OSAKA, JAPAN – The highly anticipated Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, themed "Designing Future Society for our Lives," is showcasing groundbreaking innovations that blend art, technology, and human experience. Among the most talked-about exhibits is the "Zero Gravity Box," a collaborative project featuring acclaimed Japanese artist and fashion designer Naoko Tosa, and the Albanian-American model, entrepreneur, and human rights activist, Elton Ilirjani, known to the fashion world as HANKO. This immersive installation, which simulates the unique sensation of weightlessness, stands as a testament to the Expo's commitment to exploring emerging sciences and evolving technologies that shape a sustainable future.
Elton Ilirjani, a prominent figure in global fashion and a staunch advocate for inclusivity, brings a distinctive dimension to the project. Renowned for his performative approach to modeling, which champions genderless representation and universal beauty, Ilirjani's participation bridges the gap between high fashion, conceptual art, and futuristic technological exploration. Unlike traditional runway walks, his appearances are celebrated for their artistic depth, reminiscent of trailblazing performance artists such as Yoko Ono, Marina Abramović, and Michele Lamy. His journey from discovering unique Asian designers at a New York boutique to becoming a global runway mainstay – walking for designers at New York, Milan, Paris, London, Athens, Costa Rica, Miami, and Tokyo Fashion Weeks – underscores his evolution as an artist who uses the runway as a stage for storytelling and advocacy.
The "Zero Gravity Box" project, spearheaded by Naoko Tosa and her Art Innovation Academia-Industry Joint Research Division at the Kyoto University Disaster Prevention Research Institute, was developed in cooperation with leading technology firms TOPPAN and Shimadzu Corporation. It offers participants a profoundly unique experience, accessible through parabolic flights, designed to evoke the sensation of being in a mother's womb. Within this specialized environment, akin to a scuba diving setting, the audience is invited to metaphorically become newborns, enveloped by the "zero-gravity Sound of Ikebana" and the rhythmic sound of a mother's heartbeat. This nostalgic simulation aims to provide a profound sense of rebirth, challenging conventional perceptions of space and self.
For this particular iteration of the project, Naoko Tosa collaborated closely with Elton Ilirjani. Ilirjani entered the "Zero Gravity Box" as a central component of a performance art piece, clad in a custom-designed outfit by Tosa. His face was strikingly painted white and adorned with blue crystals, creating an otherworldly, almost ethereal appearance. The captivating visuals from this collaboration were captured by photographer Arun Nevader, illustrating the blend of haute couture with scientific and artistic innovation.
Reflecting on his experience, Ilirjani articulated the profound impact of the simulation. "The whole experience was reminiscent of being inside your mother's womb, when you are an embryo, hearing the heartbeat of your mother," he stated. Beyond its artistic merit, Ilirjani perceives the project as a window into the future. "This experience is more than art and fashion, it's the future. Weightlessness is something people will experience in the future, since people will travel to other planets," he added, highlighting the project's relevance in an era of burgeoning space exploration.
Significantly, the "Zero Gravity Box" aligns perfectly with Ilirjani's personal advocacy for genderless modeling. The inherent lack of gravity in the experience naturally transcends physical form and traditional boundaries. "There is no gender gap either which is perfect with my project, the genderless modeling. There is no gap in genders, weightlessness, smart mirrors, wonderful sounds, Embryo, it's futuristic and together with the colors and how it was composed it was giving micro-gravity or zero gravity," Ilirjani affirmed. His vision for a fashion industry free from gender constraints finds a compelling parallel in an environment where physical attributes are rendered moot by the absence of gravity.
"I'm proud to be part of this project," Ilirjani concluded, visibly moved by the experience. "I could hear my heartbeat inside the box. I could remember being a fetus inside my mother. The future of life. It gave me a touch of the universe, it elevated me to another level."
Elton Ilirjani's involvement in the "Zero Gravity Box" at Expo 2025 Osaka underscores the profound potential of interdisciplinary collaboration. By merging cutting-edge technology, empathetic design, and performance art, the project not only offers a unique sensory experience but also propagates a powerful message of inclusivity and a forward-looking vision for human existence in an increasingly interconnected and expansive universe. The Expo continues until October 13, 2025, inviting global communities to engage with such transformative initiatives that aim to design a sustainable and inclusive future society.
