Diabolo, a canvas for expression Tracing present forms

Over time, the diabolo has become a stable working tool. It allows me to explore movements, structures, and variations from an open space. I often start without a defined direction. I work with what emerges as I go: repetitions, variations, small adjustments that open up new possibilities.

The simplicity of the diabolo lets me return to it often. It’s accessible, non-restrictive, and keeps the possibility of doing open. Some days, I only revisit familiar transitions; on others, something with potential emerges.

Researching to Have Materials Available

Part of the work with the diabolo involves generating material. These are movements, gestures, transitions, or ways of resolving situations that can be revisited later on.

Sometimes I dedicate an entire session to exploring variations on a known action. Other times, new forms appear while working. There’s no need to decide their use in the moment. What interests me is having options I can recognize and bring into play when it’s time to compose.

It’s like gathering pigments. I’m building a set of available elements to use later, when the situation or the composition calls for them.

Drawing in the Air

When the diabolo moves, it leaves behind a line that doesn’t remain anywhere. It’s a provisional trace, yet present, like a brushstroke made in the air. It’s a game with physics: gravity, friction, inertia, touch, and sensation.

A game that starts at the center of your body and moves outward, expanding your kinesphere, blurring it with the surroundings—this nearby space that isn’t just physical, but also perceptual. It’s where the relationship between body, object, and air takes shape.

This way of working requires presence. The trace is a consequence of what I do, but also a way of seeing how I’m inhabiting it. Over time, the body recognizes patterns. Trajectories emerge that don’t need to be repeated to know they’re there. They form a memory that isn’t visual, but that sustains the practice.

A Minimal portable tool

The fact that it takes up little space and doesn’t require specific conditions makes it easy to integrate into various situations. I can carry it with me, practice during a free moment, or use it to start a session with other bodies.

I’m also interested in it in shared contexts. It’s an object that can be passed around, that generates connection, and that offers an easy entry into practice without the need for lengthy introductions.