PERSPECTIVE Residence Fuu / 風
Art in the Watershed
Situating research and creation in nature
Introduction / はじめに
Craft is born out of the land and lives on through the hands of people. No form of craft can be separated from the environment, both natural and cultural, in which it was created.
For centuries, Kyoto has been the home of a vibrant, inter-connected craft industry, built on the natural resources within its watershed: from the rivers to the trees and plants and all other forms of life the water supports. That watershed includes Keihoku, a mountainous region to the north west which historically supplied much of the lumber for the great architecture of the ancient capital. From here we offer a unique vantage point from which to explore the themes of making and craft and the wider contexts in which they exist.
工芸は土地から生まれ、人々の手を通じて生き続けるもの。それが生み出された自然環境や文化的環境から切り離すことはできません。
京都は何世紀にもわたり、活気あふれるモノづくりの中心地でした。そのモノづくりの要素（素材・技・人）は相互につながっており、モノづくりの上流と下流は、流域としてその生態系をなします。川の流れ、木々や植物、そして水が育むあらゆる生命が、工芸の発展を支えてきたのです。その流域には、京都の北西部に位置する京北（けいほく）も含まれます。京北は、平安京の造成を支えた木材の供給地でした。私たちのレジデンスは、まさにこの地にあります。「つくること」や「モノづくりといういとなみ」を探求するための独自の視点を提供し、それらが存在するより広い文脈を見つめ直す機会を生み出します。
Ideal for / こんな方に最適
While continuing research collaborations with academic institutions, we deepen our own exploration of the interconnections between craft, culture, industry, infrastructure, and nature. Our residency program is ideal for researchers, designers, artists, and project makers who are interested in:
私たちは、研究機関と研究プロジェクトを継続しながら、工芸、文化、産業、インフラ、そして自然の相互関係についての私たち自身の探究を深めています。私たちのレジデンスプログラムは、以下のような関心を持つリサーチャー、デザイナー、アーティスト、プロジェクトデザイナーに最適です。
- Circularity of natural resources / 自然資源の循環
- Materials for regenerative design / 再生型デザインのための素材
- Relationship between architecture and environment / 建築と環境の関係
- Watershed and eco-system / 流域と生態系
- Intersection of culture and nature / 文化と自然の接続点
We can provide support fully-customized to your interests so that you can get the most out of your residency. For details, please contact us.
About Keihoku / 京北という地域について
Residents stay at our traditional country house in the heart of the mountaineous region of Keihoku, 45 minutes drive north of Kyoto city. For more than 1000 years Keihoku has had a reputation for supplying the high quality timber used in the city’s great architecture. Here, much of the ancient wisom and the old ways of life has been passed down to the modern day, in turn attracting a new wave of young people interested in learning these more sustainable practices.
レジデンス参加者は、京都市内から車で45分北に位置する中山間地域、京北にある伝統的な古民家に滞在します。京北は1000年以上にわたり、建築に使用される良質な木材の供給地として知られてきました。ここでは、古くからの知恵や伝統的な暮らしが受け継がれ、持続可能な実践を学びたいと考える新たな世代の若者たちを惹きつけています。
About Our Residence 風/Fuu
Our residence is built in the local kominka (country house) style with a view of the cedar-covered mountains in Yamaguni, Keihoku. A three mintue walk to the Oi river, where in early summer swarms of firefly gather at night and in later in the season people come from far and wide to fish forthe local delicacy Ayu.
The house has a two large tatami rooms, one carpeted room & fully-fitted kitchen including gas stove, rice cooker, family-size fridge, utensils & tableware. The bath and toilet is situated in an annex facing the main entrance. There is also a spacious, newly-rennovated workspace with a desk for residents to work in.
The workshop for custom-made wooden urushi surfboards by Siita is located on the property, housed in a two-story mud-walled storehouse. Additionally, the spacious outdoor area and garden provide greater spatial freedom for creation.
私たちのレジデンスは、京北・山国のシンボルマウンテン「天童山」を仰ぐ古民家。徒歩3分の場所に流れる大堰川（おおいがわ）には、初夏の夜には無数のホタルが舞い、夏には遠方からも多くの人々が地元の名産であるアユを求めて釣りに訪れます。
この家には、広々とした2つの畳の部屋とカーペット敷きのベッドルームが1つあります。また、ガスコンロ、炊飯器、ファミリーサイズの冷蔵庫、調理器具、食器類など設備の整ったキッチンを完備。浴室とトイレは、玄関に面した離れにあります。また、最近改装されたばかりでは、デスク付きのワークスペースがあり、広々と作業ができます。
木製漆サーフボードのSiitaを注文制作する工房が敷地内に併設され、二階建ての土蔵があります。さらに、広々とした屋外スペースと庭も、制作に空間的自由度を与えてくれます。
Past Residents
Arts in KOGEI/KYOTO
~ Reversing the spiral~ / ～螺旋への反転～
In this residency and its resulting exhibition, two artists from different disciplines traveled between Keihoku and Kyoto to explore the connections within the watershed of making. Drawing inspiration from their research, they created new works. During the residency, the artists worked at our facilities, and their works were exhibited in a way that connected the city and the forest—at 'Yūhikaku Kōdōkan,' an Edo-period academic institution in Kyoto City, as well as in the forest area that we manage.
本レジデンスおよびその成果としての展示では、異なる分野の2人のアーティストが、京北と京都を行き来しながらモノづくりの流域におけるつながりを調査し、調査で得たインスピレーションをもとに作品を制作しました。レジデンス期間中、アーティストたちは私たちの施設で制作し、京都市内にある江戸時代の学問所「有斐閣弘道館」と、私たちが管理する森のエリアで、街と森をつなぐように展示されました。本プロジェクトは、経済産業省の令和3年度補正「デジタルツール等を活用した海外需要拡大事業（アーティスト等と連携した地域ブランドの確立に係る実証事業）」の一環で、一般社団法人リリースのプロデュースにより行われ、私たちパースペクティブは、調査のサポート、レジデンシーの受け入れ、展示会場（森）の提供を担当しました。
Photographer
Ryosuke Toyama
A photographer who brings a tangible craft aspect to the creation of photography, Ryosuke participates in this joint residence program where he worked at Fab Village
Keihoku to produce a camera obscura in a traditional architectural style. The camera was placed in the forest to oversee the young urushi trees and the ongoing
maintenance of the forest.
写真制作に工芸的な向き合い方をする写真家。このレジデンスプログラムでは、Fab Village Keihokuで伝統的な建築様式を用いたカメラ・オブスクラを制作しました。漆の木々とそれを育てる人々の様子を、今後十数年に渡り見守ることを意図して、そのカメラは私たちの森に設置されました。
Artist
Aiko Yamamoto
A versitile artist who often works with textiles and dying techniques to create unique installations, Aiko gathered materials from the forest which she used as dye stuff on long strips of fabric which where then suspended in the forest in the image of water.
テキスタイルや染色技法を用いて独自のインスタレーションを制作するアーティスト。彼女は森の水の気配を可視化したいと考えました。森から採取した素材を染められた長いテキスタイルが、森の中にはためきました。
Urushi Artisan & Artist
Keikou Nishimura & Maxime Bellaunay
An international collaboration of two distinguished artists in their own right, left their comfortable and well-equiped studios to make on-site in the forest to experience the challenges and discoveries in this improvisational residency.
Architect/Designer/Buddhist
Masahiro Haneda
Masahiro Haneda
An experimental project in which a
professional architectural designer who
is training to become a Buddhist
monk, applied Buddhist practices to
the our work at Perspective, renovating
the residence. We also hosted a talk
event with his teacher, Ryoki Sato, a Zen monk at the residence.
What we offer
Model forest - The Forest of Craft
Aiming to restore craft to its place in the natural cycle of the forest. The Forest of Craft project includes planting the raw materials on which craft depends for the future generations and engaging in education around forest care and the relationship between the things we use and where they come from. In the Keihoku site we have planted more than 200 urushi trees to date.
Visit SiteFounders
Wood-focused making space: FVK
Taking inspiration from the fab lab movement, Fab Village Keihoku is a maker space for both professionals and hobbyists with a focus on woodworking. Fab Village Keihoku\(FVK\) is where traditional knowledge and modern technology meet: as well as providing space for young craftspeople, we also collaborate on research into making processes and materials with local universities.
Access to our network of craftspeople
Access to our network of professionals
Through our work with craftspeople and professionals related practices rooted in tradition, we have built a unique network across disciplines. We have built a strong base of knowledge on the inter-connection of craft, culture, industry, infrastructure and nature. Residents can be introduced to specialists in fields of their interest at request. (Arrangements need to be made in advance, contact us to find out how we can meet your needs.)
Facilities
Traditional country house with recently refurbished kitchen and workspace.
- Wi-fi throughout
- Space to sleep up to 6 people (2 beds & 4 futons)
- Relationship between architecture and environment
- Workspace fitted with desks and a spacious yard to work outside
- Toilet, Washing Machine and Bathroom in annex
About Perspective / パースペクティブとは
Drawing inspiration from the sustainable dialogue between humans and nature fostered by craft, we run educational and residency programs that explore the relationship between nature, culture, and making through a watershed perspective.
In Keihoku, a mountainous region of Kyoto, we operate multiple hubs, including: "The Forest of Craft" – a space for learning about human-nature interactions through forest stewardship, "Fuu" – a residency base for in-depth regional exploration, "Fab Village Keihoku" – a hub for material-based making using local resources.
工藝が培ってきた「人と自然の間の持続的な呼応」をインスピレーションに、地域の自然・文化・モノづくりの関係性を流域視点で見る教育プログラムやレジデンスプログラムを行っている。京都の中山間地域・京北にて、森づくりを通して人と自然の関わり合いを学ぶ「工藝の森」、地域を深掘りするためのレジデンス拠点「風/Fuu」、地域のマテリアルを使ったものづくりの拠点「ファブビレッジ京北」など、複数の拠点を運営。
Sachiko Takamuro / 高室 幸子
Craft culture coordinator
In the years of running her own brand that shared the stories behind craft pieces
from all around Japan, Sachiko became increasingly interested in the natural
environments that make craft possible. At Perspective she is focused on ways to
connect nature to craft practice and to sharing the joy and responsibility of
making to a new generation.
Takuya Tsutsumi / 堤 卓也
4th generation urushi refiner
Tsutsumi Asakichi Urushi is a urushi refiner in Kyoto with more than 100 years of
history. When Takuya took up his role in the familiy business he became aware of
the precarious state of the urushi industry and decided to take action: exploring
new applications for urushi such as surfboards and bikes as well as engaging in
educational outreach with the aim of bringing urushi to a wider audience.