Biennale Artwork Unravels Japan’s Wild Geese Paradigm

KOCHI:
A fine artistic creation by Colombia and France-based artist Marcos Ávila Forero closely studies the working pattern of Japan’s yesteryear factory workers and unravels the powerful ‘Wild Geese’ model of development for art enthusiasts.

The multimedia installation ‘Theory of the Wild Geese, Notes on the Workers Gestures’ on display at the Kochi Biennale helps viewers draw many parallels between the working style of the retired factory workers and the ‘Wild Geese’ theory, which later paved the way for Japan’s industrial revolution, leading to this style being replicated in all other fields, and the subsequent impact that globalization had on this system.

For 50 years, the factory workers of Japan worked like a well-oiled machine much like the birds in a flock following the pattern set by their leader. This forms the basis of the Wild Geese theory. Forero created his unique work based on this concept and the final output was achieved through numerous steps.

To start with, Marcos Ávila Forero travelled to Japan and captured in a video the movements and activities of retired factory employees there, sans the factory equipment. They had been repeating the act in unison for four decades, yielding excellent outputs. Then with the help of a visual expert, the movements were captured in Labanist movement signs. Then, each of the Labanist signs was interpreted by a handwriting expert, who specialized in ‘free reed’ gesture recognition technology. It became useful for people of other languages and regions. Forero points out that by replicating the movements of Japanese workers, success can be achieved in other fields, even in athletic events like swimming and tennis.

Times have changed. But Japan still continues to be at the forefront of industrial nations. The reason for this is the platform built by the old workers. Every day, they carried out without any grievance and in full discipline their daily work routine that could become dull due to its repetitive nature. It was their patient hard work that brought their country to great heights.

However, no one cares for these retired workers now. Globalization had them replaced with machines. Forero, through his unique display, dedicates to the factory employees a musical model of their movements at work.

The artwork ‘Theory of the Wild Geese, Notes on the Workers Gestures’ can be experienced at the Fort Kochi Aspinwall House venue.