Hunger and Resilience: Collective Agricultural and Artistic Practices in an Area Impacted by Environmental Disaster

Abstract

This paper delves into the generative artistic practice of the “Half Farming, Half Art” project in Toride, Japan. The project focuses on a response to the societal, economic, and environmental challenges faced by young artists, particularly those exacerbated by the Fukushima disaster of 2011. This paper examines the project’s evolution by addressing various forms of hunger, including physical, psychological, and Earth hunger resulting from soil contamination. The project’s innovative methods and community engagement initiatives made it a platform for resistance and resilience, fostering care for the environment while sustaining the collective lives of the participating artists. In its investigation of the convergence of gardening, farming, and artistic creation as responses to environmental disasters, this essay also casts light on Butō dancer Min Tanaka’s exploration of the relationship between agriculture and art. Drawing parallels with Min Tanaka’s agricultural practice and the practice of Body Weather, the “Half Farming, Half Art” project demonstrates the transformative potential of collective action in confronting adversity and reimagining relationships between humans and the natural world. This study illuminates how the various experiences of hunger became part of the legacy and the changing dynamic of the “Half Farming, Half Art” project.