Play and Laugh as a powerful tool

Posted by Giacomo Chaparro on November 16, 2011
Nov 162011

In our first group meeting I bring two things, first think in Minami Sanriku as former fishing village and the fish as an important character for the town in terms of what it represent, and potential to use that particular character “The Fish” in a fictional or real way in order to develop a project around him.

The other contribution was a collection of updated information from a local website of Minami Sanriku, in order to have more idea of what is the real scenario in the town at the moment, in the website they show different social activities like temporary flea markets, several music performances, children activities, and a fictional opening of the fishing session. This information was important to realize self-develop of communal activities. In the website they announced that all the residents were already relocated into temporary villas. Lilly mentioned later that the community starts to be fragmented and to have internal problems between the members of the community.

During our group conversation all the member’s contributions and ideas start to get connected, the form of fictional narratives, Fairytales, or storytelling, as a tool start shaping the project, and after the intervention of Jacky we decide to address an specific community, the children of Minami Sanriku. We start thinking to go totally in a different direction of a memorial to overcome the trauma, or an artistic representation of how to be recover from the traumatic experience; Instead of that we when towards the simple idea of playing with children to develop community, using a game, play and laugh as a tool to our project and gift. A game kit for the children of Minami Sanriku, to develop new playful and imaginative stories.