Renga Reflection

The Renga I chose to focus on:

RENGA 3

We fell in a trap

arid mirages deceive

it's a shame to waste

walls crumble but do not break

glue the shards back together

childlike marvel

approach with humility

inside outside merge

we deliver new visions

while we cherish our nature

Core Issue & How it Impacts Communities, Ecosystems, and Future Generations

The core issue I selected is the lack of green spaces in urban environments and the need to incorporate nature into new buildings and structures. As cities expand, natural landscapes are often replaced by concrete, which leads to reduced biodiversity, increased air pollution, and higher urban temperatures. Urban planners and architects should integrate green spaces into their plans, such as parks, rooftop gardens, and living walls. These green spaces are crucial for both environmental sustainability and human well-being. Greenery absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, which improves air quality and mitigates the effects of climate change. Additionally, urban forests and green roofs help regulate temperature and reduce the urban heat island effect, where cities become significantly warmer than surrounding areas due to heat-absorbing infrastructure.

Beyond environmental benefits, green spaces are essential for mental health and community well-being. Research shows that exposure to nature reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. Green spaces also enhance cognitive function and creativity. Public parks and green areas encourage social interaction and physical activity, which builds stronger communities. Renga 3 reflects this balance between destruction and renewal. The line “we fell in a trap” symbolizes the over-reliance on artificial environments, while “glue the shards back together” and “we deliver new visions” suggest a new path forward where architecture and nature coexist.

Many cities around the world already embrace green infrastructure. For example, Singapore is a global leader in integrating nature into urban design. Its Gardens by the Bay features massive "supertrees" that generate solar power, collect rainwater, and support plant life. The city also has an extensive network of green roofs and vertical gardens that improve air quality and reduce heat. Similarly, Milan's Bosco Verticale ("Vertical Forest") is a pair of residential towers covered in 21,000 plants. This greenery helps absorb carbon dioxide and regulate building temperatures. In New York City, the High Line transformed an abandoned railway into an elevated park, which provides green space and promotes biodiversity. These projects show that incorporating nature into urban areas is mutually beneficial for people, communities, and the planet.

Novel ways to integrate this research into our story world and immersive experience design

The first question I asked myself is, “What universal Truth am I trying to convey?” I want participants to walk away with the knowledge that humans are intimately connected to nature, and our mutual survival depends upon each other. I also want to incorporate the Hero’s Journey, but instead of the “man vs. nature” perspective, shift to a Collective Journey to show how communities actualize in their attempt to achieve systemic change. Individual actions alone are not enough to solve major environmental issues, which require systemic changes and collective efforts.

Here are some concrete ways to incorporate the themes of sustainability and green spaces into our experience:

• The walls of the maze begin covered in dead vines. Or, at the beginning of the maze there are plain concrete walls, and as guests navigate their way through the maze, they see nature gradually integrated with the maze structure.

• Within the maze, we can incorporate a space for guests to sit, rest, meditate, and relax, journal, or drink tea, or even buy some sustainable merch. This space is perfect for anyone who wants to come back simply to hang out in this area.

Why do I want to incorporate this “green space” within the experience? Because well-being and the environment are interconnected. A messy environment can reflect a messy mind. When people are stressed, depressed, or have low mental health, their room and kitchen are probably messy due to unconsciously recreating our inner world in our outer world. When we feel calm, content, and mindful, we think beyond ourselves and begin seeing and sensing our environment. That's when we naturally clean up messes and make our outer environment reflect our inner world.

Think about it--if everyone on Earth was an enlightened being, we would naturally be stewards of the earth, and climate change wouldn't be an issue. But in reality, there is sin, greed, and self-centeredness. These mental energies have ripple effects, which cause us to "[fall] in a trap" of our own making, as stated in Renga 3. I believe that if we want to change the world, the change has to start from within. “Most people want to change the world to improve their lives, but the world they need to change first is the one inside themselves.” Providing a green, peaceful space within the experience will allow guests the opportunity to reflect on their own well-being.

A majority of the references to “fruit” in the Bible are meant figuratively, referring to the results of something, like “fruits of your labor.” One example is from Matthew 13:23: “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. Our immersive experience will plant seeds in the minds of our guests so they may bear fruit through growth and acts of love and service, including service to the environment (reduce, reuse, recycle) that spreads more seeds throughout the community and ecosystem.

Since our experience focuses on reusing or repurposing discarded objects:

• At the end, the trash begins to take shape and turn into statues and sculptures. These trash sculptures could be the kind of waste most popular in the area. For example, a sculpture made of Japanese waste would look very different (perhaps pinker and cuter) than a sculpture made from Austin's trash, which would have an “edgy” vibe.

Guests will emerge from the experience not just motivated to reduce and reuse waste, but with a deep inner peace that fosters change within and naturally extends to the world around them.

Haiku:

Change begins within
Come and plant seeds in your mind
Bear fruit for the earth