Turning, Lisa Scheers, 27-29 April 2017, Lisseuil/France
Turning. Spinning. Shaking. The body propelled from its own inertia. Children have an affinity for movement. So do young animals. Their movements are extravagant, excessive, abundant. They are not yet constrained by the rhythm of everyday routine or functionality, but rather by excess and visibility. Children are exceptionally generous with their movements; they are not yet accustomed to tempering, restraining, and controlling their bodies.
Movement holds a profound attraction for both young children and animals. Ethologists Pellis and Pellis illustrate this with the example of young magpies relentlessly pursuing a swarm of beetles. Instead of imitating the slow-paced behavior of adult magpies, who walk leisurely and catch beetles as they fall to the ground, the younger magpies chase after each beetle. When one beetle disappears into the grass and another flies by, they persistently pursue it. “The young,” observe Pellis and Pellis, “were evidently captivated and distracted by movement.” This brings to mind summer evenings from long ago when my children were still young, and we spent time outdoors blowing bubbles. The challenge was to blow the biggest bubble and keep it afloat for as long as possible. Even more entertaining was blowing a series of bubbles and attempting to burst them all before they touched the ground. Gleefully chasing after each bubble, waving our hands in the air in an effort to burst as many bubbles as possible.
In this abundance of movement, a plethora of possibilities unfolds. By this, I mean movement that is not yet restricted or defined, transcending functionality in all conceivable directions. In this exuberance, creative energies emerge, and the boundaries of freedom are redefined. It is this inherent openness that ensures movement is never fully complete, indefinite, always in a state of flux. Play involves being open, allowing oneself to be surprised by one's own movement, that of others, and the world around.
Wildly shaking one's head, rolling down a slope, spinning blindfolded. Topsyturvy. The world turned upside down, oneself inverted. Confusing oneself, immersing in chaos, the internal made external. Children revel in it. French philosopher Roger Caillois delineates four forms of play: agon (competition), alea (chance), mimicry (simulation), and ilinx (vertigo). Ilinx is rapid, swirling, spinning, or falling movement, a whirlwind, a state of dizziness and disarray. Ilinx involves deliberately inducing dizziness, leading to a delightful panic that consumes both body and mind. The stability of perception is momentarily disrupted, the world spins on its axis, and so do you. Ilinx is unrestrained movement. Dizziness is intentionally sought after to disrupt the stability of perception. Ilinx is a shock, a spasm, an attack that disrupts order abruptly, a surrender to disorder and undifferentiated chaos.
Every child knows that by spinning quickly around one's own axis, a centrifugal force is achieved that pulls the body away from its stable center. Spinning as fast as possible on one foot is a method to induce dizziness. By spinning on one foot, the subject is forcefully propelled from itself, pushed in all directions along lines of flight that emanate from the center and have no beginning or end. Spinning disrupts, destabilizes, and induces an ecstatic state in both body and mind. Through spinning, new and ever-changing connections with the world are forged. In these lines of flight, space is created for creativity and experimentation.
Dizziness is both delightful and terrifying. Panic and ecstasy intertwine, making it difficult to predict which will prevail. It is a delight that, according to Caillois, shakes the soul vigorously. The shockwaves penetrate to the core, rattling consciousness. Dizziness is not only a physical challenge but primarily a mental one. It pulls you into a comprehensive void. It takes considerable courage to willingly plunge oneself into a state of complete uncertainty. Thought spins and loses its solid foundation. You are swept away in a whirlwind of thoughts with no beginning or end, only middle. Boundaries of the body dissolve, internal and external intertwine, and senses overflow their banks.
