A City Designed by Trees
Commissioned for the 2022 Daejeon Biennale “City Project,” we weave together science, art, and cultural traditions to imagine a city designed by trees.
Tag: south korea
The Possible City Illustrations
Every fortnight I publish The Possible City, an illustrated story series exploring the kinds of equitable, resilient, regenerative cities that you and I might actually want to live in. These stories are not about the cities we currently inhabit, but rather, about uncovering the cities … Continue readingThe Possible City Illustrations
Forest is the Artist – Exhibition in Seoul
A forest has its own exhibition of artwork in a Korean gallery, and the profits go back into the forest. … Continue readingForest is the Artist – Exhibition in Seoul
Final Straw: Food, Earth, Happiness
A documentary film and long-term international dialogue about food, earth, and happiness, based on a Japanese ‘Natural Farming’ philosophy of living with the environment.
Final Straw: Wisdom from the Field (book)
A book of forty five postcards, each with an image from our travels to natural farms, and bite-sized quotes from the natural farmers in Korea, Japan, and the United States. … Continue readingFinal Straw: Wisdom from the Field (book)
The Powerful Sound of a Broom
— The standard morning here offers a varied menu of sounds: chirping, click-clacking, chatter moving towards the subway station. On the days when either leaves or a dusting of snow are present along the pathways you can add to this menu, the delicate sound of … Continue readingThe Powerful Sound of a Broom
In Dae-dong, ‘Poor’ Neighborhood, High Quality of Life
If you want to know how someone can live in a monetarily ‘poor’ urban neighborhood and have a good quality of life, there are undoubtedly some answers to be found here. … Continue readingIn Dae-dong, ‘Poor’ Neighborhood, High Quality of Life
Artist Residency in Daejeon, Korea
Jageun Jip means “small house” in Korean, and it is just that; a very small house on a forested hillside overlooking the city of Daejeon. The house functions as a community library, and a newly opened residency space for writers. … Continue readingArtist Residency in Daejeon, Korea
Image and Word: Woman, Child, City
There is a mom down the hill who dutifully takes her child outside every few hours during the day. On the rooftop of their apartment building they go, the baby fastened to her back with a cloth wrapped around her waist. … Continue readingImage and Word: Woman, Child, City
Image and Word: Folk
Dusk reaches the Samcheong Dong neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea and it’s welcome — we’ve had a long day in the sun today. All day we had a view of the valley, and the building in background of this image. The building is often mistaken … Continue readingImage and Word: Folk
Final Straw Event Recap: Seoul
Suhee and I produced a lecture in Seoul this month, partly to raise awareness for The Final Straw, and partly to spread knowledge about natural farming concepts… but it was also a chance to connect with the city, to tell the story of what on … Continue readingFinal Straw Event Recap: Seoul
Final Straw Event in Seoul
Tonight in Seoul we’re teaming up with Space Noah and Korean natural farmer, Ryosok Hong (홍려석) to produce a ‘lecture concert.’ Hmm, ‘lecture concert’ might need some explanation, it was a strange phrase to me when I first heard it used. As lecture events tend … Continue readingFinal Straw Event in Seoul
Take the Alley
The clamoring, clattering, mind-rattling city streets are invigorating for a spell, but the constant race wears on even the most hearty soul. So I dip down the alley, every now and then… … Continue readingTake the Alley
Farm Photos Come to Seoul
The Final Straw documentary has so far enjoyed great support here in Seoul! In between our editing tasks this week, Suhee and I installed a joint photo exhibition at Space Noah, and also had a few dozen of our handmade photo cards go on display … Continue readingFarm Photos Come to Seoul
Snow for the Mind
When you pass the slumbering homeless men, wet boots standing guard outside cardboard sleeping accommodations, you’ve reached the end of the Gwanghamun underground. From here, it’s out into the snow. … Continue readingSnow for the Mind
Up Through the Clouds
How wonderful it is to see the sun in a cup of makkoli with the Isim coffee master. Such is the ‘drinking communication’ in Korean and Japanese culture. … Continue readingUp Through the Clouds
Social Working Space in Seoul
The Final Straw documentary team in Korea (aka, Suhee and Patrick) needed a place to set up camp in Seoul, and for a while it seemed like we were out of luck in terms of finding cheap, shared office space here. It’s not as if … Continue readingSocial Working Space in Seoul
Nature and Urban in Seoul
With miles of concrete, asphalt, people, and cars in any given direction, Seoul can be a pretty overwhelming place at times. Given that that we are working on a documentary so deeply connected with nature, it’s nice to get out of the ‘office’ in the … Continue readingNature and Urban in Seoul
Connecting Two Farmers in South Korea
Yesterday was a pretty darned happy day for us here in Korea. In April of last year, we first visited with the leading natural farmer in Korea, Mr. Seonghyun Choi (최성현), and at the same time, we took our cameras to a relatively new farmer, Mr. … Continue readingConnecting Two Farmers in South Korea
Welcoming 2013 in Seoul
Suhee and I decided to head out on an early train New Year’s morning to walk along the Han River here in Seoul before sunrise. The forecast didn’t look great but hopefully we might catch the first sun of the new year, here are some … Continue readingWelcoming 2013 in Seoul
Harvesting Rice by Hand in Korea
It’s been a busy month or so… to catch everyone up, I’ve started a unique MFA program at the University of Edinburgh called “Art, Space & Nature” which works between the disciplines of art, architecture, and ecology. It’s a good match for the natural farming … Continue readingHarvesting Rice by Hand in Korea
Visit and Lecture at Sanmaeul High School
Wrapping things up here in South Korea this week as the Final Straw shooting schedule comes to an end and the universe-best assistant, Suhee Kang arranged a lecture for me at Sanmaeul High School. A larger piece is coming soon to sociecity, but the short … Continue readingVisit and Lecture at Sanmaeul High School
Fancy Breakfast from a Rooftop Garden?
We visited the “Blues Guesthouse” in the Segeomjeong neighborhood of Seoul a few days back after hearing about a rooftop vegetable garden they are starting. It’s very early spring here, so the plants are just starting to come up, but it was nice to have … Continue readingFancy Breakfast from a Rooftop Garden?
Dumulmeori Farm
With one of the farmers suddenly too busy to meet with us, a broken camera body, and malfunctioning lens, it hasn’t been all roses the past week out here. Luckily, we’ve been able to get some other interviews and Suhee knew a very kind (and … Continue readingDumulmeori Farm
Civil Defense Drill in Seoul
It’s a particularly windy afternoon in Seoul, but other than that very sunny, pleasant, and bustling with activity along the streets and along the sidewalks. Suddenly, undulating along with the steady gusts of wind, a long and deep siren sounds. It’s the kind of sound you can’t … Continue readingCivil Defense Drill in Seoul
Upscale Grocery Service in Seoul
Took an afternoon to visit Namdaemun Market today to capture footage of this amazingly huge, amazingly busy outdoor marketplace. On the way back, I curiously stopped in at the grocery store in Shinsegae, one of the major department stores in Seoul (along with Hyundai and … Continue readingUpscale Grocery Service in Seoul
Traditional Korean Heating System
Our sleeping experience on the farm in Hongcheon was a unique one in that we were in a very traditional house. Many Koreans sleep on the floor, and this night provided no exception, but the truly unique thing was in how the heating is provided. … Continue readingTraditional Korean Heating System
Our First Farm Visit in Korea
Just returned to Seoul this afternoon from a beautiful mountainside farm in Hongcheon, a few hours outside of Seoul (by train and bus). The owner of the farm, Gaeguri, is not only a natural farmer, but an author on the topic as well. He was also one … Continue readingOur First Farm Visit in Korea
Arrival in Seoul
After dinner in Seoul’s “Chinatown” and a coffee at local shop “Ism,” Suhee showed me to the room which she is very kindly letting me use. The air here in Seoul was cool, and very very still last night, and in the older Dongnimmun neighborhood where … Continue readingArrival in Seoul
Heading to South Korea
Patrick is leaving today for a few weeks of farming, biking, and writing in South Korea. Most of the time will be split between a few farms outside Seoul at the Dumulmeori Organic Complex, then with a rather famous natural “no-till” farmer, Hongcheon, and finally … Continue readingHeading to South Korea
Hand Drip Coffee in Seoul
Half of my time in Seoul thus far has been spent on trains, and the other half in various cafes, editing and drinking coffee. I’ve already done a post about one of the cooler spots I’ve seen, but the are all amazing. As much as … Continue readingHand Drip Coffee in Seoul