Otocare at Shinkomoji Hospital in Kitakyushu-city

Research in Progress
“Otocare the first trial report”

text: Hikari Sandhu, Nick Luscombe, Yu Morishita
The University of Tokyo, Institute of Industrial Science
Published on July 6th, 2023
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Background

Occupational health and environment

Studies of occupational health increasingly show the importance of a positive ambient environment to support workers’ health and well-being ^{1, 2}. In their studies, several elements including gender, thermal comfort, floor planning, and environmental sounds are considered to be important elements to determine the quality of work environment experience ². Further, research shows the environmental sounds and occupational stress have an important association; lower levels of ambient noise can boost negative job stress ³.

Hospital environment and sounds

Modern medicine is developed upon well-maintained hospital environments comprised of standardized hygiene practices and noise control, yet it lacks of perspectives on patients’ care. As guided by World Health Organization ⁴, hospital environments require standard principles for hygiene maintenance, which includes ventilation, spacing for each patient, quality of water, dressing of healthcare workers. As per the noise control, World Health Organization also guides noise level inside the wards as lower than 40dB during the night-time to prevent patients’ stress level ⁴. Followed by multiple guidelines the hospital environments created safe and inorganic spaces. Despite the environmental settings for any disease prevention for patients, ignorance of patients’ experience of hospital environment creates negative effects on patients’ and their family’s health and well-being such as anxiety, insomnia, and lack of motivation for treatment. Monti et al. show a positive effect of pictorial interventions to improve the perception of the hospital environment among pediatric patients’ family ⁵. The importance of positive environmental settings was clearly illustrated in previous research.

OTOCARE Project

With all background illustrated above, we conducted our first Otocare trial at Palliative care, Saiseikai Kanagawaken Hospital, in 2020 (https://memuearthlab.jp/2021/06/22/otocare-saiseikai-kanagawaken-hospital/). The result showed the potential to implement nature sounds in the hospital environment as a therapeutic use for healthcare workers. The trial was limited to a palliative care unit that focused on the calming environment as care. The first trial led us to another question: How do healthcare workers who generally work in acute medical settings react to natural environmental sounds? To answer this question, we had moved our trail location to Shinkomoji hospital in Kitakyushu-city, where had a 93.13 million population ad a 30.7 % aging rate as a comparison Yokohama city had a 372.5 million population and 24.7 % aging rate ^{6, 7}. The research aim was to explore healthcare workers’ perception of natural sounds in acute to general medical settings.

Methods

We conducted the second trial at Shinkomoji Hospital, Kita-Kyushu city, Fukuoka Prefecture. We collaborated with a nursing department to conduct this trial. The trial period was divided into two phases: The first phase was conducted from May 26th to June 8th, 2021. We targeted a total of 353 nurses (all registered nurses in the hospital), prepared five speakers that contained 12 hours of nature sounds mixed music (Scene 1), and were allocated in 5 staff rooms in 5 hospital wards. As the intervention, participants listened to the music mix at staff rooms during their break time. After listening to the sounds, the participants filled out a questionnaire (Questionnaire A) including five questions about their daily physical and psychological status and the impact of nature sounds. After the intervention period, we distributed another questionnaire (Questionnaire B) including background, music history, and detailed questions of their sound experience and preferences of environmental sounds.

The second phase was conducted from June 16th to June 30th, 2021. We expanded the participants from nurses to multidisciplinary healthcare workers to gain wide range of insights by allocating seven speakers in seven locations. Locations included a general medicine staff room, a surgical department staff room, an outpatient treatment room, a nurse station, a community care room, and an outpatient consultation room. As the intervention, participants listened to the music mix at each location during their break time. After the intervention period, we distributed Questionnaire B as the first phase, which included participants’ background, music history, and detailed questions of their sound experience and preferences of environmental sounds.

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Findings

We collected 128 responses for Questionnaire A and 76 responses for Questionnaire B for the first phase, and 125 responses for questionnaire B in the second phase. Table 1 showed the details of participants:

Table 1: Participants details

The results showed three main findings. The first finding presented listening to nature sounds music can enhance relaxation among nurses, yet it may not directly reduce stressors. Diagram 1 showed the results from nurses during the first phase, and diagram 2 showed the results of the second phase from multidiscipline, including nurses and other occupations. Both diagrams showed that over 70 % of respondents answered positively to having nature sounds music in the hospital; in contrast, diagram 3 showed that the nature sounds did not reduce stress reduction daily. That is, natures sounds based music may not be enough to induce strong stress reduction but can provide a temporary relaxed experience.

Diagram 1: Subjective impact of nature sounds in the hospital environment from Nurses

Diagram 2: Subjective impact of nature sounds in the hospital environment from Nurses + other disciplines

Diagram 3:  Subjective evaluation of nurses’ daily stress reduction by nature sounds

The second finding showed that the sound of the river, western classical music, and slow tempo music is preferred (diagram 4 and diagram 5). Among all nature sounds, river sounds or beach sounds contain mono-toned continuous sounds compared to other sounds such as birds or rain sounds containing changeable irregular sounds. The mono-toned continuous sounds may contribute to stabilizing the environmental sounds and the atmosphere created by the sounds. As for the preference for western classical music and slow tempo music, both sounds have more familiarity as the hospital usually plays mellow musical box sounds as background music. This familiarity leads to a preference of sounds and music.

Diagram 4: Preferred sounds to listen to in the hospital (Nurses)

Diagram 5: Preferred sounds to listen to in the hospital (Nurses + other disciplines)

Finally, the third finding showed that participants perceive sounds differently depending on their locations and circumstances. We allocated speakers in seven different locations as a total. Results showed that participants who listened to the sounds at a surgical department staff room had a different perception of sounds than participants in different locations. The high-intensity workplaces may need to maintain tension to keep high-quality work and productivity, which relaxational sounds, including nature sounds, may not be suitable.

Table 2:  Comparison of ‘Disagree’ responses from survey data

Appendix 1: Thematic analysis from written interviews

Perspectives-

Otocare second trial showed that nature sounds could reduce stress among healthcare workers who work in acute to general medical fields. Further, we explored river sounds or beach sounds were more preferred sounds compare to other nature sounds. Importantly we were able to collect over 100 responses that had a scientifically sufficient sample size. Consequently, Otocare trials suggest to increase implementation of nature sounds into healthcare fields as a part of psychological care for healthcare workers. To drive forward this care, we need to explore implementation methods suitable for the healthcare environment, such as allocations, sound management systems, device choices, and the sustainability of entire systems. Otocare will continue to investigate such points in collaboration with architectures, sound system engineers.

References

1. Gatti, M.F.Z. & Silva, M.J.P. (2007). Ambient music in the emergency services: the professionals’ perception. Rev Latino-am Enfermagem, maio-junho; 15(3):377-83.
2. Mulville, M., Callaghan, N. & Isaac, D. (2016) “The impact of the ambient environment and building configuration on occupant productivity in open-plan commercial offices”, Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 18(3), pp.180-193.
3. Leather, P., Beale, D. & Sullivan, L. (2003). Noise, psychosocial stress and their interaction in the workplace. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23, p.213-222.
4. Berglund, B., Lindvall, T., Schwela, D.H .& World Health Organization. (1996). Occupational and Environmental Health Team‎. Guidelines for Community Noise. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/66217
5. Monti, F., Agostini, F., Dellabartola, S., Neri, E., Bozicevic, L, & Pocecco, M. (2012). Pictorial intervention in a pediatric hospital environment: effects on parental affective perception of the unit. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32, p.216-224. et al. (2012)
6. City of Kitakyushu (2022. Retrieved from https://www.city.kitakyushu.lg.jp/soumu/file_0311.html
7. City of Yokohama (2023). Retrieved from https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/city-info/yokohamashi/tokei-chosa/portal/jinko/maitsuki/saishin-news.html

Thank you to our partners –

Sound : Scene 1

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 デザインチーム選考の発表 

「リサーチ・デザイン・ビルド共同プログラム」の公募に応募頂きました皆様に心より感謝申し上げます。

今回の評価委員会を構成しました東京大学の今井公太郎（教授）、安原幹（准教授）、横張真（教授）、丹下健（教授）、齋藤暖生（講師）により、応募されたプロポーザルは慎重に評価され、2022年10月14日に最終候補者の面接を行いました。委員会は、プログラムのテーマが如何に分かりやすくコンセプト化しているか、また、次世代に向けた人と森の関係性の構築という観点の可能性を高く評価して、受賞案を選出しました。

チームTAYKの雨宮知彦さん、小林国弘さん、吉田葵さん、金田泰裕さんが、この度のデザインチームに選出されました。これより1年間、memu earth labと共同で活動を展開していきます。

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the Design Team is selected

We would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who submitted their proposals to the call for  <<Collaborative Research + Design + Build Program>> and helped make it a success.

The esteemed evaluation committee of Prof. Kotaro Imai, Assoc. Prof. Motoki Yasuhara, Prof. Makoto Yokohari, Prof. Takeshi Tange, Lect. Haruo Saito of the University of Tokyo has carefully evaluated the submitted proposals and interviewed the finalists on the 14th of October 2022. The committee selected the winning entry based on how well it conceptualized the theme of the program, presenting the strong potential for the development of architectural interventions toward building people-forest relationships for the next generation.

Our special congratulations go to the team TAYK – comprised of Tomohiko Amemiya, Kunihiro Kobayashi, Aoi Yoshida, and Yasuhiro Kaneda. Using complementary skills, the members generated synergy to develop the most outstanding proposal and joined us as the “Design Team” of the Traveling Forest project.

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「リサーチ・デザイン・ビルド共同プログラム」参加者公募

プログラムテーマ

建築的施策の開発: 次世代に資する人と森林の関係性の構築にむけて

プロジェクト名

Traveling Forest / 可動式パビリオン

プロジェクト拠点

北海道大樹町芽武（及び周辺地域）

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プログラム概要

日本の森林面積は国土の67％を占めています。しかし、この自然の豊かさと数百年にわたる造林の歴史にもかかわらず、今日、日本の林業は社会経済面での停滞に直面しています。人と森林の関係性の希薄化によって多くの山村集落、あるいは森林を利活用する経済圏を形成する地域が過疎化や経済不況に陥る中、今回の「リサーチ・デザイン・ビルド共同プログラム」は、次世代に向けた人と森の関係づくりのヒントを模索します。

本プログラムは、UTokyo Ushioda Memu Earth Lab（略称：memu earth lab）が主催するものです。建築的施策の開発を通じてこれまでの人と森の関係を再読することを通し、地域の人々が様々な新しい機会を享受し、森との生産的な接点を育むこと、さらに地域コミュニティ内での新たなつながりが生まれることを目指します。 

この建築的施策は、将来的により広範囲の、より多くの地域コミュニティに拡がることを念頭に、様々な森林環境や環境条件への適応性が一つの重要な機能的要件になります。今回は、この要件を試すための可動式パビリオン（名称は「Traveling Forest」）を開発する「デザインチーム」を募集します。

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「デザインチーム」の役割 

十勝地方における人と森との関係の深い理解を得るため、本プログラムは大樹町及びその周辺地域のコミュニティとの協働を主眼に置いています。このため、当該地域で複数回のフィールドワークを行い、「Traveling Forest」のアイデアをチームとして発展させる機会を準備しています。フィールドワークは、6ヶ月にわたる「リサーチ・デザイン開発」の期間内（主な日程を参照）に実施されます。研究開発期間後、プロジェクトチームメンバーとの共同作業を通して具現化されたアイデアを実装（建築）します（図1参照）。

memu earth lab チームとの協働

図1の組織体制に示す通り、「Traveling Forest」プロジェクトでは、「デザインチーム」と「memu earth labチーム」が協働して「リサーチ・デザイン・ビルド」活動を行います。プログラム期間中は、「デザインチーム」と「memu earth lab チーム」の間で定期的にミーティングを行い、技術的な議論や進捗状況の確認をしながら、提案を具現化していきます。 

プロジェクトチーム内での協働

「デザインチーム」は、現地の課題に関する見識や知識を得るため、現地でのフィールドワークの中で現地パートナーとの関係性を構築し、意見交換を行っていきます。またこれと並行して、東京大学のアドバイザーから、研究やデザインに関する学術的・技術的な観点からのアドバイスも得ることもできます。「デザインチーム」、現地のパートナーや専門家、そして東京大学のアドバイザーの間のコミュニケーション全般は、「memu earth labチーム」によって進行・コーディネートされる予定です。 

図1: プロジェクトの組織体制

インタラクティブ・リサーチを通じての協働

人と森の関係についての研究は、図2に示すように、「レイヤー1：再読」、「レイヤー2：インタラクティブ・リサーチ」、「レイヤー3：建築的施策」の3つのレイヤーから成るプロセスで構成されます。

レイヤー1で行われた作業をまとめた「再読レポート」は、人と森の関係を検討する上で考慮すべき観点をまとめたものであり、応募者はこれを事前に読み、現地の実情を理解しておく必要があります（提供資料参照）。  

レイヤー2：インタラクティブ・リサーチでは、memu earth labが専門家や現地のパートナーと協力して行う研究活動が計画されています。「デザインチーム」は、デザイン開発プロセスの一環として、フィールドワークの際にこれらの活動に参加することが求められます。これらのイベントを通じて、現地の人々と交流し、建築的施策の提案を発展させるのに役立つ社会的フィードバックを得ることができます。 

図2: memu earth lab による人と森の関係性の研究における3つのレイヤーのロードマップ

昨年2月に実施されたインタラクティブ・リサーチの事例：「木割り」

https://vimeo.com/719330730

建設前および建設中の協働

「リサーチ・デザイン開発期間」の終了までに、大樹町とその近隣の森林地域において、建築的施策の提案書を一般公開します（主な日程参照）。公開期間中に一般の方から集まった意見・感想に基づいて、「デザインチーム」は提案の修正を行います。 

提案の修正が完了した後、東京大学のアドバイザーによる評価を経て、建設が開始されます。 

「デザインチーム」は、建設作業を監督し、請負業社やサプライヤーからの設計内容に関する問い合わせへの対応も担います。また建設作業中の十勝地方の建設現場や製造プロセス等の管理・監督も「デザインチーム」が行うことを想定しています。

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デザインパラメターと運用シナリオ

以下に、「Traveling Forest」の今後の主な使用目的について簡単に説明します。参加者は、自身の提案が使用目的に対してどのように役立つのかという運用シナリオとともに、アイデアを提案してください。必要条件を満たすことだけにとらわれず、自由な発想で提案してください。。また、提案の内容に完成度は求めず、ラフなもので構いません。採用されたアイデアは、リサーチ・デザイン開発の段階で、「プロジェクトチーム」（図1参照）と共同で発展させていきます。

使用目的

• 「Traveling Forest」のコンセプトは、自然の中の様々な場所で教育イベントやレクリエーションを行える可動式パビリオンです。このパビリオンが、人々が安全かつ楽しく森と触れ合うための効果的なインターフェイスとして機能することが期待されます。 
• イベントの参加対象者は主に地元の方々で、あらゆる世代にわたります。そのため、環境条件の変化や厳しい地形に対応できる基礎構造が必要とされます。一方で、「Traveling Forest」を構成する基礎構造による人間と自然の間への人為的介入の度合いについては、慎重に判断する必要があります（提供資料の「再読レポート」第3章参照）。 
• パビリオンの可動性は、様々な自然環境下での運搬、組み立て、分解、運用を可能にする最も重要な設計パラメータの一つです。したがって、この可動性を構造的・機械的・経済的に実現する各種パラメータを、提案の段階から考慮することが不可欠です。

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スケジュール

プログラムの主な日程 は下記の通りです。「デザインチーム」のメンバーのプログラム参加期間は、2022年10月～2023年10月の予定です。また、「リサーチ・デザイン開発期間」の中で、大樹町芽武（及びその周辺地域）でフィールドワークを行います。フィールドワークの日程は、memu earth labのメンバーと協議し、参加可能人数が最も多い日程に調整する予定です。

なお、本プログラムの参加期間中も、「デザインチーム」は他の職務（学業、オフィスワーク等）を自由に行うことができます。

＊応募状況、また、やむを得ない事情により、日程が変更になる場合があります。

＊登録締め切り：2022年8月20日→9月15日の提出締め切りまで延期しました。

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プログラムでの使用言語

日本語・英語

• 応募者は、いずれの言語でも提案書の提出が可能です。本プログラムは日英二ヶ国語で実施されますので、日本語を話す方、英語を話す方のいずれも歓迎します。 
• ただし、プロジェクト期間中、現地のパートナーやアドバイザーとの円滑なコミュニケーションや、一般の方々への日本語でのプレゼンテーションができるよう、少なくとも1名のネイティブレベルまたは十分なレベルで日本語を話せる人材を確保する必要があります。

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応募対象者

• 日本国内在住の方を対象に公募します。学生、社会人ともに歓迎します。
• 複数の専門分野にわたるメンバーで構成されるチームでの応募を推奨します。
• 応募はチームでも個人（一緒に応募するメンバーがいない場合）でも可能です。

　チームとして応募する場合

• 1チームの人数は最大6名までとします。
• チーム内の役割と責任の分担を記載した「デザインチームの役割シート」を記入し、提出してください。 
• チーム内で補えないスキルや知識がある場合、将来的な能力の補完を保証する「コンセンサスシート」への署名をお願いします。これは、プログラムスケジュールに遅延を生じさせないよう、チームに必要な能力や知識を適切な時期に外部委託（例：コンサルタントを雇う、指導教員に相談するなど）により補完することに同意するものです。

　個人で応募する場合

• 一緒に応募するメンバーがいない場合は、応募者個人で応募することも可能です。
• 応募者個人として果たせる役割・能力を「デザインチームの役割シート」に記入し、提出してください。 
• 「コンセンサスシート」にサインし、選考の最終段階で主催者から指定されるチームに参加することを承諾してください。

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チーム選考の流れ

• 応募を受け付けたのち、評価委員会が書類選考を行います。
• 書類選考を通過したファイナリストには、主催者から面接の詳細をメールにてご連絡いたします。 評価委員会による面接は、10月14日（金）午後、東京大学生産技術研究所のキャンパス＠駒場II（もしくは都合のつかない方が多ければオンライン）で行います。遠方からの参加の場合の交通費は主催者が負担します。
• 面接終了後、選考を通過したチームをプログラムホームページで発表するとともに、主催者から直接メールでもご連絡します。

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研究費

• 研究費：本研究のためにチームに300万円の研究費が配分されます。
• 次年度に実際に施工される費用は上記に含みません。
• 日本国内から北海道芽武への交通費：往復50,000円を上限とし、支給します。
• 芽武内での交通費：レンタカー代を負担します。芽武内および周辺地域への短距離移動ができるよう、少なくとも1名は運転免許を保持していることが推奨されます。
• 宿泊費：芽武内での滞在費用はプログラム主催者が負担します。
• 食費などの個人的な出費は参加者の負担となります。

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東京大学アドバイザー（デザインチームの選定およびプログラム進行中のアドバイス）

デザインチームの選定、およびプロジェクト進行中のアドバイスを実施するチームは、東京大学の以下の研究者により構成されています

建築系 ：今井 公太郎（教授）、安原 幹（准教授）

ランドスケープ系：横張 真（教授）

森林系：丹下 健（教授）、齋藤 暖生（講師）

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提供資料

応募者は、以下の資料をもとに、当該地域を理解した上で、提案の形成を行ってください。

再読レポート：memu earth labが現在行っている、森と人との関係や、その関係性を定義する各種パラメータに関する研究の概要です。日本語版・英語版　PDFをダウンロードしてください。

大樹地区とその周辺の森林：PDF

動画
–Rereading Forest Winter
-Rereading Forest Spring（製作中）

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登録方法

締め切り：2022年8月20日→9月15日の提出締め切りまで延期しました
登録対象者：すべての応募者が、以下の「登録リンク」から登録フォームを入力する必要があります。

登録リンク： 登録フォーム

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提出方法

締め切り：2022年9月15日
提出者：チーム毎に、登録済みのチームメンバーが提出します。1チームにつき1回、以下の「提出リンク」から提出してください。 

提出が必要な資料 

1-　コンセプトアイデア：A4-1枚の提案概要書とA4-2枚までの提案スケッチ

上記のデザインパラメータに対応するコンセプトの提案である必要があります。また、その提案がいかに地域コミュニティを惹きつけ、どのように地域コミュニティに活用されうるかを説明するユーザーストーリーを織り込んでください。各チームは、提案するアイデアの概要を記したA4サイズ1枚を提出する必要があり、さらにそれに付随するスケッチや画像などをA4サイズで最大2枚まで提出できます。これらは、1つのPDFファイルとして提出し、ファイル名は「チーム名_Proposal.pdf」としてください（例: Xxxxx_Proposal.pdf）。

2-　デザインチーム役割シート：ダウンロードした様式に記入

各チームで1枚提出する、チーム内の役割分担とチーム内でまかなえる能力を説明するためのものです。こちらからダウンロードして記入してください。 

3- 履歴書：PDFを提出

各チームメンバーが、履歴書を提出する必要があります。ファイル名は「氏名_履歴書.pdf」としてください（例: 里太郎_履歴書.pdf）。

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プログラム主催者

memu earth lab
〒089-2113 北海道大樹町芽武158-1

お問い合わせ先
詳細などの各種お問い合わせは、下記メールアドレス宛にご連絡ください。
handeu@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp（memu earth lab）

Call for participation in a << Collaborative Research + Design + Build Program>>

Theme of the Program

Development of architectural interventions: towards building people-forest relationships for the next generation

Project Name

Traveling Forest / a movable pavilion

Project Location

Memu, Town of Taiki (and its neighboring area), Hokkaido

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Brief of the Program

The total area of forest land in Japan accounts for 67% of the national land. However, despite this wealth and hundreds of years of silviculture history, Japanese forestry faces socio-economic stagnation today. While the growing gap in the people-forest relationship causes the depopulation and economic recession of forest communities, our program aims to reduce this gap by working toward building people-forest relationships for the next generation. 

The [Collaborative Research + Design + Build Program] is established and hosted by UTokyo Ushioda Memu Earth Lab (shortly, memu earth lab). The program will reread the relationship between people and forests through the development of architectural interventions. As a result of the architectural interventions, we expect that the locals will be able to enjoy a number of different opportunities, fostering a productive interface with the forests and forming new connections within their communities. 

Adaptability to different forest environments and environmental conditions is one of the key elements of this intervention so that it can reach more local communities across a broader geographical area. To meet this functional requirement, our program calls for a [Design Team] to develop ideas for a mobile pavilion as we call a “Traveling Forest”.

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The Role of the [Design Team]

To gain a deeper perspective of the people-forest relationship in the Tokachi region, our primary focus is to work with local communities in the town of Taiki and its neighboring area. Therefore, our program offers participants to develop their ideas for “Travelling Forest” as a team by making multiple fieldwork in the region. The fieldwork will be conducted during the six months period of [Research & Design Development] (see the Key Dates). The developed idea is going to be shaped and will actually be built through collaborative work with the Project Team members (see Fig. 1) as explained below.

Collaboration with the memu earth lab’s team

The organizational structure of the program in Fig.1, illustrates that the selected [Design Team] will perform the program’s “Research + Design + Build” activities in collaboration with [memu earth lab Team]. During the entire program time, proposals will be given shape by the [Design Team] together with [memu earth lab Team], holding regular meetings for technical discussions and progress updates.

Collaboration within the Project Team

To gain insight and knowledge about local issues, the Design Team will establish communication and exchange opinions with local partners during the fieldwork in the region. In parallel, the team is also expected to receive academic advice from the University of Tokyo advisors about research and design-related subjects from academic and technical perspectives. The general communication between the Design Team, local partners, and the University of Tokyo academic advisors will be facilitated and coordinated by [memu earth lab Team]

Fig. 1 The program’s organizational structure

Collaboration through Interactive Research

As introduced in Fig. 2. the research on the people-forest relationship is formed upon a three-layered process: “Layer 1: Rereading”, “Layer 2: Interactive Research”, and “Layer 3: Architectural Interventions”. 

The Rereading Report, a summary of work conducted at “Layer 1”, discusses critical aspects surrounding the relationship between people and forests and must be read by applicants to be familiar with local facts (found under provided resources).  

At “Layer 2: Interactive Research” research activities are planned by memu earth lab to be performed in collaboration with experts and local partners. The Design Team is required to participate in these activities during the fieldwork as part of their design development process. During these events, the Design Team will have a chance to interact with local peoplethat provides social feedback to the team to advance their proposal of the architectural intervention. 

As illustrated in Fig. 2, the feedback generated through the activities as part of “Layer 2: Interactive Research”, is going to support the design work at this [Collaborative Research + Design + Build Program] which forms the “Layer 3: Architectural Interventions”.

Fig. 2 The three-layered roadmap of people-forest relationship research by memu earth lab

Example of Interactive Research Program held on February 2022 on splitting the wood.

https://vimeo.com/719330730

Collaborations toward and during the Commissioning

By the end of the Research & Design Development period, the proposal is going to be exhibited to the public in Taiki and its neighboring forest communities (see the Key Dates). During the exhibition period, the public’s opinion and feedback will be collected, and the [Design Team] will respond with adjustments to the proposal. 

After the proposal of the architectural intervention is complete the application design will be evaluated by the University of Tokyo academic advisors before its built. 

It will be the [Design Team] that oversees the commissioning period, and it will also be responsible for responding to questions about the design details from the contractor and suppliers. During the commissioning period, the team is also expected to supervise the building site and/or the manufacturing facility, etc. in the Tokachi region.

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Design Parameters x Use Scenarios

Below is a brief explanation of the basic intended use of the “Traveling Forest” in the future. Participants shall propose their idea with a user scenario explaining how it can serve and contribute to the below explained purpose of the pavilion. The ideas shouldn’t be limited to the given essentials but express free creativity at the same time. The proposal could be in rough shape rather than a fully developed idea. Development of the selected idea will be performed collaboratively with the Project Team (see Fig.1) during the Research & Design Development phase of the program. 

Purpose of Use

• “Travelling Forest” is a concept of a moving pavilion that has aim to house educational events and recreational opportunities at different locations in nature. We expect the pavilion to offer an effective interface that may allow people to interact with the forest in safe and joyful ways.
• Prospective visitors of aimed events will be mostly local people of all ages. They are going to have basic needs which require an infrastructure that can adapt to changing environmental conditions or tough terrain. In addition, any infrastructure that forms part of the “Travelling Forest” must be sensitive to the level of manmade intervention between humans and nature (see Provided Resources: the Rereading report, Chapter 3).
• Mobility is one of the most important design parameters that will provide the pavilion to be transported, assembled, and operated in different natural landscapes. Therefore, other parameters that allow such mobility from structural, mechanical, and economical perspectives, are essential to be considered while proposing your ideas.

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Key Dates

Below are the key dates of the program.  The design team members are expected to be enrolled in the program between Oct. 2022 – Oct. 2023. During the [Research and Development of the proposal] the team is expected to perform fieldwork at Memu. The fieldwork dates will be decided together with the team and the memu earth lab members and adjusted to the majority’s convenience.

During the enrollment in the program, the selected [Design Team] will be free to perform their other responsibilities (academic work, office work, etc.).

*The dates of the program are subject to changes depending on the amount of submissions and in case of unavoidable events caused on the accounted and/or responsible project team members.

*Registration deadline has been extended till the Submission deadline date, September 15th.

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The Program Language

Japanese and English

• Applicants can submit their proposals in either one of the languages. The program will be conducted bilingual and it welcomes both Japanese and English speakers. 
• However, the team must have at least one native or sufficient level Japanese speaker to assure smooth communication with local partners, advisors, and presentations to the public in Japanese throughout the project.

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Who Can Submit

• The call is open to the public, located in Japan. Students and professionals are both welcome to submit their ideas.
• Proposal submission as a team with multi-disciplinary members is encouraged.
• The submissions could be made as a team or as an individual (in case the applicant has no other member to submit with).

Submitting as a team:

• The number of members in a team is limited to 6 people.
• Please fill and submit the “Design Team Roles” sheet, which states the role and responsibility distribution within your team.
• In case of missing skills or knowledge in your team, please sign the Consensus sheet for future skill assurance. The skill assurance item states that your team agrees to provide the required skill or knowledge by outsourcing it (ex: hiring a consultant, consulting with an academic adviser, etc.) at an appropriate time that will not cause a delay in the program schedule.

Submitting as an individual: 

• The applicant can submit the proposal as an individual if there is no other member to apply with. 
• Please fill and submit the “Design Team Roles” sheet, which shows the role and responsibility you can fulfill as an individual applicant.
• Please sign the Consensus sheet for accepting to join a team that will be suggested at the end of the selection process by the host.

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Team Selection Process

• After the submission of the ideas, the evaluators will make a pre-selection of candidates to be interviewed. The pre-selected finalists will be contacted by email and informed about the interview details by the hosts.
• Interviews by the evaluators will take place on the 14th of October, 2022 afternoon at the University of Tokyo, Institute of Industrial Science campus (or online, depending on the majority’s schedule). The hosts will bear commuting fees. After the interviews, the selected team will be announced on the program Homepage and contacted directly by the hosts via email.

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Research Budget

• A research budget of  3,000,000 JPY is secured for the team
• A separate construction fee for the next year will be provided by the hosting organization.
• Travel expenses within Japan to/from Memu, Hokkaido: limited to 50,000JPY/round trip are provided.
• Commuting at Memu: The program host will bear commuting expenses (rental car). It is recommended that at least one team member have a driver’s license for short-distance commuting in/around Memu.
• Accommodation: The program host will bear the expenses of staying at Memu.
• Food and other personal spending are borne by the participant.

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UTokyo Academic Advisors (Design Team Selection Evaluators and Advisory)

The evaluation board will include leading academics from the University of Tokyo.

Architecture: Prof. Kotaro Imai, Assoc. Prof. Motoki Yasuhara

Landscape Architecture: Prof. Makoto Yokohari

Forest Studies: Prof. Takeshi Tange, Lect. Haruo Saito

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Provided Resources

Applications are required to read the content of the provided sources to gain an understanding of the place and the parameters that help shape the proposals.

• the Rereading Report: is a summary of the memu earth lab’s ongoing previous research on forest-people relationships and various parameters that define the relationship in the area. Please download the English edition / Japanese edition
• Map of Taiki area and its neighboring forests: PDF
• Rereading Forest Winter
• Rereading Forest Spring（製作中）Movies from the area

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Registrations

Deadline: 20 August 2022 – The registration deadline has been extended till the submission deadline date, September 15th.

who must register: every applicant must fill an individual registration form from the provided link.

the registration link: the Registration Form

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Submissions

Submission Deadline: 15 September 2022

who must submit: Registered team members submit as a team. One team must make one submission from the provided link. 

Required materials to be submitted:

1- Concept idea: The proposal shall present a concept that responds to the above-given design parameters. The idea shall include a user story explaining how the proposal would attract and be used by the communities.

Each team must submit one A4 outlining the proposed idea and up to two A4 with supporting sketches or images. It must be submitted as 1 pdf file. Please name your file as: Team name_Proposal.pdf  ex: Xxxxx_Proposal.pdf

2- Design Team Roles sheet: Each team must submit one filled sheet. This sheet explains the role distribution in the team and obtained skills. Please download the sheet here.

3- Resume: Each team member must submit a resume. Please name each resume as: Your name_Resume.pdf   ex: TarohSato_Resume.pdf

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The Program Host

memu earth lab

address: 158-1, Memu, Taiki town, Hokkaido, Japan, 089-2113

Contact

Please contact the program host at the below email for more information and inquiries.

handeu@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp (memu earth lab)

rereading report on the forest

describes ongoing rereading fieldwork toward building people-forest relationships for the next generation locals.

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download pdf

• rereading-report-on-the-forest-202206-jp.pdf

• rereading-report-on-the-forest-202206-en.pdf

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text: Yu Morishita, Hande Ünlü
images: by the fieldwork participants
publication date: June, 2022
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thank you, in order of appearance

Mikinori Matsumura, Shohei Kiyose (Osaka Nursry)
Masashige Sugawara (Okagesama)
Chihiro Kawase, Mikinari Tondokoro, Nao Fuke (minotake forest works)
Masahiko Nagase (Nagase Doken)
Haruo & Junko Saito (Fuji Iyashinomori Woodland Study Center, the University of Tokyo)
Akio Fujiwara (Field Data Research Center, the University of Tokyo)
Satoshi Suzuki (The University of Tokyo Hokkaido Forest)
Town Office of Taiki

有限会社大坂林業　松村幹了、清瀬昌平
社寺設計建築　株式会社おかげさま　菅原雅重
minotake forest works（池田町地域おこし協力隊）川瀬千尋、頓所幹成、福家菜緒
長瀬土建 長瀬雅彦
東京大学演習林富士癒しの森研究所長・森林圏生態社会学研究室　齋藤暖生
東京大学演習林富士癒しの森研究所・非常勤職員　齋藤純子
東京大学演習林フィールドデータ研究センター・森林圏生態社会学研究室　藤原章雄
東京大学北海道演習林　鈴木智之
大樹町役場（副町長・企画商工課、農林水産課）

We are co-producing a radio program “DARE2CARE”.

Starting from February 4th, 2022
On: InterFM 89.7 Friday 3pm – 4pm

Playback @ Radiko for 1 week

DARE2CARE produced with 東京大学・Memu Earth Lab Otocare プロジェクト | InterFM897 | 2022/02/04/金 15:00-16:00

https://www.interfm.co.jp/dare2care

Otocare at The London Festival of Architecture

Date: June 1st – 30th, 2021
Location: Potter’s Field Park and Gibbons Rent, London, UK

We have joined the London Architecture Festival 2021, which theme was “Care”.

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MSCTY x OTOCARE x Team London Bridge

MSCTY, the leading global agency for music + architecture, is partnering with the University of Tokyo’s OTOCARE project to sonically enhance Potter’s Field Park and Gibbons Rent via exclusively commissioned soundscapes by Kirk Barley and Elsa Hewitt. Both tracks respond to each location and draw inspiration from LFA 2021’s “care” theme and are available via www.mscty.space .

Listen @ https://www.mscty.space/project/mscty-x-london-bridge

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The London Festival of Architecture

The London Festival of Architecture is the world’s largest annual architecture festival, with a mission to uncover and promote new talent. With an amazing programme of events and activities taking place right across London every June, we welcome everyone into the conversation around architecture and our city. We work year-round to help new individuals and organisations feel empowered to stage their own festival events.

https://2021.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org/event/otocare-london/

Otocare at Saiseikai Kanagawaken Hospital

Research in Progress
“Otocare the first trial report”

text: Hikari Sandhu
The University of Tokyo, Institute of Industrial Science
Published on January 14th, 2021
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Introduction

We live a life that is inseparable from sound. 

Through our work at Memu, situated in the south of Hokkaido, we collected various nature sounds. The largely agricultural landscape of Memu is far from any significant urban areas and is surrounded by all kinds of sounds, which people comfortably live with. On the other hand, in modernised urban cities, car horns and construction noise are what we hear on a daily basis. City dwellers barely hear the sounds of the natural environment. Our sense of hearing has been compromised as we have become more accustomed to the sounds of the modern world as a result of rapid urbanisation over the decades. This in turn has led to people forgetting how to listen to nature, and how to integrate those sounds into our everyday life.

In the modern architectural field, building interiors are designed to eliminate any intrusive sounds, to apparently assist with the wellbeing and comfort of office workers, with each building setting a noise standard to create as much silence as possible. Every noise is considered an enemy to humans, with the mantra of silence is golden. However, we have to ask: Is silence natural?  When we look back to our origins, we have never been in complete silence –  even before we were born. We hear the flow of water and our mothers’ heartbeat in the womb. We develop our senses with human voices as we grow up. Despite these natural development stages in all of our lives, we deem the creation of silence inside buildings as a way to make them a more comfortable place.

Recent studies regarding the links between sounds and health uncovered many positive effects of naturally occurring sound on our health. The research reported the positive relationship between natural sounds and human health; some researchers reported that environmental sounds can be beneficial to people’s physical recovery from injury and disease as well as positive effects on mental health. (Hansen et al., 2017; Lee & Son, 2018). Another report showed that inaudible high-frequency sounds from nature can activate brain functions (Oohashi et al, 2000). Furthermore, the field of urban design reported that soundscape effects can increase psychological health (Hedblom et al., 2017).

With increasing interest in the relationship between sounds and health described above, we began to explore for ourselves the potential uses of nature sounds for everyday life and their impact on health, architecture, and society. The project name is OTOCARE (Sound-Care).

What we did…

The first OTOCARE goal was to deliver some of the environmental sounds from Memu, to urban cities (e.g. Tokyo, Yokohama). As we planned this experiment in the Spring of 2020, the Japanese government declared the first state of emergency in April, and many hospitals around the world reported healthcare workers’ psychological burnout including at hospitals here in Japan. With this rapidly developing situation negatively impacting many lives, we quickly moved to deliver the sounds of nature captured in Memu in the hope of easing some of the stress among healthcare workers. With generous cooperation and a welcoming, open-minded approach, we were fortunate to be able to make a collaboration with the palliative care ward^[1] at Saiseikai Kanagawa-Ken Hospital, Social Welfare Organization Saiseikai Imperial Gift Foundation, Yokohama, Japan (http://www.kanagawa.saiseikai.or.jp/).

We used five types of environmental sounds for the experiment: insects sound, birds, rain sounds, human voices, and daily-life sounds (e.g. cooking, car driving, etc.). In addition to these natural sounds we worked with MSCTY (https://www.mscty.space/) and London-based ambient music producer Ski Oakenfull to create a 60 minutes mix of music and sound. (click the sound on the page) The mix was played for two weeks from June to July 2020. Twelve healthcare workers working in the ward joined this trial. After two weeks of the trial, we distributed questionnaires to the participants to ask their honest impression towards listening to this original mix of nature sound and music in the ward.
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How was nature sounds to healthcare workers?

Results from the questionnaire survey showed that nature sounds eased stress among healthcare workers to some degree. Some participants reported nature sounds as relaxing and comfortable, and the nature sounds did not disturb the process of medical treatments (Figure 1). That was, the sounds were not considered as noise, rather it gave them a positive emotional experience. The participants found birds and water sounds as comfortable; on the other hand, people’s voices and daily living sounds had a less positive effect (Figure 2).

Figure 3 showed that implementing nature sounds in the hospital unit changed the atmosphere and that it somewhat created a relaxing environment. The results explain that nature sounds have a positive effect on refreshing the environment and workers’ mindset.

Figure 1: Result of question 1  “How did you feel about the sounds?”

Figure 2: Result of question 2  “Which sounds did you remember the most?”

Figure 3: Result of question 3  “Why did you remember the sound?”

Figure 4: Result of question 4  “What do you think of playing nature sounds in the unit?”

Prospectives –

OTOCARE first trial showed that the natural sound from Menu created a positive impact on healthcare workers and the hospital unit (Figure 4). This trial leads us to new questions; what are suitable nature sounds for hospital environments? How long should we listen to the sounds to experience comfort in our environment? Our exploration of sounds and the environment also shed light on a new perspective on the architectural sound design of healthcare facilities. Although this experiment did not have a scientifically sufficient sample size, we can understand that having nature sounds in the hospital can bring a positive impact and it has opened up a new perspective in the architectural sound design field. OTOCARE will continue to explore other possibilities for and effects of nature sounds in our life.

Footnotes:

^[1] The palliative care unit is a ward for terminal cancer patients, and many patients with a short life expectancy are hospitalized.

References:

Hansen, M. M., Jones, R., and Tocchini, K. (2017). Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and nature therapy: a state-of-the-art review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14 (851).

Hedblom, M., Knez, I., Ode, Sang, Å., and Gunnarsson, B. (2017). Evaluation of natural sounds in urban greenery: potential impact for urban nature preservation. Royal society of open science, 4, 170037.

Lee, H. J., Son, S. A. (2018). Qualitative assessment of experience on urban forest therapy program for preventing dementia of the elderly living alone in low-income class. Journal of people, plants, and environment, 21(6), 565-574.

Oohashi, T., Nishina, E., Honda, M., Yonekura, Y., Fuwamoto, Y., Kawai, N., Maekawa, T., Nakamura, S., Fukuyama, H., and Shibasaki, H. (2000). Inaudible high-frequency sounds affect brain activity: hypersonic effect. Journal of Neurophysiology, 83 (6).

Thank you to our partners –

Sound : Scene 1

Otocare Discussion 1

Wellbeing Through Sound

Otocare with Laura Sampson, Georgia Rodgers, and Madoka Tsuchida

Date：March 11th, 2021
Time：18:00~19:00 JST
Location: CIC Tokyo & Online (Venture Café Tokyo, Thursday Gatherings)

Register Here

Type: Open to the public
Language: English

Otocare’s mission is to foster a deep sense of wellbeing through the use of sound, drawing from years of individual research and planning and by forging new partnerships with healthcare professionals, urban designers, artists, and scientists.

Otocare was founded by Yu Morishita and Hikari Sandhu from the University of Tokyo and Nick Luscombe from MSCTY, initially as a response during the early days of the COVID 19 pandemic, to conduct research around the use of sound recordings to improve the wellbeing of staff and patients in high-stress medical environments. The project has since expanded into other areas of study and application. (Otocare Scene 1)

This panel discussion will feature a mix of speakers working as sound artists, musicians, and scientists from the UK and Japan.

The main themes of our discussion will include the ways that sound shapes our daily lives, how we can improve the sonic environment of our cities, the use of music as a way to stimulate memory, and what the sounds of the natural world can provide as a resource for our wellbeing.

Introduced and moderated by Yu Morishita, Hikari Sandhu, and Nick Luscombe.

The discussion will take place as part of Venture Café Tokyo, Tokyo Thursday Gatherings.

Otocareは、2019年末に発生した新型コロナウイルスによるパンデミックにより、高いストレス状態にあった医療従事者や患者に対して、環境音を介したウェルビーイングを向上を目的として作られました。

この度のウェビナーでは、英国と日本にて、アーティスト、音楽家、研究者として活躍する方々をお招きし、我々の日常の中の音の在り方、街中の音響環境の向上、記憶を刺激する音楽の使い方、そして我々のウェルビーイングを向上させるメディアとしての音の在り方について議論を致します。

登壇者 / Speakers

Laura Sampson
Laura Sampson is a storyteller and arts promoter from London with a degree in medieval literature (Univ. College, London). She has studied noh since 2011 and became a member of Theatre Nohgaku in 2014. She is co-producer of the Noh Training Project UK.

Georgia Rodgers
Georgia Rodgers is a composer of instrumental and electronic music whose work focuses on textural and spatial aspects of sound. In 2016 she was selected as one of Sound and Music’s New voices and in 2018 she was an Oram Award winner. Georgia studied Physics and Music followed by a Masters degree in computer music with Michael Edwards, both at the University of Edinburgh. She was recently awarded a Ph.D. in composition from City, University of London with a particular focus on music for instruments and electronic sound and the human experience of listening and space. Georgia has also worked as an acoustician for a firm of consulting engineers, specialising in architectural acoustics, and as a scientist researching the effects of environmental noise on human health. She lives and works (and was born) in north London.

Madoka Tsuchida
Madoka is a PhD student at the Department of Cultural Anthropology, Graduate School of Arts and Science, The University of Tokyo. Her research interests is a relationship of people with hearing loss and music, and she particularly focuses on hand-sign as their main language. She has conducted field research in a ‘deaf village’ at Bali island, Indonesia.

Yu Morishita
Yu Morishita is a researcher of building informatics at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo with Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Information Studies. Currently, a Project Lecturer leading Memu Earth Lab, a university-wide project exploring ways of listening to the uniqueness of places through fieldwork, figuring the role of infrastructure for the next society.

Hikari Sandhu
Hikari is a researcher at the Institute of Industrial Science with a Ph.D. in Health Science, and a registered music therapist certified in Japan. Hikari has been interested in using sounds and music for human health. She has experience of working with terminal cancer patients in the U.S. and Japan as a music therapist. Her recent interest has been on the health benefits of nature sounds and joy of music in our everyday life.

Nick Luscombe
Nick is a BBC radio broadcaster, producer, music curator/collector and field recordist. He is the founder of the international spatial sound practice MSCTY (www.mscty.space), the leading agency for music and architecture. His previous roles include Chief Music Editor at iTunes Europe, Director of Music at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) and presenter of BBC Radio’s Sony Award Winning Late Junction programme.

Otocare Fuji Iyashi no Mori – November

Created by Nick Luscombe (MSCTY), Hikari Sandhu, Yu Morishita

November 15th 2020
Transmission starts at 1 pm JST

As the world is experiencing an unprecedented global pandemic, we are increasingly exploring a new normal to build our everyday life. The role of Otocare Fuji Iyashi no Mori is to unravel how sound and music can enrich our experience of the forest, and how, in turn, the natural environment can inspire the way we listen to and appreciate sound in nature. We will be discussing, a form of sound made by forest and music, potentials in our new places, and the future relationships between the forest and ourselves.

Date：November 15th, 2020
Time：13:00~15:45
Location: UTokyo Fuji Iyashinomori Woodland Study Center (FIWSC)
Type: Not open to public onsite / Open online

「Otocare 富士癒しの森」

今世界的パンデミックの中で、私たちはこれまでの当たり前が大きな変化を向かえています。大きな変革の渦にいる一つが音楽の世界です。人との交流の制限によって、音楽業界はコンサートの開催が困難になるなど、新しい音楽の形を求められてるなか、私たちは音楽と自然の新しい関係性に注目しました。Otocare Fuji Iyashi no Mori では、5組の音楽演奏を介して、森と音楽が作る音の形、私たちの新しい居場所、そしてこれからの人と森の関係づくりについて考えます。

日程：2020年11月15日
時間：13:00~15:45
場所：東京大学富士癒しの森研究所

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Sound Path Through the Forest:

Performers Include:

Emiko Miura – toy piano

Emiko Miura is a pianist, arranger and composer. She performs using the toy piano, melodica, piano and synthesiser. Her work   connects classical, modern composition and experimental electronics.

三浦永美子

ピアニスト、編曲者、作曲者。トイピアノ、メロディカ、ピアノ、シンセサイザーを演奏する。クラシック、近代作曲、実験的エレクトロニクスに繋がる演奏をする。

Played @

February 13th, 2021 ~ 29 days / Radio: BBC Radio 3 / Playback @ 01:29:41~01:35:48 / https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000s8dz

Masanori Oishi – solo saxophone

Masanori Oishi is a Tokyo-based saxophonist who has earned recognition as a dynamic player with an energy that allows him to reflect the sonic scope of a wide variety of music – from works by modern composers to improvisational pieces.

大石将紀

東京に拠点を置くサクソフォン奏者。力動的でエネルギーに溢れる表現によって、現代音楽から即興的音楽まで幅広い音楽ジャンルの演奏をする。

Chihei Hatakeyama – guitar, keyboard, laptop

Chihei Hatakeyama is an ambient electronic music artist who processes guitars, pianos, and vibraphones to create slowly evolving aural landscapes. He is known for being incredibly prolific and has released over 70 albums since 2006.

畠山地平

東京出身のエレクトロニックミュージックアーティスト。2006年に最初のフルアルバム、Minima Moraliaをリリース。畠山の音楽は、ラップトップでギター、ピアノ、ビブラフォンを繰り返し処理することによって作曲され、特徴的に非常に遅いのが特徴。2020年現在70枚以上のアルバムをリリース。

Nobuhiko Chiba (Hawhawke) & Mari Ono – tonkori

Nobuhiko Chiba (aka Hawhawke) sings and plays the tonkori  – a traditional Ainu five-stringed harp instrument that evokes different landscapes through the use of simple, repetitive melodies. Chiba has been involved in the Ainu music community since 1990 when he began studying Ainu music and instruments under the tutelage of Ainu elders in Hokkaido and the Kanto Region (Tokyo).

千葉伸彦（別名　Hawhawke）

トンコリ奏者。トンコリとは、アイヌ文化に伝わる５本の弦によって構成されている琴型の楽器であり、伝統的なシンプルで反復する奏法により異なる風景を想起させる。1990年以来アイヌ音楽文化やアイヌ音楽教師より楽器を学び、現在伝統的なアイヌ音楽の美しさと文化的価値をより多くの聴衆に広めている。

Mari Ono

A vocalist working in music, space science, and cultural education. Ono also closely works with Ainu music culture to connect people, astronomy, and its culture with hope for a better understanding of humanity and nature.

おのまり

主に音楽を軸とし、宇宙科学、民族文化伝承、の３つの分野をつなぐ活動を行っている。関東アイヌ民族の文化伝承団体「レラの会」に所属し、うたで人と繋がり、星で広い視点を持ち、民族伝承で多様な価値観の共生を生むことを、日々志している。

Chor Fujimarimo – local philharmonic chorus

Founded in 2011. 18 women and 9 men members (avg. 71 years old) voluntarily run the group with a vision of bringing voices in Yamanaka Lake. They sing Japanese traditional and popular songs.

コール・ふじまりも（山中湖混声合唱同好会）

2011年「山中湖に歌声を」を動機に創立、現在有志による女性18名、男性9名の会員からなる。平均年齢は71歳。クラッシックから日本の歌、ポピュラーを持ち歌として混声合唱活動を実施中。

Documentation Team:

Film: Sam King Film
Live Narrow Casting: Henry Morse

Researches Include:

Cyber Forest: Akio Fujiwara (Fuji Iyashi no Mori): Forest Informatics
Listen to the Fuji Iyashi no Mori Sound Live from Cyber Forest

Morikatsu de Kenkou (Promotion of Health through “Mori Katsu” = Activities in the Forest)「森活で健康」は山中湖村と東京大学大学院農学生命科学研究科附属演習林富士癒しの森研究所との地域交流に関する協定に基づく共同プロジェクトです。

Biometric Measurement: Hikari Sandhu, Yukiko Matsunaga (Institute of Industrial Science)

Acoustic Measurement: Mitsuru Yabushita (YAB Corporation)

Postscript:

「Otocare」は、空間における音の可能性を再読する取り組みです。これまでに、音楽療法のプリンシパルを用い、自然音と音楽を用いた楽曲を、普段は音が極力遮断されている、病院環境で流す実験などを行ってきました。自然環境と都市環境におけるそれぞれの音の役割、人と空間、音が交差する場所について初心に戻り考えています。

これまでにコンサートホールやライブハウスなど、いわゆる建築の箱は、想定された音楽を正しく奏でるために、想定された人の集まり方を演出するために作られて来ることが多かったと思います。そのような箱の中における音の世界の活動が制限されている今日は、二つの方向性を試す良い機会だと考えています。一つはそのような箱のあり方を変えることで、これまでの活動を継続できるように考えること、もう一つは箱から出て、これまでとは異なる環境に、音楽（音）をする場所を探すことです。今回は後者の実験を想定しました。よく、「Think Out of the Box」 という表現が使われますが、その場合、箱の外に出て、なお箱のことを考える、というニュアンスが、特に建築関係の界隈では常態化しています。今回は、「Off the Box」、箱のことは忘れ、森を音楽をする場所として、音を奏でる場所としてみることで生まれる、異なる可能性を探求できるよう、「富士癒しの森」の研究者の皆さまと機会を作りました。

音楽という観点からは、屋内のように音が響かないこともあります。先月現地にて実施した音響計測では、コンサートホールよりも歌舞伎の芝居小屋に近い響き方をするということがまず初見として把握されました。また、鳥の声が背景音ではなく、目の前の環境として音楽の一部になるかもしれませんし、音を聞く側は、固定席で聞こえて来るものを享受するだけではなく、それぞれが聞こえやすい場所を探すことも、森は可能にするのかと想像しています。このような見識から、音響計測の方法に関しても今後検討が必要と感じられました。

今回、いわゆる観客席は決まった場所に設けず、声や音が小さければ近寄り、より鳥の声を混ぜたければ遠くへ足を伸ばし、森という空間を自由に歩きながら、音がある森を感じることも今回の実験の一部と考えています。異なる状態の森の地面が奏でる自分の足音、笹と触れ合う裾の音も、演奏の一部となるかもしれません。異なる状態に管理されている森へ、移動しながら音を体験することと同時に、音を媒体として森の空間を再読できればと思います。

この取り組みは、演奏会と呼ぶことも出来る傍ら、音を通した森の体験会ともとらえられます。実験会、でもありますが、今回は科学的に精密な計測を行うのではなく、参加者全員で、森を楽しみ、また時には不安に思い、時間を共有することで、新しい気づきを共有することが大切でした。

Downloads:

• otocare-fuji-iyashi-no-mori-poster.pdf