AKIYACOLLECTIVE.ORG x BRANCHES.GLOBAL
Speculative Worlds: Dreams of Rural Revitalization
đź“Ť KOMORO, JAPAN | đź“… APRIL 21-28, 2025
What are ways that "revitalization" could unfold in rural communities in an age of profound change? At Akiya Collective’s April Re:Komoro gathering, we're inviting artists and researchers to critically explore alternative futures for rural life through speculative design. This approach combines art, research, and design to craft provocative "artifacts from the future" that spark meaningful dialogue about the present and plant new seeds of possibilities for rural revitalization.
Working alongside other Re:Komoro participants and local community members, residents will collaboratively develop works that bring possible futures to life through objects, experiences, and stories. We'll explore questions like:
- What different forms might "vitality" take beyond conventional economic development?
- How could emerging technologies or sociocultural shifts lead to transformative shifts in rural development patterns?
- How could rural paradises be created or lost?
- How might existing ways of life evolve or resist change?
- How could tensions between preservation and transformation be navigated?
A unique aspect of this residency is its experimental approach to the creative process itself. Through principles of ontological design, we’ll experiment with redesigning the conditions, environments, and interactions that shape how we imagine and create – from morning contemplative practices to structured research activities to collaborative making sessions.
The program will culminate in an exhibition where speculative artifacts and artworks will provoke critical discussions about rural futures. Drawing from speculative design methods, works will blend artistic experimentation with research-driven scenario development to produce artifacts that challenge our assumptions and inspire new images of what could be possible.
Programming includes:
- Makerspace resources (incl. woodshop, 3D printer, electronics equipment, traditional craft stations, drone, VR headset, and experimental biomaterials).
- 7 nights of communal co-living in a Japanese mountain cottage (shikibuton sleeping mats on tatami, modular spaces, indoor and outdoor work areas surrounded by mountain views and forest).
- Daily workshops, group activities, and events on a wide range of topics including speculative design, strategic foresight, crafts, and contemplative practices.
- Multidisciplinary collaborations, research+documentation support, and group critique sessions.
- An array of ontological design catalysts fuelling creativity, contemplation, and new perspectives.
- Contribution to final exhibition.
- Integration with Re:Komoro community activities.
- Community introductions.
- Starlink internet.
$600 contribution includes 7 nights accommodation and food, makerspace access, full residency programming and resources, pickup/dropoff from Komoro station, and access to Re:Komoro events. Residents intending on staying longer for the Re:Komoro gathering may indicate interest in the application.
Daily programming will be at the Akiya Collective Makerspace — a 30 minute scenic walk from the cottage. Residents will be in an ascetic, contemplative environment with stimulative, creative infrastructure. Vibe: "monastery meets media lab."
Individuals that have booked their own accommodations may participate in the core residency programming (~10a-6p) for $250.