2026 Co-work

2026 Co-work

The theme for Co-work 2026 is “Abstraction”. In this year’s Co-work, participants attempted to distill the essential senses and structures of a lived experience, whether it is something they experienced individually or a particular cultural moment. This abstraction is not about simplifying or stylizing visual imagery. Instead, it is an exercise in finding the “core” of a matter — identifying commonalities that transcend individual contexts. Participants looked for these core elements that may be hidden in the rhythms, relationships, sensations, or the passage of time.

Team A

Team members : TANAKA Kosei, DONG Ni, LEE Myeong-ji, KIM Seoyeon

Music : SUDO Kaho

Technique : 2D animation using digital drawing, colored pencils, watercolor, and ink

Running time : 2’ 58”

Concept

“Love poem” explores how sound can convey emotion beyond the boundaries of language. Group members from China, Japan, and Korea each read aloud a poem about love in their native language. Without knowing the meaning of the other poems, each member created an abstract animation in response to another member’s poem, based solely on the rhythm, intonation, and tone of the voice. These animations were then brought together as a collaborative work, examining how emotion can be communicated through the interplay of sound and moving images.

Team B

Team members : MIKAMI Merumo, LIU Renming, KIM Jaemin, JEONG Jimin

Music : SUDO Kaho

Technique : Digital 2D animation

Running time : 1’ 19”

Concept

Growth is all about change and cycling. This piece shows the endless loop of life changing shape—from birth, to death, and right back to rebirth.

Story

There are no specific characters in this piece. Instead, it’s a continuous flow of changing shapes that symbolize life. It starts with an “umbilical cord”—the origin of life—and then morphs into tree branches and raindrops to show how life spreads out. When the rain hits the water, the ripples fade into darkness, hinting at “death.” After that, bubbles float up and turn into new forms of life, like an egg yolk or a belly button, before looping right back to the umbilical cord from the very beginning. Growth isn’t just a one-way street; it’s a constant cycle of change. Through these poetic visuals, this work shows how life is endlessly passed on.

Team C

Team members : CHEN Yuyuan, LEE Somi, MOON Seulgi

Music : MATSUMOTO Yuichi

Technique : Digital 2D animation, 3D Animation

Running time : 48”

Concept

This project explores how communication can emerge beyond linguistic differences. By translating the distinct sounds, rhythms, and impressions of Korean, Japanese, English, and Chinese into audiovisual forms, we aim to express the sense of harmony we experienced while communicating across languages.