Our project is a video with six tools that demonstrates how to ritualize daily movement into a bodywork routine.
Inspired by the wide range of physical activities the GGZE provided to mental health consumers, it goes without saying that there are many benefits for both the mind and body in movement. We were particularly interested in "daily chores" assigned to the MHC, such as gardening, cleaning, or chopping wood. However, when performing daily chores, one often focuses on completing a task rather than being mindful of the body.
Our ambition was to raise consciousness in the unconscious daily movements and allow others to see their potential. First, we experimented with ways to ritualize daily actions. We broke down Hsiang's day routine into daily tasks and then simplified the tasks into shorter, repetitive sequences. The method worked well, and soon we had a series of movements, which started to feel like an exercise.
We realized how "tools" play an essential role in creating movement awareness. We understood from our analysis that most actions of every day were in contact with objects. Unlike professional dancers, the untrained body relied on this familiarity to engage in abstract movements. Therefore, we designed a series of tools with adjustable weights to that the body felt familiar with when using. The way the body would contact the object would remain the same as when performing a task, for example, holding the watering pot while watering a plant. However, we abstracted the original tool so that you can no longer perform tasks with the tools. The watering pot cannot water plants. The vest cannot be worn. The cleaning tool doesn't clean the floor. Though these tools feel familiar to their origins, they are meant for experiencing the movements and not for a function. This also helps ritualize the daily chores into a mindful movement.
Our project is a video with six tools that demonstrates how to ritualize daily movement into a bodywork routine.
Inspired by the wide range of physical activities the GGZE provided to mental health consumers, it goes without saying that there are many benefits for both the mind and body in movement. We were particularly interested in "daily chores" assigned to the MHC, such as gardening, cleaning, or chopping wood. However, when performing daily chores, one often focuses on completing a task rather than being mindful of the body.
Our ambition was to raise consciousness in the unconscious daily movements and allow others to see their potential. First, we experimented with ways to ritualize daily actions. We broke down Hsiang's day routine into daily tasks and then simplified the tasks into shorter, repetitive sequences. The method worked well, and soon we had a series of movements, which started to feel like an exercise.
We realized how "tools" play an essential role in creating movement awareness. We understood from our analysis that most actions of every day were in contact with objects. Unlike professional dancers, the untrained body relied on this familiarity to engage in abstract movements. Therefore, we designed a series of tools with adjustable weights to that the body felt familiar with when using. The way the body would contact the object would remain the same as when performing a task, for example, holding the watering pot while watering a plant. However, we abstracted the original tool so that you can no longer perform tasks with the tools. The watering pot cannot water plants. The vest cannot be worn. The cleaning tool doesn't clean the floor. Though these tools feel familiar to their origins, they are meant for experiencing the movements and not for a function. This also helps ritualize the daily chores into a mindful movement.
