The Garden / Dialogue in Movement – Related Event by the Earth Hall of Fame KYOTO
Date/Time and Venue:
Date: November 5, 2023 (Sunday), 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Venue: Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN), Lecture Hall
Address: 457-4 Kamigamo Motoyama, Kita-ku, Kyoto, 603-8047, Kyoto, Japan
Organizers:
Kenichi Abe (RIHN)
Kenichi Sawazaki (RIHN)
Emmanuel Mares (Kyoto Sangyo University)
Hosted by: RIHN
Supported by: Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City
Collaboration: Kyoto Sangyo University
Event Page: https://www.chikyu.ac.jp/rihn/events/detail/143/
Registration Form (Pre-registration required):
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9zH-uDFqjh5ktLCp0Ok4CvgcCvmb35PPaY0bawydEYCHqZg/viewform
Program:
Morning Session – “The Garden in Movement” Screening
10:00 AM – 10:05 AM: Opening Remarks by Emmanuel Mares (Kyoto Sangyo University)
10:05 AM – 11:30 AM: Screening of the documentary film “The Garden in Movement”
11:45 AM – 12:15 PM: Lecture: “What Gilles Clément Gave Us – The Philosophy and Practice of Gardens” by Tomoki Yamauchi (Kyoto University of Education)
Lunch Break (12:15 PM – 1:15 PM)
Afternoon Session – “Dialogue in Movement” – Philosophical Dialogue × Meta Film
1:15 PM – 1:20 PM: Introduction by Kenichi Sawazaki (RIHN)
1:20 PM – 1:50 PM: Screening of recorded footage (Title to be determined)
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Philosophical dialogue (Video recording)
Facilitators: Kenichi Abe (RIHN), Kenichi Sawazaki, Emmanuel Mares
Event Overview:
The 14th inductee into the “Earth Hall of Fame KYOTO,” honoring those who have made significant contributions to the conservation of the Earth’s environment, is the French gardener Gilles Clément. Clément is a versatile figure with titles ranging from landscape designer and botanist to entomologist and novelist, who first applied the concept of the “moving garden” to public spaces. In conjunction with the Earth Hall of Fame KYOTO, this related event, “The Garden / Dialogue in Movement,” will be held at the Institute for Advanced Study in Sustainability. The event will feature the screening of the documentary film “The Garden in Movement” (85 minutes, 2016), which chronicles Clément’s work. Additionally, Kenichi Sawazaki, the film’s director, and Emmanuel Mares, one of the actors, will visit Clément’s home garden after nearly 8 years and share footage from their visit. They will engage with participants using innovative methods to foster a dialogue.
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Event Details:
About the Film “The Garden in Movement” (85 minutes, 2016):
The film documents Gilles Clément’s approach to gardening, emphasizing adaptation rather than resistance. It provides an ethnographic account of Clément’s interactions as he visits various places in Japan and records a day in his own garden. Through long shots that capture his exchanges, the filmmaker becomes the camera, aligning with the subject and synchronizing breath and rhythm through the camera lens. Just as Clément experiences a newfound vitality, the film captures this dynamic change in the world around him.
Lecture by Tomoki Yamauchi: “What Gilles Clément Gave Us – The Philosophy and Practice of Gardens”: Gilles Clément’s concepts of “The Garden in Movement,” “the Earth as a garden,” and “the third landscape” have fundamentally transformed our perspectives on gardens, the environment, and landscapes. In a brief lecture, Tomoki Yamauchi explores Clément’s ideas and their implications.
Explanation of the Afternoon Session:
Inspired by the footage recorded in Clément’s garden, this session aims to experiment with dialogue in unique ways. Key terms in this experimental approach are “philosophical dialogue” and “meta film.” Philosophical dialogue involves reflecting on philosophical themes and engaging in conversations with participants. Meta film, on the other hand, incorporates audience feedback into the film’s content.
During this event, participants will engage in a dialogue while watching Clément’s footage, share their thoughts, and record the conversation. The dialogue’s most profound moments will be extracted, turned into a narration, and integrated into the footage. The resulting meta film will be screened at a later date.
The purpose of this experiment is not just to “understand Clément” but to create an opportunity for participants to feel and communicate their own responses to his work in unique ways. Similar to plants, we are in constant motion, and this dynamic dialogue connects us to the ever-changing world. In keeping with the theme of “The Garden in Movement,” we refer to these collective efforts as “Dialogue in Movement.”
Note:
1 Philosophical Dialogue: Philosopher Shinji Kajitani (University of Tokyo) has defined eight rules for philosophical dialogue. Read more
2 Meta Film: Filmmaker Kenichi Sawazaki, one of the event organizers, has been exploring the creativity generated by the act of “watching films.” He has used this method in works such as the film “#manazashi” (Director: Sawazaki, 124 minutes, 2021), and the film “#manazashi Young Muslim’s Eyes” (Director: Sawazaki, 43 minutes and 30 seconds, 2023).
