Embryonic Shifts

Process

Weeks 1 & 2: Instinct and the Observing Eye

The journey began in uncertainty. During Week 1: Instinct & Possibility, participants embraced "nothingness" as a state of pure potential, engaging in raw, unpressured mark-making where meaning was not yet fixed. This mirrored the early biological embryo—a moment shaped entirely by probability before definitive forms emerge.

In Week 2: The Biology of Perception, the focus turned inward. Using "thaumatropes"—spinning discs that trick the brain into blending fragments into fluid motion—participants examined how the mind constructs reality, serving as a metaphor for identity as a continuous flow. To ground this, a young artist from the Korail community shared his struggles of maintaining a creative path amidst devastating community fires. Presenting his anatomical sketches, he demonstrated that art is an essential tool for scientific observation: "You must understand how muscles group and stretch to accurately draw a human smile." Through his insight, participants realized that drawing is the foundation of observation, record-keeping, and knowledge accumulation.

Week 3: The Roll of the Dice and the Collective System

During Week 3: Form and the Collective, the workshop introduced Comparative Embryology. Participants observed how vertebrate embryos carry striking resemblances early on—where what becomes a gill in a fish translates to a jaw structure in a human—and how the earliest life stages lack distinct gender markers.

This biological framework was paired with simple probability using familiar board games like Ludo. The roll of a die represents inherent potential: six possible outcomes exist, but the manifestation of one is left to chance. Connecting this to the biological shifts that dictate gender traits in nature—where a strike of the genetic dice yields male, female, or intersex variations—triggered a profound shift in the room. One participant summarized:

"Once you brought up the Ludo example, it became clear. We see that some men have feminine traits, and some women have masculine ones—it is all like the roll of the dice. They all exist, but we do not have control over it. Perhaps all we can do is roll the dice; the outcome is not within our control."

This realization shifted the room's energy from hesitation to profound validation, framing identity not as a rigid social binary, but as an unpredictable, natural trajectory.

Week 4: Technology, Self-Healing, and Economic Survival

The final phase synthesized three parallel tracks: natural processes of creation, biological capacities, and the human creative impulse. Historically a tool for early communication, language, and healing—from cave paintings to Ernst Haeckel's natural illustrations—art was repositioned here as a modern means of livelihood.

The curriculum focused on accessible, community-level workflows. Participants learned to capture physical ink drawings via smartphone, vectorize them using open-source tools like Canva, and translate them into functional SVG files compatible with commercial laser cutters found in local signage shops. The demonstration illustrated how a simple sketch could be manufactured into a sellable, intricately patterned wooden lamp, alongside overviews of translating concepts into 3D-printed models using open-source software like Blender.

This exercise confronted a critical digital dilemma: diminishing attention spans. Participants discovered that computer assistance does not make design instantaneous; true craft demands time, focus, and structured discipline. This rigorous focus culminated in two striking, bold paintings heavily inspired by Picasso and cubist sensibilities, demonstrating immense capacity when paired with structural encouragement.

Facilitator's Reflection: Common Humanity and Shifting Realities

Seven out of our eight sessions were carried out intimately in rooms inside the Korail slum area. Witnessing this four-week evolution profoundly impacted my perspective as a multidisciplinary artist and animator. The most unexpected revelation was the boundless potential and radical open-mindedness of individuals growing up with minimum means in some of the city's harshest environments.

In those rooms, deep vulnerabilities were laid bare. Women spoke of their lived experiences—of wearing the burkha and yet never feeling truly safe to wear the outfits that genuinely made them happy. Men spoke candidly about how substance addiction is a rampant, destructive force plaguing the young boys in their community. Yet, despite the vast socioeconomic class differences between myself and the participants, we became one. We were simply humans coming together, sharing our inner worlds. The quiet, raw talent in these kids is admirable; though many of their past creative endeavors had been physically destroyed in community fires, they continue to rise, determined to shift their economic realities.

The final session took us out of our regular environment for a group photograph. For this day out, the participants were asked to come in their best. It was deeply moving to witness the women rejoice—the regular hijabs were replaced by flowing hair, light makeup, and beautiful outfits. In that moment of pure joy and transformation, the conceptual themes of our workshop materialized in real life. Their presence was a living testament to the fact that identity is not a static compromise, but a beautiful, unfolding expression of self when given a safe space to flourish.

The Culmination: A Kinetic Sculptural Zoetrope

The ultimate manifestation of Embryonic Shifts will synthesize these concepts, weekly processes, and community contributions into a human-scale, kinetic sculptural zoetrope. Currently in its design and construction phases, this interactive, physical apparatus will merge static fragments into fluid animation, physically embodying the project's core metaphor: identity as an ongoing sequence of motion.

As the construction progresses, the design evolution and technical developments will be systematically documented. This journey will culminate in forthcoming exhibitions showcasing the building proceedings alongside the striking artworks created by the workshop participants—proving that when art, science, and community converge, they offer an expansive, deeply human picture of the world we inhabit.

"Our experiences were not too far apart despite social constructs giving us vastly different life tracks. They are full of capacity—they require nurturing, access, encouragement, and healthy discipline to come out of poverty."
— Saiq'a S. Chowdhury, Multidisciplinary Artist & Animator

Collaborators & context

Collaborating Partner: MACHAN
Project Facilitation: Ghorar Dim Studios & Saiq'a S. Chowdhury
Fabrication Partner: Samiul Hoque

Supported by The British Council Bangladesh & The Women of the World (WOW) Foundation