THE EUGENE Studio held a living research conference during “Agricultural Revolution 3.0”
installation inviting guests from various fields such as OMA NY, WIRED JAPAN, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa and more, and closed the installation.
We appreciate your visit.
EXHIBITION INFORMATION
Agricultural Revolution 3.0
Installation / Living Research
Installation | 3/16/2016(Wed) - 3/29/2016(Tue)
Living Research Conference | 3/27/2016(Sun)
Venue | Tsuruoka Art Forum
Cooperation
University of Cambridge, Department of Biochemistry / Columbia University / Royal Pride Holland(Agriport a7) / ECOR(Noble Environmental Technologies) / OMA NY / bioMASON / Thought Collider / Heliae / Tsai Design Studio / Ecovative / The Japan Research Institute / YANMAR / National Agriculture and Food Research Organization / Dewa-Shounai Tokusan / Futureagri Inc. / Doog Inc. / Aerosense Inc. / Japan Plant factory Association / Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University
Graphic Design | Ryosuke Uehara (KIGI)
Conference | Powered by Wired JAPAN
Research | THE EUGENE Studio
Script | Eugene Kangawa
Sponsorship | Tsuruoka City / The board of education of Tsuruoka City / Spiber Inc. / Tsuruoka Art Forum
Organizer | Agricultural Revolution 3.0 Project Committee
About
(Excerpt from original website)
The future agriculture Tsuruoka City and an Artist portray together
In “The Third Wave”(1980), Alvin Toffler defined the arrival of settled agricultural societies which prevailed thousands of years ago as the first agricultural revolution. And then, if we assume the historical agricultural revolution that took place by the considerable improvement of the efficiency in agriculture that was triggered industrial revolution, we can say that the full-blown “third agricultural revolution”, ― that overturn the existing agriculture more than precise agriculture ― is at hand.
“Agricultural Revolution 3.0” is a new vision that heralds the beginning of a new paradigm in which the development of smart agriculture and biotechnology implement to “convert crops into the resource as petroleum was used to be”, and the importance of the agricultural industry is literally changed by the city where above technologies are integrated. This concept enables us to envisage a new figure of the city where various key industries flourish with low environmental load circulation while there is a pastoral landscape ― even though the actual identity is super artificial natural landscape.
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This project is a consequence of a research project conducted by contemporary artist / filmmaker, Eugene Kangawa’s studio and Japanese municipal government, Tsuruoka city. This scheme deprived from a script about aims at actualizing “impending potential future” and promote the presence of “Neo-agricultural City” towards the world.
In order to incarnate the various images of the future from multiple layers, we undertook to share the future vision with scholars and institutions from all over the world based upon the hopeful world view portrayed by the artist. We named this knowledge which is far from quantitative form , and visualize them throughout an installation and other media that compress all images we have accumulated.
From March 16th, based upon living research, we hold an installation which portrays “continuous future vision” as if it is a scene from a cinema.(3/16/2016 - 3/29/2016 @ Tsuruoka Art Forum) Also, as an extension of living research, Living Research Conference in which various specialists gather will be held at the same venue on 3/27(Sun).
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This approach would be a more effectual solution to explore a balance in the comfortable future, which moves ahead intricately ― or the ongoing present ― than a complete fundamentalistic communion towards the current society where large-scale and long-term plan no longer work.
“Agricultural Revolution 3.0” seems to be a modest ‘revolution’ comparing with previous drastic changes such as Industrial Revolution or Informational Revolution. However, even this reformation will not contribute to drastic improvement in efficiency nor functions, it will replace existing materials which support our life steadily, and make advances reexamining previous values. This is the shape of revolution of next generation, and result of evolution of human beings.
Agricultural Revolution 3.0 Project Committee
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The installation was encompassed with the various ideas gained from the interviews:
“In the sense that the stability of the ecosystem depends on diversity, agriculture and food have to be diverse as well.” In order to clear up a misunderstanding that many people believe that leading edge means large-scale, I do not differentiate small-scale and large-scale plant factories. (Toyota Korai / Chief-Director, Japan Plant Factory Association, and Professor Emeritus of Chiba University)
“Vertical farming should remain realistic minimum scale rather than a skyscraper”(Dickson D. Despommier / Emeritus professor at Columbia University, Propounder of vertical framing.)
“What important now is not large machines, but a permeation of small applications and breakup of operations. (Simon Blackmore / Professor at Harper Adams University, and founder of SwarmFarm Inc.)
“Information technology changed our informational environment dramatically. Then how biotechnology will change our life? There must be an unchangeable living environment and biodegradable manufacturing process.(Robert Noble / Founder and Chairman of Noble Environmental Technologies)
Besides objects which represent past history of materials, products manufactured with the most advanced bio-technology such as furnitures, dishes, and clothes which are made from wastage and cellulose were exhibited. Also, in the back of the venue, the manufacturing process of alternative new materials grown from fungal mycelium and low-value non-food agricultural materials using a patented process. Furthermore, on the center of the room, a farming plant which is composed with small units and looks similar to the one we have today was showcased.
In the conference, varied guests such as Key Wakabayashi (chief editor of WIRED Japan), Shouhei Siggematsu (OMA NY partner), Frank van Kleef who lead an introduction of ICT in Holland, Kazuhide Sekiyama, the chairman of Spiber Inc. who develops protein materials, and Yousuke Takahashi(curator of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa) who organized exhibition focusing on advanced bio-art together and demonstrate the possibility of agriculture based next society in fragments.
Greeting
(Excerpt from original website)
Tsuruoka City is pleased to announce “Agricultural Revolution 3.0”. This exhibition aims to offer the visitors an alternative figure of agriculture, which is the key industry of Tsuruoka City, will not only produce food supply, but also, incur various various industry fields.
Tsuruoka city holds “highly branding as next-generation innovative city” as a one of the pillars of regional revitalization strategy. This “highly branding as next-generation innovative city” means our innovativeness that have been shaped through our investment in advanced biotechnology research and developing cuisine culture.
As we proceed our endeavor, we realized that “agriculture” supports both biotechnology and cuisine culture. Therefore, we will focus on “next-generation agriculture” as a key to develop sustainable cities in the population declining era, and aim at dramatic driving of local agriculture, industry and tourism by highly branding.
Tsuruoka City
Agricultural Revolution 3.0 Project Committee
FEATURED BY
Agricultural Revolution 3.0 was featured by WIRED JAPAN
Read the Full Article >>
WIRED JAPAN, March 25, 2016
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Agricultural Revolution 3.0 was featured by ASCII.jp
Read the Full Article >>
ASCII.jp, April 4, 2016
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Agricultural Revolution 3.0 was featured by Mynavi News
Read the Full Article >>
Mynavi News, March 23, 2016
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NHK Tohoku, YTS , Shounai News Paper etc.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Agricultural Revolution 3.0
Proclaim of Agricultural Revolution 3.0 towards the world. The dawn of“ Neo-agricultural City”.
THE EUGENE held “Agricultural Revolution 3.0” with Tsuruoka city in Yamagata prefecture. In this project, we worked on concept making, research, installation, and conference in cooperation with domestic and international institutions.
This project which aims at proclaiming the vision of “New Agricultural City” toward the world, number of people who sympathized with its concept joined: Columbia University and University of Cambridge cooperated in the research, and 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, OMA NY, and more intellectual participated in the conference. This monumental project, as a result, acclaimed huge attentions and featured by Japan Broadcasting Corporation and more media. THE EUGENE presided over the concept phase, designing installation and conference.
Our research archive can be read here.
“Agricultural Revolution 3.0” , Installation view, mixed media, 2016.
©Eugene Kangawa 2016 ©THE EUGENE Studio.
1/4. Process / Concepting
Speculating a Future where Agricultural Crops Replace Petroleum and the Whereabout of its Possibility
“Agricultural Revolution 3.0” is named after a speculation on future agricultural city where the development of smart agriculture and biotechnology implement to “convert crops into the resource as petroleum was used to be”.
In order to overcome the first agricultural revolution that Alvin Toffler pointed out as a factor of class, disparity, labor style and the second agricultural revolution caused by industrial revolution, we defined the details.
Drawing of “Agricultural Revolution 3.0”、Series of “paradox of post industry city” ”IRON NATURE” ©Eugene Kangawa 2012
2/4. Process 2 Tsuruoka City / Vernacularity and Urban Planning
"Embodier of Revolution"
The venue of this project, Tsuruoka city holds a long history of agriculture cultivated by its rich natural environment and has achieved pioneering practice with biotechnology startups. They are acclaiming attentions as a new model which is different from existing vertical highly populated cities. Also, in 2017, one of the greatest cultural center designed by Kazuyo Sejima(SANNA) will be open.
Reflecting on the history, industry and city has developed correspondingly. THE EUGENE believes that infrastructure of and well-matured culture should synchronize with the local industry and economy rather than other way around.
Aerial view of Shonai region around Tsuruoka City
3/4. Living Research & Installation
Open Studio which Corresponds to the Research
The advent of “the world where crops play a more important role than Petroleum”―in order to examine this artist’s prevision or for further elaboration, we need to conduct multi-dimensional research and dialogue.
As the beginning, we researched and interviewed in cooperate with international institutions, biotech companies and think tank. Afterwards, we produced a theatrical installation with products as a prop offered by above collaborators. This ongoing process attributed to our installation’ organic character where the appearance keeps changing correspondingly to the research.
In this installation, furnitures, clothes, lamps made from agricultural waste or recombinant protein, foods, and new material which grow during session, and open sourced small machine were showcased as if it is from one scene of movie.
“Agricultural Revolution 3.0” , Installation view, mixed media, 2016.
©Eugene Kangawa 2016 ©THE EUGENE Studio.
4/4 Theatrical Conference
On the final day of the installation, we held conference at the transformed installation space. Distributing a booklet which summarizes the research process and the content, various guests from Spiber Inc. who located in Tsuruoka City and develops recombinant protein materials, OMA NY, Wired discussed the whereabouts and the possibility of “New Agricultural City”. This event recorded the top number of visitors and attracted high attention.
This “revolution” seems to be a modest comparing with previous drastic changes. Even there is no drastic fictional changes, this innovation will replace existing materials which support our life steadily―this scenery is the figure of next revolution and evolution.
THE EUGENE Studio views this entire project which ranges from research to conference as an art piece.
“Agricultural Revolution 3.0” , Installation view, mixed media, 2016.
©Eugene Kangawa 2016 ©THE EUGENE Studio.
Agricultural Revolution 3.0
Research
University of Cambridge, Department of Biochemistry / Columbia University / Royal Pride Holland(Agriport a7) / ECOR(Noble Environmental Technologies) / OMA NY / bioMASON / Thought Collider / Heliae / Tsai Design Studio / Ecovative / The Japan Research Institute / YANMAR / National Agriculture and Food Research Organization / Dewa-Shounai Tokusan / Futureagri Inc. / Doog Inc. / Aerosense Inc. / Japan Plant factory Association / Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University
Graphic Design | Ryosuke Uehara (KIGI)
Contractor | Marugo Co., Ltd.
Conference | Powered by Wired JAPAN
Research | THE EUGENE Studio
Archive and filming | THE EUGENE Studio Visualization Dept.
Script | Eugene Kangawa
Sponsorship | Tsuruoka City / The board of education of Tsuruoka City / Spiber Inc. / Tsuruoka Art Forum
Organizer | Agricultural Revolution 3.0 Project Committee