資源再読 THE REREADING RESOURCE PROCESS MEMU EARTH LAB LANDSCAPE DESIGN WORKSHOP

資源再読 THE REREADING RESOURCE PROCESS

MEMU EARTH LAB LANDSCAPE DESIGN WORKSHOP

資源再読 THE REREADING RESOURCE PROCESS MEMU EARTH LAB LANDSCAPE DESIGN WORKSHOP

National University of Singapore X The University of Tokyo Joint Summer Workshop: 2023 July 27 -August 5

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE KENYA ENDO, ZIYUAN ZHANG (ANDREW), ALYSSA TEE, CANCAN LIN, JUNYOUNG LIM (JULIA), KAENA SUTANU, LIPENG ZOU (PERRY), ZHIYI GUO DISCLAIMER

RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS

This work is a product of students’ outcome from National university of Singapore and The University of Tokyo joint summer workshop (2023 Jul-Aug) sponsored by Memu Earth Lab. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of any of the institutions. In addition, the team does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The report reflects public information available up to Aug, 2023.

The material in this work is subject to copyright.

This work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. Any queries on rights should be addressed to the editor; Kenya Endo (email address is available from the NUS Department of Architecture website).

ISBN No. 978-91-18-8713-0 © Individual Contributors 2023

THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO MAKOTO YOKOHARI, TORU TERADA, MENGQI LIU, CHRISTOPHER MARTIN (CHRIS), AOI MORITA, HAOYUN TAN, MIRINA UCHIDA, HANNAH SABRINA PIRA, MAYA KATRINA AGANA SPECIAL THANKS TO MEMU EARTH LAB TEAM YU MORISHITA, HIROTO HARADA, YASUO KAMATA, HINATA MATSUMURA, TSUKASA TOBIYAMA

Osaka Ringyo

Larch nursery and sapling production using modular container

Sakane Farm

Lake Oikamanai

Free-ranging dairy farm.

Certified as practicing “Animal Warfare”

Vegetation and eco-system around lagoon (海跡湖).

Recreational usage.

Handa Farm

Dairy products: cheeze, ice cream, etc.

Kamui Kotan Camping Ground

Rekifune River upper stream, and uplift terrain leading to Hidaka Mountains

Lake Horokayanto

Mt. Moiwa

JForest Taiki-cho

Vegetation and eco-system around lagoon (海跡湖).

Historic site for Satsumon culture (擦文文化)

Hill that is accessible from the town center.

Various tree species planted for recreation.

Origin of Memu River.

Collection and processing facilities for timber products

Rekifune River Park

Interface among mountain, river, and urban areas

Memu Earth Lab

Sapporo 0km

Taiki Fishing Port

Distribution hub for fishing industry

Asahihama Pillbox

War memorial, and unique coastal vegetation.

Protected forest for windbreak, fog prevention, and tide control

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Day 1 excursion Day 2 excursion

2km Tokyo

#Base Map

#Land Use

Memu Earth Lab

#Topography

#Entropy of the Rekifune River

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Taiki Fishing Port in the morning.

We have seen salmon and whelk (つぶ貝) being unloaded there.

Fresh salmon from the port for lunch.

Sakane Farm’s free ranging cows, baby cows, etc.

Wearing shoe-cover to prevent bringing in virus from outside.

BBQ cooking at Memu Earth Lab (chef Tsukasa-san).

Fireworks; typical Japanese summer time night activity.

Deer disassembling by hunter, Nori-san.

Fresh deer heart.

Mushroom harvesting in the woods.

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Osaka Ringyo’s larch nursery.

Lake Horokayanto and coastal vegetation, ecology, and geological layer.

JForest Taiki-cho with harvested larch lumber.

Handa Farm’s Ice-cream.

Experience of staying at Memu Earth Lab. Fisher woman harvesting konbu (sea weed) at Hiroo town.

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Presentation and review on the topic of rereading resource process, on first, mid, and last days of the workshop.

Milk tasting challenge.

Material display as part of presentation.

Geological layer close to Kamui Kotan, upper stream of Rekifune River.

Watercress harvesting from a stream near the town center.

Beach close to Taiki Port with lots of white rounded-pebbles.

Various activities that involve human senses (taken at JForest Taiki Cho, fishing port, and Sakane Farm) .

Your Reflection of the Workshop 1. Yu 2. Aoi: The way of life of local people and landscape are closely connected and both aspects reflect each other, so we cannot consider them independently.

Through these 10 days we felt Memu with our all five senses.

3. Maya: Memu allowed me to really focus on processual learning and finding inspiration from what I consider to be ‘pure’ forms of nature. Through switching lenses, I feel like I was able to get in touch with parts of what the environment has to offer, away from the stimulation of the usual urban settings we find ourselves in.

4. Hannah: I appreciated the field visits that are unique to the town because it was a perfect mix of observing and understanding the landscape and also at the same time getting to know the people behind such practices.

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5. Ryota 6. Hinata 7. Rosita 8. Hiroto 9. Makoto 10. Chris: the most valuable aspect of this studio has been the physicality and pan-disciplinary approach.

By witnessing the relationships between people in the community, the land, the food and different dimensions of life – it was easier to creatively construct new ideas about the impact of research and design on the world.

11. Alyssa: Being surrounded by the vast greenery and natural environment allowed me to focus on my experience here without any distractions. It brought me back to the simple things in life and allowed me to appreciate everything on a deeper level.

12. Kaena: I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to experience such a hands-on exploration and research process. Being able to interact with the site, sounds and people of Taiki-cho has been a very fulfilling and eye-opening experience for me.

13. Tsukasa: 14. Julia: ‘Boundaries’ can connect or separate; be fluid or linear; gradual or rigid; random or planned.

Understanding these properties and applying it to future practices will surely give rise to a new lens in seeing how we view and design the world around us.

15. Andrew: The depth of gastronomy offers a wealth of knowledge, accessible through a simple desire to learn. This experience reminded me that true understanding and appreciation are found beneath the surface, and can only be fully realized through personal involvement.

16. Zhiyi: The experiences in Memu have made me look at the formation of landscapes in a totally new way, and begin to observe ordinary life in greater detail.

17. Perry: this workshop provided an environment where innovation and imagination seamlessly merged, pushing me beyond my comfort zone. When ideas are freely shared, and there is a sense of respect and support among team members, creativity flourishes. I am deeply grateful for the knowledge gained, the friendships made, and the unforgettable memories.

18. Cancan: This ten-day trip in Taiki-cho is a longest experience for me to immerse myself into the nature.

The natural environment here seems always guided our perception and realization.

19. Mengqi: The natural environment is so different from the urban areas in my life, and I can feel peace and calm just by seeing the natural colors and industries. I feel that nature helped me marshal my thoughts.

20. Haoyun: The trip in Memu is a unique experience of seeing stars and milkyway because it is my first time to enjoy Astro tourism with friends. No t only vision, but also sounds and touch promote the rejoice at night, which can never be the case when gazing stars alone.

21. Mirina: 22. Kenya

Learning Objectives: Memu Earth Lab prototypes new forms of experimental infrastructure for

various kinds of grounded researches. Landscape majoring NUS students (both local and overseas students) will be part of the diverse specialism that revolves around the lab. For example, past and ongoing projects have engaged with architects, ecologists, sound artists, etc. This WS aims to add another layer of knowledge—landscape architectural perspectives which will contribute to the multi-disciplinary discourse for addressing emerging topics in the world, but with grounded approaches and actions. It is our interest to let Memu’s natural environment & cultural practices to drive our perception, realization, and reaction. However, the inspiration and learnings must go beyond the site; allowing students to find relevancy to their daily lives and the cities that they dwell.

The workshop will comprise of the following 3 processes:

Process 1: Read

Understand the site context via online sources, maps, readings. As a group, define your topic/ theme while questioning; what makes the site unique, what types of natural elements have influenced the way people live their lives, and how has it changed over time?

Process 2: Re-Read

At the site, embrace the site through 5 senses (seeing, tasting, hearing, touching, and smelling), and through dialogues with residents. Unfold the potentials (or challenges) of the site by analysing the flow of resources, interplay between man & nature.

Process 3: Question-Raising & Responding

Final step is to convert the inspiration and learnings from the site into questions; a series of constructive questions that bridge Memu’s experience with your own living environment. With an in-depth self-reflective process, overall goal is to develop critical perspectives on the way cities are operated, and how we live our lives within.

Outside of NUS classroom setting will enable students to be sensitive to; • site-specificity—through comparison with local climate, food, lifestyle, etc.

• authenticity—landscape as a full-body experience • team dynamism—working with multi-background team members Critical Thinking will strengthen the ability to set-up an argument through extracting the essence, and building relevancy to yourselves. In other words, the ability to relate the learnings at Memu into your individual lives in Singapore (or elsewhere). We will use design to facilitate the thinking-process. This may not be limited to spatial design, and it can be in the category of, for instance, system design, policy design, etc.

Inputs & Outputs will be about developing skills to synthesize multi-genre, numerous information into concise outputs. It is important to convey concepts and ideas to others effectively, and we will adopt mainly graphic representation to enable this task. This shall include maps, montages, sketches, diagrams, videos, etc. Any types of physical installation can be considered upon availability and effectiveness.

Memu 芽武—where “ponds and lakes are formed by groundwater springing” in Ainu tribe language. It is located close to the southern tip of Hokkaido, where mountainous terrain ends, and flat agricultural fields extend towards the Pacific Ocean. Dairy farming and fishery are the 2 main industry of the Taiki Town; a town with a population density of 6.66 people per sqkm. Memu Earth lab (a former racehorse farm) started as a research institute in 2011 to study housing for cold climate zones; given the fact that January’s average temperature can be as low as -9 Degree Celsius. The area surrounding Memu lab is more-or-less flat, and with Memu River (originates from Moiwa Mountain) runs just south of the site.

4 Projects:

Summary of group findings and discussion are outlined in below pages; • The Journey of Food—From Farm to Table 01 - 04 • The Color of Taiki Town 05 - 08 • Transition (into the night) 09 - 14 • Boundary Spaces 15 - 20

資源再読 the Rereading Resource Process

Read—Intersection Between People and Wildlife A number of online photos of Taiki Town illustrate the rich and diverse natural environment of Tokachi Plain and the Pacific coast of Southern Hokkaido. A landscape consisting woodlands, grassy fields, estuary, lagoons, and marine ecology, hosts a great number of wild fauna and flora in the region. And the experience of encountering such free-ranging wildlife must be different from how we see animals in zoos, aquariums, or through books. The proximity must play a crucial role in defining the relationship between people and wildlife. If so, how will the intersection look like, especially at a town who’s local industry heavily relies on harvest from land and the sea?

The most common intersection is when we view wildlife from the lens of “natural resource”. It is interesting how our perception towards such innocent creatures changes all the sudden when we consider them as part of industry. Take fish for an example. Once the fish is caught from the sea and transferred into economic mechanism, they seem to lose their one-and-only-ness. In other words, one life of a fish becomes meaningless, but the collective mass starts to matter as an index of productivity. Group of fish is thereafter, translated into economic values based on their rareness and consumability, and furthermore, changes its meaning to people as “food”.

Starting from the concept of “intersection“, some of the discussion during the pre-study period was the realization of how city dwellers (i.e. in Tokyo, Singapore) are distanced from wild animals and plants.

Fish products we see at supermarkets in cities, for instance, are typically sliced and processed, and it is almost impossible to reimagine its original shape. We cannot tell how they actually swim in the ocean.

Another example is bread; we don’t question how wheat looks like when we eat bread, and how it grows in the fields. The process of producing and distributing mass amount of food to consumers effectively must have made it unable for us to trace back the origin of how wildlife looks in the nature.

Re-Read The field trip and interviews to local people in Taiki Town, however, tell us a different story. The process of transforming wildlife to a “dish on a table” is rather transparent, and one can see through the interactions made along the way. For example, we heard how the hunter Michina-san “learns about nature through deer hunting and dismantling”. This point implies that there is a “silent dialogue“ between the hunter and the hunted, and the process of killing a deer is not a one-way action. Similarly, dairy farmer Ryota-san takes care of his cows on a daily basis with animal-welfare in mind, and describes how milk’s color and texture responds to weather conditions. In addition, Memu Earth Lab’s chef Tukasa-san thinks carefully about recipe that takes the best out of local harvests everyday and every season. From these conversations, we understood that the process of harvesting, and preparing it to become a food on the table is a long relay of care and respect.

Another interesting case that we noticed in the local market is that most of the vegetables are sold with the producers’ photographs, together with tips of how to eat it tastefully. The proximity of producers and consumers also makes the action of “eat”, as a meaningful experience than how we do in cities.

01 | The Journey of Food

The Journey of Food —From Farm to Table Alyssa TEE, Mengqi LIU, Lipeng ZOU, Aoi MORITA

資源再読 the Rereading Resource Process

Question Raising—What Does Food Mean to Us? After the field work, site observation, and most importantly, tasting locally harvested food every day, we have come to question, “what does food mean to us? Do we enjoy eating the food we have in front of us?”

Simple answer to this question is from its physical aspect; food is the energy source to sustain our lives.

But, the experience in Taiki Town unlocked more ways to approach this question. How about its mental and social aspects. We have seen the potential of how food becoming a connector between people and people. As we have seen in the previous chapter, the preparation of meal is rather a long process that involves many “silent dialogues”. This is how we realized that food can be the media to nurture communication, and bring people together with joy. We can easily anticipate lots of conversations like, “where was this ingredient harvested?“, “how was it cooked?“, “this year’s harvest is lower than previous years“, etc., taking place very commonly in Taiki Town. The more voices like so, the stronger the food identity of the region will become.

Response To take things more critically, are we fully making use of the potential that food can bridge people and people? Living in large cities like Tokyo and Singapore, it’s very common that we cannot see the producers’ face, and we are probably too busy to pay attention to the food that we eat. Do you remember what you ate this morning, and did you care about where ingredients come from, as well as who prepared the dish for you? What consequence is waiting for us, if we are blind to what we eat?

The literacy towards food will be difficult to inculcate, living in a condition that we tap our smart phones and just wait till your hamburger to arrive. We can order groceries without checking how it looks like and where it comes from. In such society, we may not be eating with joy, but in other words, we are actually “fed”. Being blind to what we eat can also lead to other consequences; we may lose the appreciation to food, which leads to more food waste. We may become insensitive to taste or indifference to farmers, so that cost becomes the only factor for deciding what to buy.

Then, how can we navigate the balance between convenience and sustainable consumption? Some digital technologies allow it to happen - for example, food subscription services, chatting service with producers already exist. These platforms should help reestablish the relationships with producer’s or raw ingredients even while living in cities. Concept of farm-to-table has been trendy movement in cities like Singapore too. Indeed, technologies and ideas can contribute to shorten the physical distances between producers and consumers, however, it is still not the same as what we saw in Taiki Town. In Taiki Town, there was a live interaction between people and people as well as between people and wildlife, over the course of harvesting, food preparation, and dining. We should still look for new approaches that helps recover the human-food connections.

03 | The Journey of Food

資源再読 the Rereading Resource Process

Read—”White” What is the image of Taiki Town?

Winter snow, summer mist, recurring waves, cattle and milk, coniferous forests, gravel and rocks flowing Rekifune River, driftwood washed up on the sandy beach... When you search for visual clues and inspirations associated with Taiki Town online, the common theme that stitched all images together was the color “white”. During our further investigation, we have also learned that town’s climate plays a significant role in shaping this visual image of “white.”

More specifically, snow and mist are the seasonal spectacles of Taiki Town, influenced by temperature and weather conditions. During the winter season, many farmlands are covered in white snow. Whereas, sea mist is generated due to warm, humid air flowing over the sea during summer time. Other elements, such as fallen trees and rugged rocks, become whitened as they are exposed to the flow of the river before reaching the river mouth. White-bark birch groves and wildflowers with white blossoms are also native to the region. Waves along the coast are obviously caused by the action of the wind. In essence, these colors can be described as the embodiment of the region’s climate.

When we focus on the color white as the visual identity of Taiki Town, we start to wonder, “are the residents also aware of living with white elements around”? If there is a connection between white elements and the climate, it’s possible that the image of Taiki Town in 50 years from now will be different from what it is today, by the effects of climate change.

Re-Read—Stories Behind Colors During field work in Taiki Town, we have asked residents about the color that represents the town, and responses were quite diverse. For example, the hunter Michina-san answered “red”, deriving from the vivid blood of deer, which is deeply connected to her livelihood. Hinata-san answered as “deep pink” represented by the Hamanasu flower, a coastal plant. Memu Earth Lab’s chef, Tsukasa-san who’s not originally from Taiki, replied “several shades of blue”, while Hiroto-san and Yu-san (also not from the area) mentioned multi colors, adding how they are fascinated by the colors that change seasonally.

We understood that personal experience and memory form the basis of their responses. In other words, through their answers, we get to indirectly hear a story from each one of them on how they interact with their surroundings in Taiki Town. The difficulty in finding a single answer to the initial question is a testament to the diverse ways in which people interact with their natural environments in places like Taiki Town. If you were to ask the same question to the cows at Sakane Farm, how might they respond? They might be incredibly sensitive to subtle differences in the “green” of the pasture.

05 | The Color of Taiki Town

The Color of Taiki Town Kaena SUTANU, Zhiyi GUO, Mirina UCHIDA, Hannah Sabrina PIRA

資源再読 the Rereading Resource Process

Question Raising—What Color Represents Tokyo/Singapore?

This visual analysis teaches us how we perceive a place differently. it’s also interesting to know that even from one aspect of a spatial component like color, there is a potential to evoke individual memories and lifestyles. In Taiki Town, climatic conditions and natural environment seem to be the key factor of defining the visual identity. We wondered, then how will “we” answer the same question we asked in Taiki Town. What color represents Tokyo and Singapore, and why?

The reason for this answer is actually more important than the color itself. The colors seen in cities include; facades of buildings, people’s fashion, cars, street trees, etc., representing the vibrancy and liveliness. When we close our eyes and imagine the cityscapes of Tokyo or Singapore, typical things come to your mind will be objects that are; artificial, large, and commonly seen in any other cities as well. In other words, these objects are all something that we can hardly associate any personal stories. And, the appearance and colors of cities are determined by other mechanism, which is totally different from Taiki Town’s case, such as the will to stand out from others, freedom of expression, or economic constraints (e.g. cheap paint). Again, if we acknowledge that cities are not only for humans, then how do urban birds and insects see our urban environments?

Response The challenge for us (future designers and planners) is how to make proper suggestions regarding the image of a city. How can we apply this thorough analysis into practice?

This color studies start to imply the importance of considering not only the two-dimensional appearance but also three-dimensional aspects such as texture, weight, smell, and thickness (a.k.a. materiality).

Furthermore, the stay in Taiki Town also taught us that image is not static. Green paint must be reapplied frequently to maintain its greenness consistently in cities. However, many things we have seen in Taiki Town derived from natural materials. The effect of changing color, due to slow weathering process, makes us aware of “time”, eventually becoming the foundation for local people to develop attachment to things, places, and regions.

This is where we can reflect these learnings to our lives and studies. For example, it is common to see images attempting “greenwash” in the course of urban planning and representing the future outlooks, whereby many of us don’t question the reason of introducing greenery in cities in the first place.

Green-centric images can be used to manipulate impressions, and similar types of tricks are commonly used in social media as well. One of the key learnings from the workshop is that visual information is powerful, but at the same time, too powerful sometimes, in a sense that it makes us forget that personal memories and experiences are there too. Perhaps we should prioritize on creating spaces that allow interactions and engagements from the users, more than pursuing aesthetics and appearances.

Illustration of how urban environment can be perceived by non-human point of views

07 | The Color of Taiki Town

資源再読 the Rereading Resource Process

Transition (into the night) Cancan LIN, Haoyun TAN, Maya Katrina AGANA

Read—Tourism of Taiki Town What is the focus of tourism industry in Taiki Town?

On one hand, Taiki Town has historical assets like pillbox (remains along the coast from the wartime) and the pit-house clusters at Lake Horokayanto, originates from the Satsumon culture. These historical sites can be significant resources for promoting tourism and educating visitors about the town’s heritage. On the other hand, tapping into the current livelihoods such as dairy farming, fishery, forestry, and hunting can also become the source of tourism. Showcasing how these activities are integrated into the daily lives of the residents can be of a great interest to outsiders.

Among these, what attracted our interest was the gaze towards the space. Space-related industry has started in Taiki Town in 1984. Even people who are not familiar with Taiki Town might recognize it as a location for rocket launches. To think outside of the box, the inspiration from the space industry in Taiki Town has brought us to relook into the potential of the sky, especially the dark night sky. Is it possible to find special values to something we can find anywhere in the world, and we often casually look up to?

Re-Read—Transition Night time darkness stimulates the imagination. It might be natural for us to be attracted by the experience of complete darkness, which is very difficult to find in cities. In Taiki Town, we captured the starry night sky at midnight. Spending the night outdoors with friends brought a strong sense of immersion, and darkness sharpened the senses, other than vision. The experience of the night sky went beyond visual appreciation but also offered these additional dimensions of engagements.

This nightscape’s splendid experience (name it as astro-tourism) in Taiki Town is possible due to its flat terrain, frequent clear days, and the scarcity of buildings and streetlights in the vicinity that cause light pollution. In the tourism industry, the aim is often to create activities to attract people, but it is intriguing how the opposite—having fewer people—contributes to the charm of the area.

What needs to be considered to use astro-tourism, centered around nighttime activities, to be successful and sustainable? Perhaps, “transition” can be one of the key aspects to consider. Instead of relying exclusively on one industry to grow, it is advisable to gradually shift and adapt. Collaboration with other industries and creating links with daytime activities should also be taken into account. Just like the story of Sakane Farm’s products were adopted by space-related companies, creating mechanisms that generate synergistic effects is a crucial key to success.

09 | Transition (into the night)

資源再読 the Rereading Resource Process

Sound of the day

Sound of the dusk (transition)

Sound of the night

11 | Transition (into the night)

Transition from day and night at Memu Earth lab

資源再読 the Rereading Resource Process

Question Raising—What Does the Night Mean to You? When observing the transition from daytime to dusk, and into darkness, it becomes evident that there are changes in the sounds made by various insects around Memu Earth Lab. Unlike the daytime when little regularity can be found in these sounds, as the sunset approaches and gets fully dark, there is a pattern for them to settle into a consistent rhythm. In other words, this is a response by insects to sunlight, and how it affects their biological cycle.

So, what about people, especially who lives in cities? Even mid-night, we are often exposed to overwhelming brightness, and maybe we have lost our ability to recognize night as night. In the past, people used the constellation as a guide to understanding direction and seasons, and they would go to sleep with the arrival of dusk. However, our current lifestyle has changed significantly. It might be worth requestioning the meaning and role of the night. What does the night mean to you?

One idea that could be a hint to approach this question is the concept of “Relational Value.” It differs from the “Intrinsic Value,” which is the inherent value of the natural environment itself, and the “Instrumental Value,” which represents the monetary value that can be derived, such as ecosystem services. “Relational Value” is positioned as a third type of value that focuses on the benefits that individuals receive from their relationship with the natural environment. The preceding question, which ends with “you”, highlights that individual subjectivity and experiences play a significant role in defining what nightscape means. It implies that the potential of astro-tourism lies on individuals; e.g. detoxing while camping and spending quiet time under the night sky, as opposed to traditional mass tourism.

Response In cities like Tokyo and Singapore, it is rare to be surrounded by darkness and silence. Establishing a safe urban environment relies on the importance of lighting infrastructure. The illustration of lightless urban perspectives by the artist Thierry Cohen represents a speculative nightscape that well-integrates with the surrounding environment. However, in these images, the expressions of the city and inhabitants are entirely invisible, evoking a sense of emptiness.

So, does it make sense to find new opportunities and business prospects in the night hours in large cities? This perspective seems to be more practical. The more vibrant night hours in cities become, the more value can be attributed to the experiences in places like Taiki Town. To achieve this stark contrast in one’s experience, we believe traveling is essential. Travel involves dedicating time and effort to visit the destination, with personal purposes (e.g. family vacations, hitch-hiking with friends). The distance and remoteness of Taiki Town does not matter anymore. As long as there is a high quality of dark, quiet, and safe night environment, astro-tourism should be able to move forward.

Black Out City — Singapore and Tokyo Artist Inspiration: Thierry Cohen

13 | Transition (into the night)

資源再読 the Rereading Resource Process

Read—Knowledge Taiki Town has accumulated a wealth of knowledge. This knowledge spans from naturall knowledge to built wisdom gained from living alongside the natural environment. The knowledge is very dynamic; some shaped and evolved over time, adapted to the demands of each era, acquiring new meanings, or sometimes fading away.

For example, the harvest of water celery (junsai) has been a long practice in Lake Kimonto, and it has been used not only as food source but also for beauty and medicinal purposes. However, considering the diminishing suitable environments for water celery and the declining number of local fishermen, there is a risk that the knowledge may transform in the future. Whereas, Ainu’s tradition of harvesting salmon, how they used its skin for leathering materials, and also for a religious symbol have been lost completely already. We no longer see the knoledge to be practiced, but only to be seen in documents and photos.

The process of accumulating local knowledge is similar to the process of species’ evolution, emerging as a result of environmental adaptation. Therefore, delving deep into this knowledge can provide valuable insights for sustainable resource usage and planning. At the same time, it’s essential to consider how to effectively nurture and pass down these rooted knowledge to future generations.

Re-Read—Circulation Through field work in Taiki Town, we first attempted to visualize the local resource circulation, with the aim to map local knowledge and how they interrelate. By conducting interviews with various local industries, we discovered that this knowledge is indeed very diverse, and orginates from various sources; recently invented knowledge, technical knowledge, imported knowledge, etc. And it became apparent that economic considerations play a significant role in shaping them.

At JForest Taiki Town (a facility that collects timber from the region and processes it for various products), we learned that lower-grade timber is pulverized into sawdust, which is then used by dairy farmers as bedding material for cattle. At Sakane Farm, Ryota-san further informed us that sawdust mixed with manure and urine after a certain while can be reused after undergoing a dehydration process. He also keeps his cows in free-ranging style, and mainly feeds them with pasture mixed with nitrogen fixing plants, to reduce the reliance on imported grain. His practice is the result of encouraging small-scale material flow system. His recent idea is to commercialize post-delivery cows to the market in order to reduce any wastes generated from the system.

Although it is not so easy as it sounds, this circulation of resources serves as an example of how natural environment and human society can work together for sustainable future. The complexity and inter-connectedness, however, explain the importance of every piece that consists the circulation to be stable and intact. Losing one piece of it, means that entire network will be affected.

15 | Boundary Spaces

Boundary Spaces Ziyuan ZHANG (Andrew), Junyoung LIM (Julia), Christopher MARTIN

資源再読 the Rereading Resource Process

Memu Earth Lab

Detailed land use (above) and principles of classifying land use and circulatory systems

17 | Boundary Spaces

Multi-criteria re-evaluation of land use of Taiki Town, based on Lesslie, R., & Maslen, M. (1995). National wilderness inventory: Handbook of principles, procedures and usage (2nd ed.). Canberra: Australian Heritage Commission.

資源再読 the Rereading Resource Process

Question Raising—What is a Boundary?

So far, the focus of the analysis was on knowledge and resource circulation, and their inter-connectedness in Taiki Town. Next, it’s worth considering the boundary between each entity.

When we drive around Taiki Town, there are certain boundaries that create a sense of territory, but unlike in cities, we have come to realize that there are exchanges and interactions that go beyond these boundaries. As demonstrated by the earlier discussion on resource circulation, these exchanges occur at various scales, not static, both tangible and intangible ways.

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Our stay in Taiki Town has brought us to ask a simple question, “what is a boundary?” The field work and interviews have hypothesized that the meaning and nature of boundaries in this rural context differ significantly from what is typically experienced in cities.

The process of filming various boundary spaces in Taiki Town has taught us that these boundaries are both random and fluid with many “gray” areas. Boundary is not just about dividing two areas but also about connecting two different entities gently, suggesting a sense of unity and continuity. This fluid and interconnected approach to boundaries in Taiki Town is distinct from the conventional notion of rigid and distinct separations. It reflects the adaptability and harmony with which the local community interacts with its environment.

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Response From these discoveries in Taiki Town, there are several suggestions that can be applied to urban settings like Tokyo and Singapore. One such suggestion is the concept of “Bio-Mimicry,” which involves emulating natural systems. As exemplified by the meandering history of the Rekifune River, we can learn the importance of ensuring sufficient “play” space for the river, while maintaining flexible and soft boundaries. For instance, this discussion can be applied to urban settings and infrastructure planning, where managing floods in cities is a crucial topic. By redefining the concept of boundary, cities can approach the risk of flooding by widening flood plains instead of relying on strong civil engineering structures to control it.

Another suggestion is the idea of “Modest Management“, which we believe that healthy boundary spaces require monitoring and targeted intervention to maintain the balance of values. This can be achieved through minimum thresholds. Similar to Satoyama Landscapes, an appropriate degree of management makes the boundary become a buffer that creates a seamless transition between two entities.

To further expand this question of rethinking boundaries, it can reach into a more philosophical realm.

Questions like, “how should scientists define the biological boundaries of humanity?” touch on the essence of what it means to be human, the biological boundaries that define us as humans, and the consequences when these boundaries are breached. It’s evident that the concept of boundaries can reach as extensive as addressing these fundamental questions about human existence and identity.

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19 | Boundary Spaces

How to consciously approach boundary design: Modest Management, seen in Satoyama Landscapes.