HEAR THE DRAWING
“I’m always driven by the desire to surprise even myself with the results.”
- Shojiro Nakaoka
OPTIMYSTIC #020, 2025, part of Shojiro Nakaoka’s new collection on objkt.com.
Shojiro Nakaoka is a Japanese composer, sound artist, and audiovisualist who uses tools like Max/MSP, Processing, oscilloscopes, and plotters to produce generative art that doesn’t need adjectives — just look and take it in. Through vector synthesis and Lissajous figures — used in the context of oscilloscope art — along with waveforms (sine, triangle, noise, AM/FM modulation, for instance), vector rescanning, and 3D rotation effects, Nakaoka generates complex shapes and continuous strokes in real time.
The textures Shojiro achieves — using noise models or hatch patterns, for example — are a signature of his pieces. I spoke with him on the occasion of his new drop on objkt - OPTIMYSTIC, and of course took the chance to (re)visit some of his references: Sun Ra and the pen drawings found on self-released recordings, Nam June Paik for his analogies between analog video and audio signals, Harry Smith and his collages, and more — Jordan Belson and Cornelius Cardew. It’s worth diving in.
His pieces are now part of collections held by other great creative coders like Casey Reas, Leander Herzog, Andreas Haus, Aluan Wang and Rudxane, to name a few. They’ve also caught the attention of collectors known for their support in our space, such as ragnar_meta, Dagie Dee, Chris Coleman, Olesya Bargo, TheFunnyGuys, and FluffheadChaser.
Shojiro shared a bit about his old friendship with Qubibi, and how he’d explain his work to someone not versed in digital art: “Imagine connecting the stereo sound’s left and right amplitudes to an Etch A Sketch’s dials — you’d be able to see the sound as animation. And if you reversed the process — converting the dial movement into an audio signal — you’d be able to hear the drawing.”
At the end of the day, that’s what Shojiro’s art is: it’s about listening to the images, and somewhere in that process, feeling something. It’s math, it’s physics, it’s code, it’s art.
Raquel Gaudard - How did you end up becoming an artist? (I know it can be a long road.) More specifically, what led you to choose the path of digital art?
Shojiro Nakaoka - I’ve been working as a freelance composer and sound designer, and during my free time, I’ve always made personal audiovisual projects. I don’t have a strict commitment to digital media specifically — my approach has always been to use whatever medium I’m most excited about at the moment. When I first started making music, I was using sequencers, so in a way, my current work with Processing feels like a natural extension of that early process.
OPTIMYSTIC #018, 2025, part of Shojiro Nakaoka’s new collection on objkt.com.
RG - Did you grow up in an artistic environment at home? Or are you the first artist in your family?
SN - My parents weren’t particularly involved in the arts, but I do have an older brother who studied photography at university. He introduced me to a lot of things I probably wouldn’t have discovered on my own — music, films, literature — things that younger friends around me weren’t paying attention to yet. That exposure had a big influence on me.
RG - How would you explain your creative process to someone unfamiliar with digital art — especially how you create images with sound? You strike me as a very methodical person — am I right, or is that just an impression?
SN - That’s a tough question. Sound is vibration, so it can be converted into electrical signals. Have you ever played with an Etch A Sketch? Imagine connecting the stereo sound’s left and right amplitudes to its dials — you’d be able to “see” the sound as animation. And if you reversed the process — converting the dial movement into an audio signal — you’d be able to hear the drawing. Of course, creating visuals and sounds that are both interesting at the same time takes lots of trial and error. But that’s the basic phenomenon.
Personally, I don’t start from a strictly logical or methodical approach. I tend to be drawn in by curious phenomena first, and then I start experimenting to see how I can play with them in creative ways. I wouldn’t say I follow any structured process — it feels more like finding a really good toy and diving into it with excitement. In the end, I’m always driven by the desire to surprise even myself with the results.
Cacimbo1 (2024), Shojiro Nakaoka’s first mint on objkt.com.
RG - When was your first mint? What led you to our platform?
SN - I just checked — my first mint was in April 2024. I first heard about Hic et Nunc through my friend Qubibi, usually over drinks at an izakaya (a kind of japanese pub). His stories made me want to give it a try too. By the time I was ready, Hic et Nunc was no longer active, but I heard about objkt from him, and it felt more open and artist-driven, so I decided to mint there. Qubibi actually guided me through the process step by step — and he ended up collecting my very first piece!
RG - How cool! I had no idea you two were that close. You also did a collab with him, right?
SN - Yes, Qubibi is an old friend. We first met when he asked me to create sound for one of his commercial projects. I guess we hit it off, because from there we started collaborating on more personal works as well. These days we mostly just sit around in yakiniku restaurants lamenting the state of Japan… Out of everyone I’ve worked with, he definitely asks for the most retakes. Sometimes he has a very specific vision, and sometimes there’s no direction at all. But the retakes — they always come. He’s got that Kubrick style. What’s really impressive is that he applies those same high standards to himself. That’s rare, and I respect it deeply.
Above, Awakened, by Qubibi. With sound designed by Shojiro Nakaoka. Stills from interactive piece, worth to play with at: https://awakened.qubibi.org/
RG - What about plotters? You also have a beautiful series of physical works on objkt. How do you turn your digital pieces into physical outputs — and do you feel the need to do that as a way to preserve your work beyond digital obsolescence?
SN - As I mentioned earlier, I often use old test equipment when working with sound and visuals. At some point during that process, I happened to discover something called an XY plotter. When I looked into it, I realized I could actually draw images directly using the data I was already generating — that was the moment I got hooked. I’ve always loved drawings made with simple materials like felt-tip pens, so the idea really resonated with me. It felt like discovering an Etch A Sketch that could take data as input. In the beginning, I worked with friends to convert audio files into a format the plotter could understand. But I had more ideas I wanted to try, so about five years ago I started building my own custom software in Processing.
I’ve been updating it ever since — and all of the static images, videos, and SVGs for plotters that I release on objkt are generated using that software. It’s probably a very inefficient workflow, but I’m not a programmer by trade, so I just don’t know a better way! As for creating physical pieces, it’s not so much about preservation — it’s more about the unique qualities of each medium. That tactile difference is something I really value.
Wet Two #2, by Shojiro Nakaoka. Edition 1/1 / Ink and collage on paper / A3 size 297mm×420mm (unframed). Generated through custom software and drawn by pen plotter. Collage elements are also composed and integrated algorithmically. Signed on back. Still available on objkt.com.
RG - I was really impressed by your YouTube videos and mentioned to you how powerful it is when an artist is authorial in both sound and image. Do you feel that too? Have you thought about creating a series focused entirely on audiovisuals?
SN - Thank you! I’m not sure if I’ve fully developed a strong artistic identity, but I do believe in refining things until something distinct begins to emerge. When I create, I always hope both the sound and visuals can bring something new — and that they might last in some way. I’ve had the idea of making a series focused entirely on audiovisuals ever since I started using objkt — but I haven’t been able to realize it just yet.
RG - I’m not sure about your age, but did you come into contact with Processing in its early days? What are your thoughts on the legacy of Casey Reas and Ben Fry — and that first generation of Processing-based artists?
SN - I remember buying a book on Processing around the time it was first released and giving it a try. But for me, text-based programming felt a bit too daunting, and I found myself much more immersed in environments that followed the modular synth metaphor — like Max/MSP. Of course, Casey Reas and Ben Fry are absolute legends. But I was also inspired by the work of John Maeda, Golan Levin, LIA, META, Adrian Ward, and others.
OPTIMYSTIC #006, 2025, part of Shojiro Nakaoka’s new collection on objkt.com.
RG - How do you deal with anxiety or creative block? Do you have any rituals or habits that help spark your creativity or motivation to make art?
SN - I’m the kind of person whose curiosity always wins out, so my to-do list is constantly backed up with ideas. That said, I feel like AI has recently helped me move through that backlog a bit faster. I just need to see what happens next! I’m a desire-driven human being through and through.