strength lies not only in treating technology as a specialized domain, but in understanding it deeply and designing the overall structure around it—organizing people and disciplines to drive projects forward. In this project as well, we designed the structure that bridges planning and implementation, establishing a foundation that supports both experimentation and practical realization.