「動物的刻板行為」指的是當動物處在圈養環境中,因為空間狹小、單調而造成壓力與緊迫感,導致他們做出重複機械化的動作。我們以此現象做了兩個系列作品。

〈 Let’s play again 〉
我們觀察到很多玩家在遊戲中等待時,會無意識地操縱角色做出重複的動作,像不停左右移動、轉圈、揮動武器等等,這些就像是刻板行為一樣,藉由重複性行為排解自己的無聊或是壓力。

〈 Let’s play again 〉 是一款僅有90秒的遊戲。遊戲中玩家將扮演一隻被圈養的動物度過他的一天,在受限的小空間中只有為數不多的行動可以操作,而這將令玩家因為無聊而產生如同刻板行為的重複動作。

遊戲的最後將會統計玩家的刻板行為路徑並且更新到一個網站,網站中可以看到每一個人幫這隻動物度過的每一天。在這短短90秒內玩家所體驗的各種無聊或是焦慮,對於這隻動物來說他早已經體驗了好幾百天。玩家可以隨時抽離這個遊戲,但如同遊戲名稱想要說的,這樣子的遊戲,這些動物必須待在這裡一次又一次的玩下去。

〈 Da Capo 〉 我們覺得舞蹈和刻板行為有其類似之處,他們同樣都是透過重複的動作表達自己情緒或是狀態,於是我們以六種動物常見的刻板行為做為素材進行編舞,並且參考了攝影大師Irving Penn的作品”Corner”,讓舞者在一個受限的空間中跳舞進行影像拍攝,最後依據舞者所代表的動物身形大小,使用不同尺寸的螢幕展示。

刻板行為是動物為了對應緊迫感所產生的一種自然機制,但這個自然反應卻是發生在人類圈養行為的基礎之上。他們真的是動物嗎?還是披著動物外殼的另一種人工產物?我們常常被他們美麗的外表、動作給吸引,但卻不會想到這些美麗的背後代表著不適與焦慮。

Looptopia是loop和utopia的結合,表示一個不斷地重複,且被人類誤以為很美好的地方。希望可以藉由作品中,美麗與痛苦、自然與人工產生的矛盾感,讓大家深思人類與動物之間的關係。


•••

We would like to address the issue of animals’ stereotypic behaviors, which means some mechanistic rituals repeated by animals in captivity. If the space which animals stay in is rather limited, it would evoke feelings of tension and cause them to perform stereotypic behaviors which last for several hours.

The title “lootopia” is a combination of “loop” and “utopia”, indicating a place which animals repeat mechanistic rituals in but somehow is deemed wonderful by human beings.

Inspired by this phenomenon, we come up with two sets of works.

〈 Let’s play again 〉
We have observed that when waiting for the loading of a game, many players would unconsciously manipulate characters to perform repetitive behaviors out of boredom, such as constantly pacing, revolving and swaying weapons. Based on this observation, we design a 90-second game in which players are to play a role of an animal in captivity. They can only make the animal perform only a limited number of behaviors, and thus players would, out of boredom, display repetitive behaviors just like stereotypical behaviors.

At the end of the game, the frequency of the stereotypical behaviors exhibited would be shown on the screen. And then the Players will know that the boredom or anxiety they have experienced for only five minutes has been experienced by animals in captivity for thousands of hours. Just as the title indicates, these animals will play this game over and over again.

〈 Da Capo 〉 We find that the movement of stereotypic behaviors is somewhat similar to dancing. Hence, We design the dancing which is based on common stereotypic behavior displayed by six kinds of animals. Dancers are asked to dance in narrow space and the process is recorded by filming.

Spectators might be appealed to the beautiful dancing, but it might not be easy for them to discover that the dancing simultaneously expresses the pain of animals. Such condition is just like the one when we appreciate the beauty of animals in captivity, we might regard their stereotypic behaviors as dancing, not knowing that those behaviors arise from their discomfort and anxiety.

Da Capo is an Italian musical term that means “from the beginning”. Seeing this term, performers must repeat again from the very beginning.

By demonstrating the phenomenon that frequently occurs around us yet is rarely attended to, we hope to bring reflections on how human beings treat animals.

•••

謝宗璇 吳佳穎, 《Looptopia》,
互動遊戲, 舞蹈, 2020

指導 何樵暐
總召 李根在
特別感謝 廖健澔 陳又嘉

〈 Let’s play again 〉
遊戲程式設計 曾裕翔
網頁程式設計 黃琮壬

〈 DaCapo 〉
舞者 郭宥辰
舞者 郭宥辰(熊), 萬晉妤(鸚鵡), 李秋惠(狐獴), 莊嘉伶(狐獴), 孫逸(狐獴), 張志丞(長頸鹿), 林佳姸(狼), 羅翊恩(猴子)
音樂 Ólafur Arnalds, Alice Sara Ott – Nocturne In G Minor
彩妝師 鄧安霓, 莊意華