The game "Chinese whisper" always reminds us how information flows among us. (If you do not know the game, ask your friend and play it...it doesn't cost any).

I had always wanted to visualize what was happen on Chinese whisper game. Since it will be a visualization of our way of communication in very primitive way. But because of the information we use for the game is voice, and voice is time based medium, we can not see whole happening. We just see (oops, listen) the deformed result and what was true message which the first one told. Instead of using voice and message, what if we use visual information to modify this game into something much more intriguing?

Then I could not help myself to try the new kind of communication game since I only need company, pieces of papar and pens to start. I used human body as primitive medium of information. Any information comes through our body and go out from it as well. We have been doing this since very beginning of civilization.

We need to make a line of people to prepare this game.(1) Then all the participants of the game will have a piece of paper and pen.(2) And tape the paper onto the back of the person next to you. (3)

The direction, which all the particpants are headding, is the direction of which flow of information goes. As "Chinese whisper" game has a sender of message as well as a receiver of message in each end of the line of people, this game also need the person who will create original message (in this case, the message is one-line drawing) (4)

When the game starts, all the participants but first one try to draw what he/she feels on his/her back onto the paper on the back next to him/her. (5)

Then the information of the drawing is transfering through the line of human bodies. Whole process of how the information is transferred is recorded on to pieces of paper as well so that we all can reveiew the process afterwords. (6,7)

#1:Japan May 2003
at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Tokyo,
at Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus, Kanagawa,

#2:Malmo,Sweden Sep 2003
at Rooseum Contemporary Art Center,
at Malmo Kunstmuseum,

As the picture picture above describes, information of composition and outlines were vanishing during the game. But we, the artist and participants always try to put additional ideas to improve the game. Following is ideas that we have tried.

Evolution of the rule of the game

The first idea was to make drawing as one-line drawing. We usually completely lost the composition of the drawing because of our sense on back is not enough to sense relationship between small parts of pictures. It gets worse once pen left the surface of the back. Then one of the participants suggested that why do not we try with one-line drawing so that we would not lose the composition terribly.

Additinal rule affects the result

The second idea turned to be an additional version of the game. We tried the game with a hint, keyword that implies what will be drawn. Then first drawer said "tool"as a hint of "a saw" and rest of participants thought it must have been "a key". You can see how the word and misassumption effects to the drawings that they made.

The information once gone has back!

It is not an idea... but was happen several times. The information that is lost during line of participants sometimes comes back leter on. For example, the original drawing that was Mickeymouse's face turned to be just a collection of single lines. But it came back and appeard on the drawing after few people. See the pictures below.

Why the thing like this happened? We always talked about this after sessions. But the person who brought the information back always says"I just drew what I felt on my back". As the artist who made the workshop, I would like to ask to psychologist that why this kind of thing happens.