Nami Urano
Marketing Leader at FabCafe Kyoto, SPCS Community Manager
After graduating from university, Nami began her work at the creative company, Loftwork, where she was in charge of planning and managing business events and community management. At this time, her focus was on encouraging industry and university collaboration, specifically between Japanese companies and international universities. In 2018, Nami moved to Loftwork in Kyoto where she is in charge of PR, marketing, and recruitment. In 2020, Nami was involved in the launch and management of FabCafe Kyoto’s project-in-residency program, COUNTER POINT. From 2022, Nami launched SPCS (“Species”), a community that explores the uncontrollability of nature. Nami is interested in creating chaos in place, taking inspiration from her personal experiences of living in Folkehøjskole, Denmark, experiencing a kibbutz in Israel, and the fermentation club activities she co-hosted with chef Momoyo Morimoto.
Judge’s selections
Sensing with Nature Prize
”Return to the soil” circular sensors
SANKEN, Osaka University
Currently, circular initiatives are spreading across the globe, and companies are trying to measure their environmental impact in every possible way. Moving forward, monitoring complex environmental factors like biodiversity will become even more prevalent, along with the development of new technologies. Considering a future where sensor devices left in harsh environments for extended periods could themselves become an environmental burden, this technology and perspective will play a crucial role in anticipating such challenges and supporting our efforts.
Nature Positve Prize
Fermentation of forest residue over from forests to beautify both people and nature, a Circular Economy activity that pleases everyone.
Table Company, Inc. Fermented Bath Nifu
This project not only solves problems, but also creates unique experiences while generating economic cycles that connect mountains and cities. In order to create activities like this project, which goes beyond solving problems, it is necessary to create new culture. Although it is very difficult to reach this level, this project has actually achieved it and created a new market. It would be wonderful if such cycles were created in various mountains and nearby cities.
Removing the Lid Prize
TOILETOWA
JIEN LLP・Tono Mirai architects
With the advent of sewage systems, excrement has become invisible, making it difficult to even imagine how it is broken down. For too long, we've been focused on simply ""covering up the stink."" This alternative system, which keeps excrement in place rather than flushing it away, allows non-human organisms to break it down and transform it. By doing so, it may foster a sense of responsibility for the fate of something we'd rather ignore and offer an opportunity to rethink our relationship with non-human stakeholders.
This is creative value shift Prize
Piss Soap
Arthur Guilleminot
The existence of pee and poo is unique. While they are often seen as representative of "dirty" things, simply saying these words tends to make both adults and children smile. Although we generally dislike them, perhaps we also feel a certain attachment to them because they come from our own bodies. This project creatively and charmingly shifts perspectives by turning pee into soap, transforming something "dirty" into something clean. Using a natural material readily available even in urban environments lacking natural resources is both clever and resourceful. It’s a little unsettling, but it’s also a catchy and intriguing concept that walks a fine line—and one I’d like to try making myself.
Art and Science Prize
Sustainable Doka Practise
Individual
While it is common to use chemicals to develop photographs, there are few examples of this being done using natural materials. I think that in order to carry out this project, we need to have a high level of knowledge of chemistry and a lot of experience with experiments, as well as both creative ideas and a spirit of inquiry. I think that photography will never disappear, and I am happy to know that there are new options and room for exploration.