ATR-MIC Farewell Message
Sidney Fels
While possibly cliché, the metaphor of the garden describes my experience
at ATR Media Integration & Communications Research Laboratories (ATR-MIC). The
MIC garden was soil for growing the lives of people, much as a kindergarten grows
children. MIC's soil was incredibly fertile, with equipment (toys) of all shapes
and sizes and space to spread your roots. The sunshine was all the people and
ideas floating around the 3rd floor of ATR. The space was both physical and intellectual.
Physically, the LiveHousei
was large and open for all of us to experiment with ideas. For me, intellectual
space was apparent with the Iamascopeii
. It was not in the original plan for my research, but once created, it was allowed
to flourish. As it blossomed, all the resources of ATR-MIC provided nourishment
to bring the idea to reality. I think the Iamascope has helped to expose the kindergarten
of the world to the sunshine of ATR-MIC.
People landed in MIC's soil from all over the world. For us seeds, the challenge
upon landing was determining how to grow. For some foreign researchers, the freedom
was unbearable, making for a difficult time in an odd, complex country. However,
for many, including myself, this was exactly what was needed. In the nearly three
years I spent at ATR-MIC since 1996, I experienced incredible growth intellectually,
creatively, emotionally and physically (from all the delicious Japanese food!).
ATR-MIC continues to influence me: at UBC, I am trying to recreate on a small
scale the LiveHouse in order to provide students with the same environment I was
allowed to grow in.
I remember many fantastic adventures in Department 2. Of course, we bonded by
working together daily on projects such as CMAP, attending Friday lunch meetings
with no agenda, and staying at ATR together until all hours before open house.
There were countless other wonderful times as well, including the barbecue held
inside my apartment (the smell of smoke lingered for weeks) and our post-open
house party in Toba that lasted until 4:00 a.m.
It is sad that winter is arriving at ATR-MIC. The leaves have fallen and the plants
look bare. In seven years, ATR-MIC has grown from vacant fertile soil to a garden
full of life. I feel extremely lucky to have been part of it and to have joined
my colleagues in Department 2 and the rest of ATR-MIC. Simply saying "Thank you"
to Nakatsu-san, Mase-san, Sumi-san, Nishimoto-san, Armin-san, Kadobayashi-san,
Etani-san, Kobayashi-san, Honjo-san and everyone else at Department 2 and ATR-MIC
doesn't come close to expressing my gratitude. Perhaps now, for ATR-MIC, this
is a time to reflect on the research produced, rest, rejuvenate, and look forward
to spring.
