About the Forest-Edge Living Laboratory

 

 The Forest-Edge Living Laboratory is a place dedicated to researching and sharing future ways of human living at the forest’s edge. Located in a former manor house with over 100 years of history, surrounded by vast nature, it explores the delicate balance between nature, people, and civilization.

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 Across the world today, city-centered lifestyles are reaching their limits. Overcrowding, climate change, rising costs of living, and social stress show that urban life no longer guarantees true human well-being. At the same time, people are seeking new ways of living in harmony with nature. The Laboratory responds to this global challenge by presenting new models of sustainable, human-centered living.

 

 Through architecture and landscape projects, we put ideas into practice—renovating historic spaces, creating greenhouses, decks, stargazing platforms, and wood shelters together with students and researchers. Over the years, more than 100 participants have lived and learned here.

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What is the Artist-in-Residence Program?

 

 As part of this research activity, we host an Artist-in-Residence program where artists and creators live and work at the forest’s edge. It is important to note: this is not a guesthouse or a tourist facility. It is a research institute.

 

 Artists are not “visitors” or “customers” but active participants, engaging with the Laboratory’s mission through their own creative practice. Life and art come together here, deepening individual expression while also proposing new visions to society.

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What You Will Gain

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• A unique creative experience shaped by living close to nature

• The chance to incorporate perspectives from historic architecture and landscapes into your work

• Opportunities to engage with researchers and the surrounding community, giving your work social depth

• Above all: a time when daily life and artistic practice are inseparable, expanding both your art and your way of living

 

Social Significance

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　The Artist-in-Residence program at the Forest-Edge Living Laboratory is more than just a residency.
Works created here respond to the question: “How can we imagine future ways of living?”

From the “forest’s edge,” a space between urban and natural life, artists send messages that expand society’s imagination. By staying here, artists are not only pursuing personal expression but also taking part in shaping cultural and social visions for the future.

 

Participation

• Eligible Participants: Artists, designers, creators, researchers

• Duration: From several weeks to several months (flexible)

• Outcomes: Exhibitions, open studios, lectures, performances, and more

• Details: Please contact the Forest-Edge Living Laboratory for further information

 

Message

 

The Artist-in-Residence program is a special time when “living” and “creating” become one.
By staying in the kura, cooking in the outdoor kitchen, and creating within the context of nature and history, artists experience a form of creativity impossible to achieve in the city.

This is not a tourist facility, but a research institute.
That is precisely why the time you spend here will deepen your art and help deliver new visions of living to society.