Nomad Project｜Through circular nomadism, give back to the environment/community/self and explore sustainable habitats

Self introduction

Hello friends, this is the first time we meet, I am Sunshine!

I introduced myself as a "dweller on the earth" - viewing life as a timeless journey and living the true self as an artistic creation.

It may be a bit abstract to say this, but in fact my feet are very practical. During my gap year in the Department of Architecture at the University of Tokyo, I have always been in love with the deep meaning contained in the space of my home. What I explore is not only functional houses, but the artistic conception of "home" that is comfortable, natural, and can resonate with the soul . Starting from the practice of micro-architectural space, we will think about the living conditions and possibilities of individuals and communities in the macro-geographic and social space under the top-down planning and designism of modern times. My research interests cover social and environmental issues such as self-built housing, affordable construction, sustainable design and rural construction.

In addition to architecture, my multiple labels are also expanding the breadth of my life: Raja Yoga instructor, Permaculture sustainable designer, podcast producer, independent documentary & video producer... What I have so far Life is a journey of constantly following your own curiosity, learning and playing. As a result, my portfolio is like a maze of secrets, filled with all kinds of "treasures" that I have discovered along the way . If you are curious, you may wish to browse my "portfolio" - " Exploring Souvenirs from the Journey ".

At the same time, as a 22-year-old who is constantly exploring myself, my non-binary gender identity and asexual sexual orientation are also important identity labels for me. They affect the way I interact with the local culture, which may lead to misunderstandings and distance. However, I don't think this is a flaw that needs to be hidden. On the contrary, when I accepted and embraced my true self, they gave me unique diverse perspectives and qualities - during my nomadic journey, I understood and respected every different voice; during the design process, I considered more diverse perspectives. needs; to be a bridge of communication in community connections..... They are the gift of my life and I will cherish it and let it shine.

I invite you to follow my footsteps and witness my outer exploration and inner world unfold like a scroll...

Where do you want to go and why?

My nomadic theme is to explore the sustainable life of recycling nomads and giving back to the environment, local communities and myself.

Before explaining this, let me talk about my living experience.

My journey originated from thinking about home: When I was studying at the University of Tokyo, in order to seek an inner sense of belonging and peace, I moved four times in four years, and finally settled in Shiomi Village, a three-hour drive from Tokyo. A 100-year-old dilapidated thatched house in Gonjiro .

The experience of moving to Japan made me finally realize that a sense of belonging does not come from the external environment, but from within. As long as I accept who I am and connect authentically and authentically to my local community and environment, I can find belonging anywhere —even if the physical space at home is the size of a yoga mat.

On my first trip, I lived in a village called Ourika next to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. I worked and stayed as an ecological earthwork construction intern at a yoga retreat for a month. There, only a few people speak English, and most locals communicate in Moroccan Arabic or Berber. However, the enthusiasm of the Moroccan people and my smile crossed the language barrier. From the polite treatment at the beginning, to the warm hugs, kisses, cooking, and yoga practice with the local employees at the end. I also made friends with residents of local villages and traveled together. On the other side of the world, I gained a precious relationship that was like a family connection.

On my second trip, I worked as a yoga teacher and photographer at the Permaculture Garden in the Batukaru Mountains in central Bali. Then in October this year, I took a leave of absence from the University of Tokyo, returned to the mainland, and worked as a volunteer at the Harajuku Natural Environmental Protection Farm in Jiangsu for one month . Now, I live in Qixi Ecological Community in Guangdong as a visual propaganda and video record, helping to prepare for the annual local art festival.

As you can see, the places I want to visit have some commonalities. They will have one of the following characteristics:

• Diverse and inclusive community

• ecologically sustainable practices

• Local art creation

During my time as a nomad, I also lived in many places for a short period of time, such as Kamiyama Town in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, Yuruyuru, a waste material ecological village , Yinlin Ecological Farm in Guangdong , and Damoyu Village in Kunming...

Along the way, I have been able to make friends with the same frequency, gain a sense of belonging, and return to my inner home. Every time I set off, I say goodbye to my family and friends here, and I am filled with reluctance and blessings.

One day half a year after setting off from Morocco, I received this letter from a friend in Morocco:

This warm text planted a huge seed in my heart - I want to visit again, return to my home in Morocco, and reunite with my family.

On September 8, 2023, news came like a bolt from the blue: a 6.8-magnitude shallow earthquake in Morocco and its aftershocks caused more than 2,900 deaths and 5,500 injuries. The earthquake severely damaged ancient areas of Marrakech and destroyed several remote settlements in the Atlas Mountains. Nearly all houses and other buildings are constructed of unreinforced bricks and masonry, and local building standards are either lax or largely unenforced. Houses were severely damaged and some needed to be rebuilt from scratch. The situation in the Berber mountain villages where the epicenter is located is even more serious.

The epicenter of the earthquake was so close to the village of Ourika where my family lives.

Fear enveloped all my thoughts, and I quickly used Whatsapp to contact all my family members. Fortunately, everyone was safe, but the village and the Berber villages on the mountain were severely damaged.

Strong emotions are calling: I want to return to Ourika's home, to help as much as I can and to spend time with my family and friends. Regarding post-disaster reconstruction, I am still an architectural apprentice. Although I do not have the technical skills and experience like architects Xie Yingjun or Shigeru Ban, I do not need a reason to support and accompany my loved ones.

At the same time, I also want to take this as an opportunity to explore a sustainable life that gives back to the environment, local communities and myself in a circular nomadic habitat . So far I have been visiting new places and meeting new people. However, I never had the opportunity to visit the friends I made in the habitat.

If I can return to my former habitat in a circular nomadic way like the nomads on the steppe, then my long-term connection with the local people can be sustained, and I can participate in a deeper way than during my first visit. The lives and work of local people achieve mutual assistance and co-creation.

At the same time, as a Permaculture sustainable designer, I also met many friends on the journey who returned from the city and chose to settle in the countryside for a long time and engage in land practices. After exploring various places, they finally selected their favorite place and began a sustainable farming life on a year-by-year basis. I respect and admire their choices very much, but I also understand that at this stage I am not yet able to make similar long-term roots. I hope to find a balance between the high mobility of neo-nomadism and the long-term sedentary lifestyle.

A way to experience the world broadly while also establishing lasting bonds with specific communities and places - this exploration of the "circular nomad" model may be the key to my exploration of the life issue of "sustainable living."

What are your specific nomadic plans? (Suggestions include itinerary, theme, budget, etc.)

I will list here the places I plan to live (again) or visit briefly in the future, the themes and approximate budget, and itinerary; they are not in order, all itineraries are fluid. The only thing that is certain is that all I need is a connection from a friend and a delicious opportunity to set off immediately.

• Zhongshan Qixi Village (current residence)

  • Duration: 1 month

  • Topic: Preparation and promotion of community local art festival, documentary production

  • Budget: Mainly food and accommodation: 1500RMB

• Ourika village in Morocco

  • Duration: 1 month

  • Topic: Return visit, home reconstruction after disaster

  • Budget:

    • Round trip air ticket 10,000RMB

    • Food, accommodation and transportation costs 1500RMB

    • Total 11500RMB

• Harajuku Consensus Community

  • Duration: 1 month

  • Topic: Return visit, farm work and study in spring and summer

  • Budget:

    • Non-volunteers: 100*30 = 3000RMB

    • Volunteer: 40*30 = 1200RMB

• Shiomi Village, Chiba Prefecture, Japan

  • Duration: more than 3 months

  • Topic: Return visit, micro-architectural practice and community creation

  • Budget:

    • Round trip air ticket: 5000RMB

    • Food, accommodation and transportation expenses: 1500RMB/month

• Melbourne, Australia+surroundings

  • Duration: 1 month

  • Theme: Visiting and participating in friends who practice Permaculture sustainability in various environments

  • Budget:

    • Round trip air ticket: 5000RMB

    • Food, accommodation + transportation costs: 3000RMB

• Places where we have not started planning our itinerary yet: Da Moyu Village in Kunming (return visit), Hangzhou, Lijiang; Gaia Ashram in Thailand; Yuruyuru, a waste material ecological village in Japan (return visit) and other ecological communities... The list will continue to be updated.

If you could, how would you like to interact with the local area?

I have thought about this question for a long time. On my travels so far, the way I interact with the local area is different every time. In Morocco it was through participating in architectural design and construction, in Bali it was through yoga, and in other places there were photography, art co-creation, course teaching assistants, etc... And with so many different ways of interaction, how did I make friends with locals everywhere? What about building deep connections and interactions?

And the conclusion I reached is that more important than the methodology of "how to establish interaction" is the ethical core of establishing connection - truly seeing and caring for each other; opening up, sincere communication, and collision .

Therefore, I never presuppose the interaction patterns of local communities. When I arrive in a new place, I will first let go of all my expectations and imaginations, and use my whole heart to observe, contact, and experience all the unknown things . It is the beginning of trust and connection, the cornerstone of all interactions.

When Sunshine Yang first contacted me from Japan, I said to myself, sure, let's give it a try. I could not resist her dedication and love for architecture, especially seeing her desire to learn about the natural earthwork architecture of Morocco.

Yang has both Japanese rigor and feminine delicacy. I’ve seen her laugh and talk with our staff, I’ve seen her cry in the yoga circles she was invited to , and I’ve seen her work hard late into the night to show me updated versions of the site map or for the permanent jewelry display. Design new display racks.

She was so brave that she left her comfort zone and came to Africa to immerse herself in Moroccan and Berber culture. She is a very easy-going person with a beautiful open heart and curiosity. She has great respect for Moroccan traditions, respect for people and nature.

When she leaves, she leaves a huge void behind her because she has become a part of our family.

And with the "interaction method" that came later, it changed according to the one-on-one way between me and the place. Every time I stayed was the beginning of a unique relationship. With basic trust and interaction, you will gradually be able to understand their real needs and help each other in a sustainable and non-aggressive way - and all of this comes from love.

Therefore, I will not limit the possibilities of "interactive methods" here. However, financial assistance can open up more possibilities for my interaction with the local area - for example, currently I mainly use part-time job exchange or volunteer as an entrance, and sufficient funds can allow me to participate in the local area in the form of co-living or short-term rental. , presenting more diverse perspectives and possibilities for observation experience.

How do you plan to document the entire trip? (It is recommended to include form and narrative perspective)

1. Participant observation documentary video

   • Professional documentary producers will try their best to be objective, neutral, and impartial, but I choose to devote myself to the experience of the moment. Because to me, connection with my friends in this moment is the most important thing. Therefore, the work is a first-person, participant observation image with a subjective color. (Welcome to my thoughts on documentary shooting: the camera as an unforgiving medium )

2. Sound (podcasts, field recordings)

   • During the month I spent in the Harajuku Consensus Community , I didn’t take many impressions or photos; because compared to the visual memories, the sound of the geese, the sound of the wind, the drifting music and wind chimes, and the crisp sound of burning firewood are the most beautiful. Fresh and vivid impressions... When I visited for the first time, I was busy with volunteer work and photography and had no time, but when I return to Harajuku again, I want to record a sound documentary about Harajuku.

   • As someone with podcast production experience, I am also happy to launch two voice sharing activities to communicate with Matters community partners.

3. Nomadic Notes

   • My text will be developed from multiple perspectives across disciplines, and each issue will approach you from an unexpected angle. It might include reflections on:

     • Starting from the microscopic architectural space practice, we will think about the living conditions and possibilities of individuals and communities in the macroscopic geographical and social space and under the top-down planning and designism of modern times;

     • Explore the connection of mind-body-architecture-community-environment from the perspective of architecture and Permaculture sustainability;

     • Diversity & Inclusion: The situation of gender diversity in nomadic life, Universal Design in different cultures/places/communities

     • Thoughts on the construction and maintenance of community: seeing each other in the relationship between people (welcome to read a completed nomadic note: "Ethics and Conventions, Laying the Bridge of Freedom and Harmony" )

In fact, as you can see, I am already on the road, exploring the possibility of sustainable living, and using different media to record and disseminate it.

Therefore, no matter whether I can get funding or not, what I am doing will not be shaken - see, experience, feel, record and share with my heart.

 🌟如果您支持我的探索和创作，欢迎拍手和赞赏支持；每一份鼓励都能传递给我更多的勇气与爱。

Finally, thank you for taking the time to read, and we will go forward together on the road of exploration——

Sunshine Yang

December 25, 2023