Lydia Gimenez-Llort, Barcelona
Member Since August 2011
Artist Statement 'I believe that with a little more or Oyakudachi is our lifes, the world would be a little bit better' Lydia Giménez-Llort
Oyakudachi is a Japanese word which means “walking in the customer’s shoes’, an inborn exercise of our spirituality that hectic everyday life makes us forget all too frequently. It's the slogan of my docent activity at the Autonomous University of Barcelona where I'm a Professor of Psychiatry. It is also the name of a collection of stories for children and adults that I write and paint as a hobby. Their aim is to help us recover or develop our Oyakudachi and establish new links of empathy, solidarity and understanding towards others. But also to take a trip towards our inner life, getting rid of our skin and discovering the true essence of our being, its thin and delicate weave.
The first Oyakudachi Story: Fly Butterfly, Fly
Fly Butterfly, Fly, is a simple story about the feelings of love that flood our hearts through life, and turn into pain when separation takes place. The story came about in an attempt to mitigate the feelings of loss of my little daughter, and her need to understand what seemed incomprehensible to her; that those who have loved are not with us, that they have left, that we cannot see them anymore. The astonishment, the feelings of abandonment, but also the guilt and the wish to be with them; the need to keep them by our side no matter what, and the evolutionary process that takes place until reaching the understanding that loving means acceptance and to let “fly!” Though we are apart, they’ll always be in our hearts. We’ll never be alone because love is everlasting.
The Spanish and English versions were published as children’s stories, and some months later I decided to share them on YouTube (www.youtube.com/NeusSenderMeler) to help other children overcome their sadness. The Spanish version was online on June 22, and three days later on June 25, 2009, the English version was posted too.
I never expected my own children's story would be the one to express, on the same day, all my deepest feelings of sorrow for someone who always had a special place in my heart; someone who taught me to walk in the world’s shoes. I watched the video again, and with tears in my eyes I realized that the story and most of the sentences I wrote, perfectly matched with the lyrics of his songs, “Thriller,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Speechless,” “You Are Not alone, and “Heal the World.” Then I realized to what extent Michael Jackson was my inspiration, even without knowing it. On July 4, 2009, I added those lyrics, and two new drawings to the story to pay him my most sincere tribute.
The three on-line versions (Spanish,English,Farewell to Michael) have reached a total amount of 15.807 visits.
Actually, 'Fly butterfly fly' , 'The Chemist', 'El pato patoso', 'The man who wore a Panama hat', 'El gato que tenía los bigotes embadurnados de chocolate', 'El estanque de Biescas', 'La peluquera' and other of my Oyakudachi stories are by Gestalt's Therapists to help children in difficulties.
Oyakudachi Stories at COP15
During COP15, The United Nations Climate Change Conference that was held in Copenhagen in 2009,the Oyakudachi story 'Ursus, the last polar bear' was aired in 'The Globe'macro-screen in the city center and inside the conference meeting rooms of Bella Center. Another Oyakudachi Story entitled 'Gaia' with every-day proposals to save our Earth participated in the CNN and YouTube Debate on Climate Change in the category of 'Personal Responsability'.
Because of that, Oyakudachi stories are one of the 100 tangible local initiatives from all over the world that fit into a constructive and holistic movement for social and ecological change, that are included in the CROSSTALKS book entitled "We Can Change the Weather" (ISBN 978-90-5487-692-2). last October 2010, this book was 'Leadership book' in The Wall Street Journal Europe.
Oyakudachi, a non-profit association
After this journey, I decided to ask my p
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