In October 2014 mainstream America - and David Letterman - was introduced to one of Japan’s most intriguing phenomenons, the virtual star known as Hatsune Miku. Making a holographic appearance as the musical guest on the Late Show with David Letterman, Miku was joined by a live band to perform the song "Sharing the World", chosen specifically for special live performances in the US. If it all left Dave (and others) a bit confused, it’s not without reason: Miku is much more than just an animated star in the vein of Gorillaz. Rather, she’s a representation of the evolution of digital music technology, crowdsourcing, and creative collaboration.

Technically, Hatsune Miku is a program - a vocal synthesizer called a Vocaloid, developed by Japanese software company Crypton Future Media. She’s not the only one, but she is the most popular, with a rapidly growing fanbase worldwide. Anyone can buy the Vocaloid and use it to create songs; everything Miku performs live was created by members of a burgeoning global community, with over 100,000 songs featuring her voice uploaded since its launch in 2007.

Parameters:

• 500 pieces
• Weight: 490g
• Jigsaw size: 48cm x 34cm
• Box size: 31cm x 22cm x 5cm