Megumi Shimizu 清水惠美
PETIT MOVEMENT 小动作, 2011
Interventions and performances, video and photographic documentation
ART
Social Sensibility R&D Department, Beijing Project n.03, Bernard Controls, Beijing.
The Social Sensibility R&D Department, conceived by the artist Alessandro Rolandi, brings contemporary artists to work inside the Bernard Controls factories in Beijing, the Paris region and Milan. In 2011 the Japanese artist and performer Megumi Shimizu, who lives in China, involved the workers in small gestures between humour and absurdity.
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Beijing Project n.03
Megumi Shimizu developed her intervention at the factory around two themes: encounter and self-denial. She approached the people in the factory with great care and gentleness; she introduced herself as a Japanese artist living and working in China and explored all the emotional consequences of this condition. Her presence was light and discreet, but it touched people deeply. A performance artist by nature, this time Megumi chose to leave the stage to the people of Bernard Controls: with empathy she led them to perform «small gestures», suspended between humour and absurdity, and recorded them in printed photographs, hung in the offices, in the workshop and in other corners of the factory. With the butō dancer Dudu (Yu Fan Du), Shimizu turned the workshop into a place for happenings, where the sense of time and space, and their strict meaning inside the factory, were radically called into question. With her last intervention she made two large abstract paintings following the colour instructions given by the workers, to offer them the unexpected sight of a field of colour whenever they lift their heads for a short break. Megumi's intervention embodies the notion of «sensibility» at its highest and most effective level, where even the smallest thing can become a creative spark.
Beijing Project n.03 · English
Megumi Shimizu 清水惠美
PETIT MOVEMENT小动作
Megumi Shimizu has developed her intervention at the factory following two main themes: the one of the encounter and the one of the self-denial. She developed a very carefully and very gentle approach to the people in the factory; she introduced herself as a Japanese artist living and working in China and explored all the emotional consequences of this state of things. Her presence has been light and discrete but it has affected people deeply. Although naturally a performance artist, this time, Megumi has chosen to leave the stage to the people of Bernard Controls, and with empathy she has led them to perform “small gestures” suspended between humor and absurdity and she has recorded them with printed pictures now hanging in the offices, in the workshop and other corners. Together with the Butoh dancer Dudu, Shimizu has turned the workshop into an happening place where the sense of time and space and their strict meaning inside the factory were highly challenged. With her last intervention she created two large abstract paintings following color instruction from the workers in order to provide them with an unusual view of a color field whenever they lift their heads and stop for a small break. Megumi’s intervention embodies the notion of “sensibility” at its higher and most effective level, where even the smallest thing can be turned into a creative spark.
北京项目 n.03 · 中文
清水惠美
小动作
小动作 清水惠美围绕以下两大主题打造她的厂内介入艺术创作：一是不期而遇，一是自我否定。 她以审慎温和的姿态贴近厂内芸芸众生；她以在中国生活工作的日籍艺术家的身份自居；她积极探索这种现状对于情感所催生的一切影响。她的存在带着飘然而至的轻柔，洋溢着遗世独立的韵味，却散发着震撼人心的力量。清水惠美，这样一位天才的表演艺术家，这次却选择将舞台留给伯纳德控制设备（中国）有限公司的同仁，并调动情感的共鸣引领他们表演出在幽默与荒诞之间徘徊摇曳的“小动作”；同时透过印制的图片，她将这些“小动作”的光影一一记载下来，而这些图片现在正垂挂在办公室内，悬吊在车间里，遍及各个角落。清水惠美与舞踏舞者杜杜携手将车间幻化成活力四射的场所，完全模糊了时间与空间的感觉，彻底颠覆了严格意义上属于工厂的时空概念。 清水惠美在最后的介入艺术创作中，依从工人的色彩指配方案创作了两幅巨型抽象画，为他们缔造一个非同凡响的色彩视界，让他们在停工小憩抬头仰首之际即可悦赏。清水惠美的介入艺术创作在更深的层次上以最有效的方式植入了“敏感性”的概念，即使是最微弱的星星之火也能燎燃创意的烈焰。
Pékin Projet n°03 · Français
Megumi Shimizu 清水惠美
PETIT MOUVEMENT
Megumi Shimizu a développé son intervention à l'usine selon deux thèmes principaux : celui de la rencontre et celui de l'abnégation. Elle a développé une approche très prudente et très douce envers les gens de l'usine; elle s'est présentée comme une artiste japonaise vivant et travaillant en Chine et a exploré toutes les conséquences émotionnelles de cet état de choses. Sa présence a été légère et discrète mais elle a profondément touché les gens. Bien que naturellement performeuse, cette fois, Megumi a choisi de laisser la scène aux gens de Bernard Controls, et avec empathie elle les a amenés à effectuer des « petits gestes » suspendus entre humour et absurdité et elle les a enregistrés avec des images imprimées maintenant accroché dans les bureaux, dans l'atelier et dans d'autres coins. Avec le danseur Butoh Dudu, Shimizu a transformé l'atelier en un lieu événementiel où le sens du temps et de l'espace et leur sens strict à l'intérieur de l'usine ont été fortement remis en question. Avec sa dernière intervention, elle a créé deux grands tableaux abstraits suivant les instructions de couleur des ouvriers afin de leur fournir une vue inhabituelle d'un champ de couleur chaque fois qu'ils lèvent la tête et s'arrêtent pour une petite pause. L'intervention de Megumi incarne la notion de « sensibilité » à son niveau le plus élevé et le plus efficace, où même la plus petite chose peut être transformée en une étincelle créative.
Megumi Shimizu's actions (minutes 15:41–19:28)
Megumi Shimizu and Yu Fan Du, butō in the factory
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