TICK VARIATIONS

Esa Kirkkopelto

The research exposition consists of a case study in non-human phenomenology. The topic of the study derives from Jakob von Uexküll´s (1864–1944) classic ecological studies on the “lifeworld” (Umwelt) of animals, the focus being on the lifeworld of a tick. The tick experience is approached in an embodied manner, as developed by the author based on his artistic practice. The study demonstrates that it is possible and meaningful to create virtual corporeal interfaces between human and nonhuman species. What are the epistemological and ecological consequences of that disposition? On what kind of knowledge can planetary co-habitation among radically heterogeneous beings be based in the future?

TICK VARIATION 2

Equipment

– A furry carpet

– A piece of smelly cheese (“Parmezana”, “Appenzeller”, or the like) in a small, shallow cup

Aim: The exercise is meant to familiarise the participant with the smell of butyric acid (the only odour the tick can smell) and associate it with the tactile contact with the source (a hairy mammal). The exercise is undertaken by one person with the help of an assistant.

Instructions:

The participant sits down on the ground or floor, next to the furry carpet but at arm’s length from it, and keeps her eyes closed. The assistant brings the cup containing the smelly cheese close to the nostrils of the participant who, when she recognizes the smell, reaches out her arm and grasps the surface of the carpet. Her fingers “walk” along the carpet imitating the movement of a many-legged insect (the tick has eight legs) and tries to reach the surface underneath the wool, the “skin” of a hairy mammal. The participant tries to associate the contact with the skin with the smell of butyric acid. The exercise takes a few minutes. When the participant is satisfied with the result, the exercise is over.

Images: Mika Elo

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Image: Esa Kirkkopelto

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