26th April
Issy and I tried another movement session. When I finished teaching the Japanese language to Hana-chan’s partner, I went outside to explore the best place to communicate with Issy.
I chose a forest near a shrine for the movement session. I walked through a train station and headed to a mountainside. At the same time, Issy was walking in a field near her grandmother’s home.
The scenery in Issy’s site was so different from where I was. The sky was blue, and the horizon. My place was more like a darker green and gloomy sky. Even though we shared the same sky, my place got clouds gathering and the clouds were having tea time on the top of my head. We started our session in a different type of nature.
During the movement session, I loved the way we imitated the movement to each other. I found a brunch and Issy found two stones. We were using two stones to create some sounds. The sound of two stones resonated in the forest. I wonder how the sound of stones was in Issy’s place.
The forest was getting darker along with the sun went down. Issy’s place had a shining river and she showed me water in her palms.
My place got some mosquitos so the itchiness created some movement for clapping hands. I felt sorry for killing them but for protecting my body. The itchiness created some red circles on my skin. I brought the red circles back home as a souvenir.
Haru
4月26日
Issyとまたムーブメントセッションに取り組んだ。はなちゃんのパートナーに日本語を教え終えた私は、Issyとコミュニケーションをとるのに最適な場所を探そうと外に出た。
移動セッションに選んだのは、神社の近くの森だ。駅を通り抜け、山の中腹に向かった。同じ頃、Issyは祖母の家の近くの野原を歩いていた。
Issyのいる場所の風景は、私がいる場所とはまったく違っていた。空は青く、地平線も見えた。私のところはもっと濃い緑色で陰鬱な空だった。同じ空を共有していても、私のところには雲が集まり、雲は私の頭の上でティータイムをしていた。私たちは違うタイプの自然の中でセッションを始めた。
ムーブメントセッションでは、お互いの動きを真似し合う姿がとても良かった。私はブランチを見つけ、Issyは2つの石を見つけた。私たちは2つの石を使って音を出した。2つの石の音が森に響いた。Issyのところでは、石の音はどうだったのだろう。
日が暮れるにつれ、森は暗くなっていった。Issyのところは川が光っていて、手のひらに水をためて見せてくれた。
私のところには蚊が何匹かいて、痒みが手を叩く動きを生み出した。蚊を殺すのは申し訳ないと思ったが、自分の体を守るためだった。その痒みが、私の肌に赤い丸を作った。その赤い丸をお土産に持ち帰った。はる
Issy (written 22 May):
Prior to the session, I was really excited to try a movement session with Haruka. During the previous performance call in March, where the whole group of us tried to communicate in different 'languages,' it seemed Haruka and I were speaking with our movements in a more similar shared 'language.' There was a familiarity during that call, even though I hadn’t performed with Haruka since 2017 (I think :)).
Communication is not just limited to 'vocal language and words'—there are many possible forms via the senses. I personally respond really well to movements rather than just words. I find performative movements allow a realm to express atypical language, which can actually be more authentic sometimes and allows me to learn more about the other person as well as express myself.
It was early in the day for me while it was later for Haruka. I was really lucky to be at my grandma's in Southern Scotland, surrounded by nature. Haruka and I called on our phones. As the sun was out, I walked into the garden to find a spot and showed Haruka the scenery. She then decided to walk outside and go to the mountains. It was early spring, so not everything had bloomed yet, and it was quite cold even though it was sunny. It felt like where Haruka was, both the weather and her energy were warm, making where I was feel warmer too.
I walked to a peaceful shallow river with trees and large green fields next to it, along with a stone beach. The environment was wide and expansive, with some low mountains around it. The sun was so bright it was hard to open my eyes, especially with the reflection off the river.
Haruka’s place was forest-like with a lot of tall trees, more enclosed by the forest and with beautiful more dim light like the environment was hugging her whereas where I was, it was wide, more open and bright. We set up our phones and began responding to each other. Sometimes I would try to follow Haruka, and other times I would try to lead. This created a lovely synergy.
We worked a lot with our arms and hands, expanding them and gathering shared energy around us, uniting our places together. Haruka made tapping and clapping movements to get rid of the mosquitoes, which became a dominant movement we used together. We picked up stones, and I tapped them together repetitively, making sounds. The mosquitoes joined in on Haruka’s side, altering our movements. We also cradled the stones or energy and joined our hands together in new shapes. Our hands were like antennas connecting to each other from our different locations.
Sometimes it became difficult for me to see the screen because the sun was so bright in my eyes. This forced me to come close to the screen sometimes, but also when I went further away, I would have to try to feel fluidly. The stones underneath me made it trickier to move my feet and legs, so I was influenced to move slowly or stay in a position for a while, focusing more on my arms, hands, and head. Just as the mosquitoes influenced Haruka, the stones influenced me, creating barriers but also possibilities.