Byline: Masashi Kawamura

When I decided to return to Japan from New York four years ago, I didn’t think of it as a closure. Rather, it was an ideal opportunity to launch Whatever Co. in Japan as a company with both the imagination to come up with completely unique, sometimes crazy ideas, and the skills and expertise to turn those ideas into reality.

Now that the US is emerging from COVID-19 restrictions and the need for participatory experiences has revived, I’ve decided it’s time to open “whatever New York” with a focus on North America and with a new partner who specializes in groundbreaking immersive experiences.  

Leading this new chapter as my partner is Executive Creative Director Aramique Krauthamer. Aramique has been my friend for over 10 years, and I respected his creative mind even before I met him. His ability to launch Tool’s experiential team from scratch and grow it into an industry-leader was an eye-opener. After many exciting conversations, the time is right for Aramique to build on what he’s done with Tool and make Whatever New York into a studio that breaks every mold.

Leading the team with Aramique will be Executive Producer Jennifer Baker who was also his partner at Tool. With her multidisciplinary background and deep experience crossing all fields, I’m confident she’s the right driving force for this studio.

If you’re based in North America and would like to create an immersive experience or whatever with us, please contact us. And we’re also looking to hire new friends now! Thank you for reading this far. And thank you to everyone who made Whatever Co. into what it is today.

Oh, and as long as I have your attention….

At the same time as we’re launching Whatever New York, Whatever Co. also opened the world’s first Museum of Augmented Reality (MoAR). MoAR transforms Whatever co. Tokyo’s office building “WHEREVER” into a huge AR art gallery of unprecedented scale.

We want to reimagine the concept of architecture by using buildings in busy public spaces as canvases for giant AR artworks that fuse the physical and the digital. Visitors can experience interactive and non-interactive AR works without downloading an app by simply scanning the QR code drawn on the exterior wall. From there, you’ll be able to  seamlessly appreciate the eye-popping pieces from any vantage point.  

We hope that MoAR will help brighten people’s lives and show the possibilities of collaboration between AR and cityscapes. If you’re in Tokyo and have a chance to visit, please stop by. There are also plans to implement the MoAR in public spaces in the United States, so look out for those as well!