An Awareness Raising Campaign
blending Art, Music & Research
Leina Sato - Ocean lover, Freediving Instructor, International Speaker, Author and Mother
Introduction
Tursiops Aduncus - Bottlenose Dolphin in Ogasawara Islands
Ogasawara is one of the locations in Japan where eco-tourism with wild dolphins and
whales is practiced with respect.
In Ancient Japan, starting in the Jomon era, Animism was the prevalent world view, from which derived modern religious currents, notably shintoism. Ko-shinto refers to the original animism of Jomon period Japan which is the alleged basis of modern shinto.
Animism, just as the world « Animal » comes from the latin root « Anima », which means soul.
Although this biocentric worldview in harmony with Nature has long been set aside in our modern societies, it is in a sense the foundational soil of the Japanese civilization.
Through Project Anima, we wish to invite the Japanese public to “go back to their roots” and re- create a dialogue with Gaia.
It is as much about honouring the sentienty of the dolphins and the whales as it is about reclaiming the animist heart of Japan, where Nature is revered and vibrant with spirit and soul.
It is not our intention to enter into a debate on who and what is right or wrong.
With a focus on young generations and parents, our goal is to share to a wider audience in Japan the current reality of the dolphins and whales living in Japanese waters and by extension the impact of global overfishing and the implications of consuming fish in our day and age.
Beyond the immediate focus on the cause of the dolphins and whales, we wish to draw people’s attention on the inter-connectedness of the Ocean’s systems and the fact that each issue needs to be put into context in a wider perspective as everything is inter-dependent in Nature.
We want to inspire a shift in perception from an anthropocentric world view to a biocentric one:
I.E; where the audience might have only seen a dolphin performing tricks and « having fun », they now see a being with a history, a family, friends, a former home that is the wide Ocean. From a mere resource and commodity for our pleasure and entertainment, the dolphin becomes a sentient creature with equal rights to a meaningful life and freedom.
We aspire to empower children in forging their own opinion and make informed decisions by encouraging them to raise simple, core questions.
- When I visit a marine park, where do the dolphins and whales come from? - What was his/her life before it arrived here?
- Did it have a family?A name?An identity?
- How does he/she feel now?
- Where is his/her family today?
- What does it mean to consume fish in this day and age?
Broader questions could be explored with the parents:
-What Oceans/Planet Earth do we wish to leave our children? -How do we wish our children to relate to the natural world?
Composite and Carbon Free Diving Fins in collaboration with DiveR and Australian Artist Naomi Gittoes
These fins will be commercialised in Japan, the US and Europe with a percentage of the profits dedicated to support the project - notably "Music for the Dolphins & Whales of the Taiji Whale Museum"
Design 1: Ocean Ambassadors
The Sei whale mother and calf and the pod of bottlenose dolphins featured in this piece are meant as ambassadors to the many other species targeted every yearn Japan. The white dolphin in the bottom right represents Angel, the emblematic albino juvenile dolphin that was captured in January 2014 in the Cove and now lives in the Taiji Whale Museum.
Painting 2:
The Cosmic Sea
The Cosmos and the Ocean share much in common; the piece speaks of our kinship with the Living Earth and more than human species as we remember that we all come from Source. The translucent whales and dolphins are also an hommage to the souls of the departed cetaceans.
Painting 3
Web of Life
This piece highlights the inter-dependency and rich biodiversity of the Oceans' Living Systems
in recognition of some of its key players - zooplankton, healthy coral reefs and fish population -
and their essential role in maintaining the health of our Biosphere.
In addition to free diving fins, we are also preparing a dedicated and sustainable Japanese brand of ocean-inspired apparel with original designs in collaboration with Japanese and International artists.
More coming soon...!
Sign up for details or
to pre-order!
We feel so blessed and excited to have amazing artists from all different horizons
contributing to our upcoming brand with original creations.
by Hawaii-based Artist Danielle Burnside
Original Art by French Artist Hanna Helsens
Over the course of a few days, the musician (or band) will spend time by or in the enclosure to feel and connect with the presence of the dolphins and the whales, while meditating on these core questions:
What is their experience?
What is their perception of their condition? Of us humans?
What do we wish to tell them? And what do they wish to tell us?
The musician will then translate his/her perceptions and feelings into sound or harmonics to convey them to the dolphins and the whales (possibly with the use of underwater speakers).
We will film and record the interaction, the musician’s expression as well as the dolphins and whales response, should they feel like engaging. We hope that a form of communication/dialogue will emerge. Should the experiment prove meaningful, we can deepen our understanding and relationship by returning over a period of several years.
Although it might not be in our immediate power to support their return to their natural habitat,
we can hold the captive dolphins and whales in our thoughts, express compassion and as we lend them our voice, we can recognize them as part of us.
This is where the work of Deep Ecology begins.
Deep Ecology is a term which was coined by the Norwegian philosopher Aerne Ness.
When activist John Seed stood in between a bulldozer and a tree in the Australian rainforest,
he was struck by a sudden realization: that it was not actually him, the human/persona « John Seed » defending the forest. But rather the intelligence of the Forest, of the living Earth Gaia, protecting herself through him.
In that moment, he awoken to himself as an expression of Gaia, no longer separate but as part of her.
This can be the same for any environmental cause we decide to engage ourselves in:
Activism then becomes an act of love and of deep integration
as we begin to reclaim our sense of identity as part of the Living Earth.
Dispelling the illusion of separation that holds us separate from Nature is at once a totally natural and revolutionary process for most humans, at least those of us who were born into a westernized, modern environment.
Being grounded in the knowing that we are One, fully supported and loved, allows us to face the "dark" places in our inner and outer environment.
Original Art by Artist Hanna Helsens
© 2019