English translation of the popular scientific summaries of my field diaries.
In this booklet, I published with colleagues excerpts from my field diaries of research interacting with short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) many years ago. Though personal insights, the descriptions of the encounters originated within the context of sound scientific work. I find myself contemplating them anew and deciding to provide English translations. This decision is motivated by my discussions and collaboration with Taiwanese artist Yen Tzu Chang, who has requested my insights on related topics. I want her to comprehend these notes.
In revisiting my contributions to the study of whale behavior, both intra-specific and with humans, I am rediscovering the essence of my doings then and in the years that followed: creating settings that give space for awe and critical reflection on the nature of an encounter, the moment in which real contact take place, and thus an understanding as a form of aesthetics and pure joy – contexts that allowed a kind of intimacy.
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