Spiral Inwards/Outwards

Spiral Inwards/Outwards was inspired by the giant Foucault Pendulum at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry and the memory of playing with a tire swing.  The slow continuous swing of the pendulum is reminiscent of a tire swing, pushing outwards in a spiral, pouring energy in, similar to the ‘inhale’ when breathing. Then when one lets go of the swing, it slowly spirals back inwards, towards the center.  

The Obon Matsuri is traditionally a summer festival; a time when individuals gather as a community to respect and remember ancestors and those lost. Schools, neighborhoods, and communities come together through music, food, and a traditional Japanese folk dance called bon odori. Bon Odori has been known to produce a safe and calm state of mind by those who dance. Annually occurring both in Japan as well as Chicago, the dance festival became relevant to me as mental health came into focus after the tremendous loss and isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Spiral Inwards/Outwards draws upon the breathing techniques of Nikujo, and the slow bon odori dance movements/coupled with improvised music; a variation based from CDIM (Clinically Designed Improvisatory Music). I’m interested in bringing these elements together as an investigation for induced calmness for anxiety and agitation. When beginning the project, I collaborated with music neuroscience researcher/viola player, Clara Takarabe and contemporary dance artist, Takahiro Tomatsu, from Tokyo, Japan to help me in this investigation as both of their works focus on mental health. This campaign would help to evolve the Spiral project into its next iteration, and would support the many musicians, dancers, and collaborating artists for their time and expertise to develop, experiment,  and present both the workshops and performance piece. Supporting Spiral Inwards/Outwards will realize the vision of a piece that seeks to create a moment of unity and calm, bringing together both the community/audience with  the artists.