In 2019, I directed an international arts festival featuring interactive, place-based art, workshops, concerts, walks, talks, and storytelling events. Taking place at multiple locations in Osaka’s “Kitakagaya Creative Village,” the City as Nature Festival aimed at cultivating our awareness of urban environmental landscapes. At the … Continue readingCity as Nature Festival
The Branch is a small studio and alternative gallery space built by Patrick and his wife Suhee. Nestled in a small alley in the Kitakagaya neighborhood of Osaka, Japan, The Branch hosts seasonal events and exhibitions featuring locals and visitors from abroad, exploring the nature … Continue readingThe Branch Studio
One of the country’s largest markets, Hankyu is of the first places I filmed b-roll footage (illegally) to help highlight consumerism in Japan’s major cities. Fast forward to today, and we are hanging a show here. What did we choose to display? That’s the fun part… … Continue readingExhibition and Talk at Hankyu Umeda
Just back from Paris, where I helped design, build, and curate an arts platform to augment the Nature of Cities Summit, a global conference of ecologists, urban planners, and others from academic and government roles. … Continue readingSpring 2019 Works & Events
In a busy Japanese shopping mall, there were moments of calm, joy, and beauty. Personally however, the most beautiful moment must have been witnessing this little girl. For at least half a minute she stood there… … Continue readingA Nature Mandala: Growing Seeds in a Shopping Mall
Today one quite old, well-dressed woman stopped in her tracks and looked straight at me, asking “what are you putting in the bag?” In my limited Japanese I answered “leaves,” opening the bag to show her the bright fall color pallet inside. Her reaction… … Continue readingThe Art of Collecting Leaves
Suhee and I will be hosting a series of events with MUJI (無印良品) in Japan called With Nature. If you are in the area (Osaka/Sakai) come join us for the following events… … Continue reading‘With Nature’ Events at MUJI, Japan
We’ve just been notified that our project in Osaka, “The Branch” has received a ‘Special Commendation’ from the 2018 Nick Reeves Award from Art and Environment! This award is given annually in recognition of an outstanding contribution in the field of environmental arts… … Continue readingNick Reeves Award for Art and Environment
There are synergies between human progress and environmental wellness here in Japan, that have been accomplished nowhere else in human history. … Continue readingA Current that Trickles Through the Walls
We revitalized an old building and empty urban lot, turning them into an ecological art and media lab in Osaka, Japan. In the space, we host community workshops and exhibitions aimed at re-connecting more us more deeply to our environment and the world we live in.
Flower watching is an event like no other here in Japan. Every spring especially, the country goes crazy for the light pink cherry blossoms that grace so many of its streets, parks, and hillsides; so much so that office workers sometimes get off early once … Continue readingA Winter Friend, the Sazanka (山茶花)
It’s a brisk Winter morning in Osaka, and I’m jumping on a bike, headed to a warehouse down the street that is filled with used wood. A saw, square, a notebook with some scribbles and measurements, and a few other tools are in the bike’s basket. … Continue readingBuilding by Bike – Truth, Goodness, and Beauty
It begins with a temporary restaurant where guests are not served dinner, but instead informed “your dinner will be ready in six weeks, after we grow your food”… … Continue readingREALtimeFOOD
We opened a slightly audacious restaurant and garden in a working-class suburb of Osaka, Japan with the intent of connecting people more deeply with food and nature in their neighborhood. Can an urban garden help us remember what it means to be human? … Continue readingNature of Cities | A Restaurant and Garden Serving up Connections to Urban Nature
One way I have liked to spend spare time here in Osakako is taking naps under a tree, as you might guess. The other place is a little plaza overlooking the harbor where the big container ships come in and are loaded and unloaded. … Continue readingThe Space Between
We’ve just finished our REALtimeFOOD project, which was a 7 week long process combining art, ecology, community, and growing food in an urban setting. Suhee and I are both really happy with how it all went, and glad to see so many people inspired by … Continue readingRobert Callender Residency Begins in Osaka
There are walls of rain coming down outside and I’m sweating. Which means it’s rainy season in Japan. A quick update on a few exciting projects going on this summer here in Osaka… PART 1 – REALtimeFOOD In June and July, Suhee and I are … Continue readingSummer Update from Japan
This week we filmed in Osaka, Nara, and Fukuoka, and each day was full of fresh local food. In Nara, our amazing Japanese interpreter and I spent an extended weekend withYoshikazu Kawaguchi, a natural farmer who runs a free monthly farming class, including free practice … Continue readingWeek in Western Japan