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: urban
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
City as Weeds
We normally think of weeds as enemies. In this exhibition, Kang and Lydon’s “City as Nature” studio suggests that weeds are healers of the land, of people, and of cities. In three multi-sensory sections, the herbalist and artist couple celebrate how a relationship with four … Continue readingCity as Weeds
Nick Reeves Award for Art and Environment
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
Nature of Cities: Artists in Conversation with Water
Co-chair of a panel discussion at The Nature of Cities along with Carmen Bouyer. We invite eleven artists to present their conversation with water in cities. Coming from seven different countries—Czech Republic, France, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, and the United States—these artists inspire our own experiences with water in cities. … Continue readingNature of Cities: Artists in Conversation with Water
The Branch, Osaka
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.
Nature of Cities: Artists in Conversation with Air
Co-chair of a panel discussion at The Nature of Cities along with Carmen Bouyer. We invite seven artists from around the Earth to present their conversations with air in cities. Through their different creative practices, they invite us to encounter the air as the breath that flows through all of us, and unites us in a “common ground.” We hope you enjoy reading and participating in the conversations… … Continue readingNature of Cities: Artists in Conversation with Air
YES! Magazine | What the Garden-Hacking Grandmas and Grandpas of Korea Know
Patrick writes for YES! Magazine, how gardening here is not a hobby. It comes from the realization within people that there is inherent value in tending a garden and taking time to be a part of nature. … Continue readingYES! Magazine | What the Garden-Hacking Grandmas and Grandpas of Korea Know
SocieCity
Launched in 2011 by Patrick M. Lydon and Suhee Kanag, SocieCity is an international collective of artists, writers, and other professionals who are working to build long-term social and ecological well-being by inspiring empathic relationships between people and the environment.
The Value Garden isn’t a Bargain Store
I also saw – by merit of my own faults in judgment – how big of a wall we must tear down, and how much humility we must have in order for the human race to see “value” correctly again, to see “value” with truth in it… … Continue readingThe Value Garden isn’t a Bargain Store
Nature of Cities | Garden City Culture: How a Cultural Connection with Nature Can Build a Truly Sustainable Future
If urban sustainability issues are to become deeply entrenched in culture, it follows that successful urban nature design—indeed, successful sustainable cities in general—can only be achieved in concert with a deep and sustained cultural awareness of the importance of nature. … Continue readingNature of Cities | Garden City Culture: How a Cultural Connection with Nature Can Build a Truly Sustainable Future
Resilience | Solving Crime and Inequality, with a Seed
Is it possible for a humble seed and a patch of soil to be the catalysts for stronger, healthier, more equal urban communities? … Continue readingResilience | Solving Crime and Inequality, with a Seed
NightLight
This ongoing series explores the streets of major cities throughout the world while the streets are completely devoid of human life. … Continue readingNightLight
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
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
SocieCity | The Art, the Individual, the City
Certainly one of the few tasks of importance which must only be entrusted to the command of a single person, is that of art. Yet art it is not primarily mechanical or utilitarian in nature. … Continue readingSocieCity | The Art, the Individual, the City
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?
Your Future…
These new images are part of a series documenting natural open space near urban developments around the world. The first three are from Hiroshima, Japan; San Francisco, California; and Gangwon, South Korea (where I was filming a documentary last month, more on that later). The … Continue readingYour Future…
Transport Me | Satellite
This is part of the bigger Project Transport Me study of transportation mechanisms. Exploring some new ways of juxtaposing transportation lately… this one compares aerial views of the areas outside major train stations with illustrated overlays of people, buildings, and vehicles from the opposite frame. … Continue readingTransport Me | Satellite
Project Transport Me
Project Transport Me aims to create new avenues for cultural understanding and acceptance, using transportation as a common theme. The project will document every station on the world’s largest metro systems using images, words, and audio, and create from this database of media, juxtapositions of … Continue readingProject Transport Me
Lights Out
A very dry and windy night last night, leaves all over the place, a few tree branches, enough to take out the power for the night. Which of course, always provides a nice opportunity for night photos! I took out the Mamiyaflex for this one.
Urban Frames
ABOUT THE SERIES Observing everyday details of the city through frames given by urban structures.
Cityscape
Even when working on other projects, Patrick has often been known to stop what he’s doing, get up, and take a several-hours-walk around the city. These are just a few images (of thousands) featuring cityscapes from around the world. … Continue readingCityscape