te magazine N°4 Spinal Memory 脊柱記憶

Starting from the spine, the very pillar of life,
Issue 4 of te magazine focuses on nonhuman
animals to explore the manipulation of their
bodies alongside themes of perception and
empathy. Drawing on years of cohabitation
or sustained research, the contributors in this
issue employ observation, education, paint-
ing, writing, and imagery to challenge en-
trenched “ethical frameworks” and “orders.”Is
it possible to envision a relatively equal mul-
tispecies world? Can we relearn how to co-
exist with “the other” through a more humble
and introspective lens? Issue 4 Spinal Mem-
ory does not offer answers; instead, it com-
prises reflections and imaginations, as most
contributors have long-standing experiences
with or ongoing research on non-human ani-
mals. Through observation, education, paint-
ing, writing, and image-making, they seek to
loosen the existing “ethical relationships” and
“orderly rules.” Returning to the interior of
the body, each vertebra of the spine accumu-
lates traces of human transitions and mem-
ories that have yet to dissipate. However, the
spine has never fully completed its evolution;
its flaws are evident, and the hidden pain it
causes always accompanies the body. Per-
haps it is this persistent pain that continually
reminds us that suffering, which may seem
unrelated to us, can be perceived anew from
the fissure of spines. By stepping into the
bodies of Others, to feel and acknowledge
them, a slow exchange occurs that reopens
our imagination and generates a relationship
that has yet to be named