© Thomas Lenden Fotografie

“The permeating feelings of longing, yet the inability to reach or touch you. I stand at the foot of the Nirono mountains, gazing at you, thinking of you. You are as vulnerable as I am. A deep longing for the trees, plants, ancestors, mossy air, inhabiting animals, and the underground fungal webs and water passages, accompanied by a hint of shadowy feelings.”

Takako Hamano

This exhibition marks Takako Hamano’s first artistic spatial output within the ongoing project Circular Niro, which began in 2020 on a piece of land in Nirono, Japan that she inherited from her great-grandparents. Through her artistic lens, Takako brings together personal and collective memories, weaving relational elements inspired by regenerative actions that have unfolded in the Nirono field. Transplanted into the Amstelpark setting, these reflections take the form of a ritualistic spatial experience, inviting visitors to walk through it alongside the artist.

Committed to enhancing the environment of the mountains, soil, air, and water, Japanese artist Takako Hamano, who is based in the Netherlands, views the mountains, rice fields, traditional houses, and local cultures as interconnected elements, linked through underground networks and relationships. In Japan, such an area is called Satoyama, literally meaning ‘village and mountain’. Traditionally, this is a place where people live in close harmony with nature, utilizing natural resources from the mountains to grow crops and provide fuel, all while giving back to maintain environmental balance.

One of the key questions that Takako explores is: “How can we enhance the regenerative principle of Satoyama in Nirono through creative approaches that engage various cultural and disciplinary perspectives, thereby redefining the relationship between nature and culture for future generations?”

In response to the ongoing deterioration of the Nirono field caused by modern lifestyles, agriculture, and forestry practices, various efforts have been initiated to regenerate the field. Rice is being cultivated, and traditional houses and gardens are being restored while efforts are made to improve the soil, air, and water quality of the mountains.

Takako aims to integrate these practical actions with various creative approaches to enrich the future of regenerating the Nirono field. The spatial installation ‘i fell in love with Nirono mountains.’ is Takako’s first creative response, allowing visitors to experience elements of the Nirono field within the surroundings of het Glazen Huis and the Amstelpark. It is a song that celebrates all the collaborative efforts of those working together—ancestors and future generations alike.

Circular Niro 
Circular Niro is an ecological art project centered on “circular actions” undertaken by humans in collaboration with more-than-human entities. The project aims to revitalize Satoyama—a Japanese concept referring to the intersection of natural habitats and human habitation, encompassing rice fields, traditional houses, and mountains. Unlike the Western separation of nature and culture, Satoyama views these elements as a unified whole. The project takes place in Nirono, Kochi, Japan, where Takako Hamano, who is based in both the Netherlands and Japan, inherited a plot of land several years ago.

Circular actions include ecological revitalization activities such as cultivating and maintaining rice fields, restoring traditional houses, and maintaining valleys and mountain ridges to improve air and water circulation within the underground soil network. These actions primarily utilize natural materials, often locally sourced, ultimately contributing to healthier crops, environments, and human well-being. The flow of soil, water, air, consciousness, and materials, along with the care required to sustain these flows, are central themes throughout the project.

Hamano invited Zone2Source director Alice Smits to develop a collaborative art-science research program, which started with a research trip to Japan for 2 weeks in the fall of 2024 (supported by a travel grant Stimuleringsfonds).  In January 2025 we held a first meeting with potential interested participants from the world of art, architecture, design and science at Zone2Source. This program aims to focus on an understanding of the relational landscape of the Nirono field from multiple perspectives: micro to macro, visible to invisible, and through the diverse lenses of Dutch and Japanese artists, designers, scientists, architects, engineers, farmers, foresters, and others.

Through this unique setting, Hamano and Zone2Source aim to explore artistic methodologies and interdisciplinary collaboration—shaking the field space—to break new ground in the Circular Niro project. The project engages various local generations, from the young to the elderly, as well as shamans, Shinto priests, and others, in exploring human and more-than-human collaborations to deepen our understanding of the natural and cultural complexities of this specific place.

Why? 
While the Nirono field may seem geographically distant and culturally unique to Dutch researchers, it addresses a shared global concern—how to approach the relationship between nature and people in our time. The rapid economic growth following World War II, coupled with the adoption of modern and efficient lifestyles in the First World, has resulted in widespread soil degradation and a weakening of the ties between people and their work. Japan, with its millennia-old traditions of soil maintenance and fermentation culture, offers an intriguing test site, especially for research from a multi-species perspective. The Nirono field, with its extended timeframe for engagement and its physical space for experimentation, provides a fertile ground for creative practices using innovative approaches. These practices have the potential to directly impact the transformation of the field within the context of the existing community. Additionally, the project seeks to explore the role of art-science methodologies in situated and engaged practices that support equitable and sustainable futures for more-than-human communities.

This project is supported by the AFK (Amsterdam Fund for the Arts) and Phanta Vision.

Special thanks to:

Team Zone2Source, AFK, Phanta Vision
Sachi Miyachi, Nishiko, Vasco Guedes, Jasper Riehm, Jija Sohn, Uno Fujisawa, Brigitte Kwa, Chika Ito, Junko Hrosawa, Reiko Narisawa, Kaho Hirosawa, Giorgi Tabatadze, Lena Soulkovskaia, German Popov, Paul Haworth
Everyone who have supported to build the installation
Participants for the brain-writing session in January 2025

WAvert from Kochi Technical University, Masahiro Norimatsu, Masayoshi Moriyasu, Hiroomi Takada, Kenji Ogasawara, Tadayoshi Ogasawara, Daisuke Hayashi, Keiko Ohira, Suguru Kawashima, Tatsuya Hamada, Ayumi Kobayashi, Reiko Kitamura, Sakiko Yamazaki, Michiko & Seiji Nakata, Mayuko Nakata, Tadayoshi & Kimie Ogasawara, Kururi, Junko Kumon, Yoko Hisatomi, Kiyomitsu Nishimoto, Riichi Wada, Chimi Suyama, Emi Takahashi, Tatsuya Okunomiya, Kiyoshi Hukawa, Shigehide Kajiwara, Takahiro Iwasaki, Shuichi Ueta, Kenshin Co., Ltd.

Everyone who has been supporting activities for Circular Niro for the past years