ミジンコの気持ちで泳いでみよう

2022/07 #workshop

レクチャー & ワークショップ

2022年7月に開かれたバンコクでのバイオ・アートセミナーにて、参加者にミジンコになったつもりで泳いでもらうワークショップを行いました。

今回は、講義と実演パートに分けて合計1時間半のワークショップであり、講義パートでは、「足を抱えて両腕を使って泳ぐこと」「できるだけ素早く腕を掻き切ること」などのテクニック以外にも、ミジンコの生態やミジンコたちが実際に泳いでいる映像を写し、彼らがどのように泳いでいるのか想像してもらいました。

その後、大学敷地内のプールを貸し切り、何回かミジンコ泳ぎを練習したのち、実際に泳いでもらいました。水泳の経験が浅い方がほとんどであり、うまくバランスが取れずに沈みそうになる参加者が多かったです。

その後に実施したアンケートでは、実際に泳いだ参加者から以下のような感想をいただきました。

◯ Maybe we could start more slowly from the still stage.
◯ The more tangible journey of a Daphnia might help with the imagination, like the Daphnia to Daphnia perspective. Now it is more like the Human to Daphnia perspective.
◯ I saw the reference book, being a beast, too. And thought that is interesting, thank you for the workshop that let me have a chance to try being a beast, well a little advance not a mammal but right away to the Planktons!
◯ From the time we had, our physical anatomy and the fitness of the participant's body, such as the arms strength, the ability to breathe, and the ability to see. If we are more prepared (snorkel, mask) might help us cut the worry of seeing and breathing and can focus more on being a Daphnia.

It’s harder for me when I tried to move my arms in the water. To be a good Daphnia dance, we need strong arm with muscle.

Difficult to balance especially when other 'Daphnia' are around. I also can't move my arms as fast as I want to.

This is the first time for me to do Daphnia Dance. I’m so excited to do this. I really try to understand how daphnia feel but I think human and daphnia quiet different physical body, probably I didn’t touch that feeling yet. May be I need more time to practice. Eventually  I didn’t feel like daphnia but I feeling like  empowered and independent. May be this is the first time that I don’t have to be human so I can be whatever I want. Thank you so much to do this workshop and teach me to be daphnia. :)`

バイオアートセミナーについて

webページ: https://freaklab.org/residency-program/

今回のバイオアートセミナーは、 BioArt: Intimacy with Nature という5日間のセミナー/ワークショップであり、FREAK Lab/metaPhorest 所属のタイ人アーティストである Henry Tan と、バンコクの舞台芸術プラットフォームを運営する BIPAM によって共催されました。

シンガポールや中国、日本などの国から、アーティスト以外にもエンジニア、ダンサー、研究者、料理人など様々なバックグラウンドを持った人々が集まり、タイ中部に位置するナレスアン大学の施設にて、バイオアートにまつわる多くのレクチャーやワークショップが開催されました。

Lecture & Workshop

In July 2022, we held a workshop in Bangkok during a bio-art seminar where participants swam as if they were Daphnia.

The workshop was divided into a lecture and a practical part, totaling an hour and a half. In the lecture part, we covered techniques such as “swimming with legs folded and using only the arms” and “paddling as quickly as possible with the arms.” We also showed videos of Daphnia swimming to help participants imagine how they move.

Afterward, we rented a pool on the university campus, and after practicing the Daphnia swimming technique a few times, participants actually swam. Most participants had little swimming experience and many struggled to maintain balance and nearly sank.

In the survey conducted afterward, participants who swam shared the following feedback.

・Maybe we could start more slowly from the still stage.
・The more tangible journey of a Daphnia might help with the imagination, like the Daphnia to Daphnia perspective. Now it is more like the Human to Daphnia perspective.
・I saw the reference book, being a beast, too. And thought that is interesting, thank you for the workshop that let me have a chance to try being a beast, well a little advance not a mammal but right away to the Planktons!
・From the time we had, our physical anatomy and the fitness of the participant's body, such as the arms strength, the ability to breathe, and the ability to see. If we are more prepared (snorkel, mask) might help us cut the worry of seeing and breathing and can focus more on being a Daphnia.

It’s harder for me when I tried to move my arms in the water. To be a good Daphnia dance, we need strong arm with muscle.

Difficult to balance especially when other 'Daphnia' are around. I also can't move my arms as fast as I want to.

This is the first time for me to do Daphnia Dance. I’m so excited to do this. I really try to understand how daphnia feel but I think human and daphnia quiet different physical body, probably I didn’t touch that feeling yet. May be I need more time to practice. Eventually  I didn’t feel like daphnia but I feeling like  empowered and independent. May be this is the first time that I don’t have to be human so I can be whatever I want. Thank you so much to do this workshop and teach me to be daphnia. :)`

About the Bio-Art Seminar

Web: https://freaklab.org/residency-program/

The Bio-Art Seminar, titled “BioArt: Intimacy with Nature,” was a five-day seminar/workshop co-hosted by Henry Tan, a Thai artist affiliated with FREAK Lab/metaPhorest, and BIPAM, which operates a performing arts platform in Bangkok.

Participants from various backgrounds, including engineers, dancers, researchers, and chefs, as well as artists, gathered from countries such as Singapore, China, and Japan. Numerous lectures and workshops related to bio-art were held at the facilities of Naresuan University, located in central Thailand.