Laurence PETITPAS

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Laurence PETITPAS

Participating Project	Exchange Residency Program (Creators from abroad)
Activity Based	Quebec City
City / Place stayed	Tokyo
Period	2024.5 - 2024.7

Purpose of the residency

I was born in a small town called “Seven Islands” (Sept-Îles, Quebec. Canada). My dad happened to be a snow crab fisherman at some point, using Japanese traps. Most of the crab coming up was and still is sent to Japan. My purpose for this residency is to follow the crab, draw it and eat it in Tokyo. I am curious about how it is consumed and celebrated on the opposite side of the globe, on another archipelago. Through that quest and through my drawings and puppets, I hope to reach out with Japanese people and their millenary culture as well as with other artists, to open new dialogues from the other side.

Plan during the residency

• Visit Tokyo’s fish markets and find the snow crab that traveled as far as I did to get there, meet the market people and try to reach out with fisher people.
  
• Make observation drawings at the fish markets and complete them at TOKAS.
• Learn more about water-related yōkai and sea folkloric stories and traditions.
• Keep an ongoing quest about finding new materials for building performative costumes or puppets.
• Make a short trip to the Ise-Shima area to meet the traditional Ama fisherwoman.

Activities during the residency

During my residency, I used the quest for Quebec snow crabs in Tokyo as a pretext to immerse myself in Japanese fish markets, aquariums, restaurants, rivers, and sentos, where I observed the profound cultural connections Japanese people have with water. Sketching and observing in those environments, I drew parallels between the plastic seafood displayed in restaurant windows, the availability of goods on a major online shopping site, yokai folklore, puppets and the ritual of washing oneself. I discovered shibori, a technique for dying and texturing silk, traditional Japanese clothing and visual patterns. I connected with living arts through butoh encounters and assisting traditional Bunraku performances. I had the chance to share with puppeteers and experiment with puppets built using techniques I had never seen before. Inspired by my workspace, I created Kani no obake or Personal yokai, a performance featuring a self-made costume and a series of wall puppets that blend drawings on washi paper, kimono shibori scraps, crab shells, and fugu fins.

Outcome of the residency

During this residency, I experimented with new puppet techniques and discovered materials that I wish to continue exploring. By incorporating snow crab carcasses from Quebec, I learned a lot about the animal and became more aware of climate change through the social, political, and economic realities of the import-export industry. I hope to integrate more of these reflections into my upcoming work.
What I would do differently is travel to Ise-Shima during my first month. I went there after my residency period and made many incredible connections with my work and research.

Creator Information