Mari Kimura to Present at Osaka Expo 2025

UC Irvine Department of Music professor brings cutting-edge sensor technology in cross-cultural performance

Mari Kimura, Ph.D., professor of music in UC Irvine’s Ph.D. program in Integrated Composition and Technology (ICIT), will be featured next week in Breathing Media: Traditional Japanese Arts with AI and Cutting-edge Sensors at Osaka Expo 2025. The performance brings together Japanese artists and France’s Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM) for a collaborative presentation that integrates MUGIC® sensors, artificial intelligence and traditional Japanese art forms.

An international exposition organized by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), Osaka Expo 2025 runs through Oct. 13 on Yumeshima Island in Osaka, Japan. With the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the expo gathers countries, innovators and artists to showcase advancements in technology, sustainability and well-being. Kimura’s participation reflects a compelling exchange of forward-looking innovation in the arts.

Kimura is internationally recognized for her research and performance innovations in interactive computer music. She is the creator of the MUGIC® motion sensor, a wearable device that expands live performance through gesture-based sound control. Her interdisciplinary practice blends music, technology and embodied performance, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with instruments.

Her career spans decades of internationally acclaimed performances and compositions. She has received numerous honors, including a 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship, awards from IRCAM, Composers Now and the Fromm Music Foundation, and grants from the New York State Council on the Arts, Japan Foundation, New Music USA and others.

This international performance at Osaka Expo 2025 underscores Kimura’s continued commitment to innovation, cultural exchange and the evolving role of technology in artistic expression.

To learn more about Mari Kimura, visit her Department of Music bio page here. For more information about her work and research, visit: mugicmotion.com.