Making a Natural ‘Pocket Park’ in Japan
With only a few weeks to work, we tried to turn vacant urban land into a pocket park that would make Masanobu Fukuoka and Patrick Geddes proud. Here is the short story of how it happened.
The Branch
Our ecological art space, pocket farm, and community cafe in Osaka, Japan. The Branch welcomes locals and visiting artists to explore the nature of sustainability together through an ongoing series of exhibitions and workshops.
Lateral Lab: Ways of Thinking / Cultural Olympiad
During spring and summer 2020, The Branch worked in partnership with the Scottish cultural trust, Lateral
“Ways of Thinking” Cultural Olympiad Exhibitions
June 2–5 & 9–12: Celtic and Eastern cultural exchanges in this global era, offering a point of focus and a shared responsibility. Art that reminds us how we are all connected.
The Branch Pocket Farm
The pocket farm is a community herb garden, and a place to re-connect ourselves with nature amid the urban setting of Osaka. It is freely open to visitors.
Aya Shimamoto: Mezzotints / Play Indoors
For Aya, the work of making prints, spending time touching and observing objects and places, is also a way of touching and transferring these memories, and the sense of wonder they embody.
Film + Talk with RAKUDA from Saudi Arabia
Albara Al-Ohali & Abdulrahman Ba-Adheem engage in discussion, music, and storytelling about what it means to live life ‘effectively’ for each of us as individuals, and as a global community.
Springtime: Urban Herb Foraging & Herb Whiskey
For our urban herb foraging event, Suhee prepared a ‘herb map’ of the neighborhood, and slowly guided our participants on a walk to discover these plants, and how we can use them.
Nick Reeves Award for Arts and Environment: Special Commendation
Administered by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) and the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World (CCANW). The branch is one of two organizations who received commendations, in addition to the overall award winner.
Alicia Bay Laurel Acoustic Live & Sharing Economy
A concert featuring one of The Branch’s best friends, New York Times bestselling author and musician, Alicia Bay Laurel. The concert quickly sold out, filling the cozy gallery here at The Branch with a warm, family-like atmosphere.
Herb Tea Blending Workshop
Using herbs from our community garden, every participant made their own, unique herb tea blend to take home.
A Song for Summer Trees
Drawing on a long time collaboration, Korean musician BomNunByeol (봄눈별) joined Patrick for the premiere of their live music and film meditation concert at The Branch.
Building The Branch: Before & After
When we decided to open an ecological art space, we made a firm decision to design and build as much as possible ourselves. As a result, most materials were salvaged from demolished homes, and all of the work was done by our hands and those of like-minded volunteers. Here is the result!