PHANTAZUMA is a stage machinery enabling audience members of a stage performance to watch different contents dependent to their position even though all of the audience members gather at the same theater and watch the same drama work. This work aims at giving the audience a chance to experience an innovative live performance and attracting the audience including for those who are not familiar with enjoying a play and the repeaters simultaneously. At present, the miniature prototype of PHANTAZUMA has a 1m of height and depth, 60cm of width. The weight of this work is around 5 to 10kg, which depends on the number of dolls, instruments regarding what kind of contents I prepare.

I created a stage machinery enabling audience members of a stage performance to watch different contents depending on their position even though all of the audience members gather at the same theater and watch the same drama work. The name of Phantazuma consists of an Ancient Greek word "phantazm" which means a ghost or illusion and the creator's name.

I combined a vision control film whose transparency changes depending on the viewing angle with the classic Pepper’s ghost effect. Pepper’s ghost regards a ghost as a semi-transparent object and uses a sheet of glass set between the audience and a main stage and another hidden stage set up under the tilted glass plate. The conventional Pepper's ghost, however, has a limitation that the ghost is overly obvious from any position and far from paranormalism. To address this point, I focused on a vision control film which has a property that transmits a light at a certain angle and diffuses in the other case. A multiple of semi-transparent mirrors with which the vision control film is affixed (that we call phantomirrors) are set between the main stage and the audience, and the rotational angle of each phantomirror is controlled. Also, the illumination on the main stage and hidden stage is manipulated. Consequently, the system enables the audience members in the same theater to watch different scenes (live actors only, ghosts only, or both) depending on their position.

Phantazuma is a miniature stage machinery imitating a theater, and the audience can watch the main stage from the above. Two shelfs were covered with black curtains to shut undesirable light. For light sources on the main stage, two light fixtures were manually controlled. By contrast, since light sources on the hidden stage need to illuminate ghost actors locally, spotlights consisting of power LED and 3D-printed enclosure were positioned at left, center, and right side. The measurements are about 1000mm (Height) x 600mm (Width) x 1000mm (Depth). We call an acrylic semi-transparent mirror which vision control film is pasted a "phantomirror". Three phantomirrors are set between the main stage and hidden stage and their rotational angles are manipulated. The weight is around 5 to 10kg.