Chaine operatoire (and photographically overrepresented bows)

Chaine operatoire. A fancy French term, translated by Lemonnier as 'operational sequence' (Coupaye 2009, 439), though most scholars stick to the original version. It can be defined as a 'sequence of actions involved in the production of an artefact' (Martinón-Torres 2002, 29). Knapping flint in order to produce a scraper. Painting a landscape. Assembling an iPhone. These are all examples of a chaine operatoire.

One has to bear in mind, however, that Martinón-Torres is an archaeologist, and so the emphasis is on the elements of the operational sequence relevant for archaeology. This discipline deals with objects, however its aim is the reconstruction of human life in the past. Therefore any application of the chaine operatoire concept would be in relation to how human agency shaped what survives in the archaeological record. Understandably, it pertains to tangible artefacts.

The anthropological approach, on the other hand, would be slightly different, as the emphasis would be on the agent directly, rather than on the end product. In other words, to describe a chaine operatoire in archaeology, one works from the end result back to the operational sequence, while an anthropologist ideally witnesses the sequence and encounters the end product - well, at the end.

Fig. 1 Professional flint knapper knapping flint…

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Fig. 2 …and the potential outcome

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Anthropologist can work from fig. 1 to fig. 2, an archaeologist has to go the other way around.

I would argue a chaine operatoire is any definable sequence of actions that leads to a change in the environment. Repeating a gym routine, preparing a meal, taking a penalty kick - these all require an operational sequence that results in the muscles getting stronger, a delicious meal or a score for your football team. 

As we had to describe a chaine operatoire of choice for our introduction to material culture tutorial, I decided to go for something a bit less conventional than, let's say, preparing tea (is that a British thing? So many people did preparing tea. One girl was clever, though. She described the process of making a teabag).

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Chaine Operatoire

Archery

(shooting a target)

Chaine operatoire is a process, and as such is divided into stages. And so is the description of this process. Stage One is the general description of the action carried out, Stage Two provides the chaine operatoire proper, Stage Three focuses on the spatial aspect, and Stage Four provides some insight into the social aspect of the operation.

Stage One

(what, when and why)

1.     The name of the operation: target shooting

2.     The duration: 1 minute 39 seconds

3.     The number of people involved: one person

4.     The date and place of the operation: 27.11/2014; ULU Student Central building (Malet Street, London, UK)

5.     The result of the operation: pierced target

Fig. 3 The result

Stage Two

(how and with what)

1. Raw materials: round, hay boss, wooden target stand, paper target face, 60 cm in diameter

Fig. 4 The target on the left, the face on the right

2. Energy used: kinetic, mainly back and arm muscles (for anyone interested - should be mostly back muscles)

3. Tools: a recurve bow, and aluminium arrow, a leather finger tab

4. Gestures:

• standing at the shooting line, feet hip-length apart, sideways to the target

Fig. 5 Getting ready to perform the first step

• nocking the arrow
• placing three fingers of the right hand on the string, under the arrow
• taking a breath to straighten the back

Fig. 6 Taking a breath to straighten the back

• turning the head towards the target
• raising the bow
• drawing
• anchoring
• aiming

Fig. 7 Aiming

• releasing the arrow
• remaining in the same position for a few seconds

Fig. 8 Remaining in the same position for a few seconds

• going up to the target to collect the arrow

5. Knowledge: how to assume a proper stance, how to hold a bow, how to aim, how to anchor, how to release an arrow

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These two stages describe the process - it is the chaine operatoire itself. Next two parts will emphasize various social implications of the action situated in a wider context of a target archery practice session at the University of London Archery Club.

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Stage Three

(where)

Fig. 9 Plan of the shooting range

Blue - neutral space

Green - beginner space

Purple - senior space

On the plan above, the ovals are the targets, the black line is the shooting line and the rectangle is a desk used for repairing equipment. Entrance is in the lower right corner.

It is interesting that although there are no formal divisions in the hall itself, beginners tend to shoot at the  far right lane, closest to the entrance. Senior club members, on the other hand, occupy the desk in the right corner, far from the door and the beginner lane. There is thus a right-left axis, even though unplanned.

Stage Four

(who, in what context)

The Agent

Age: 19

Gender: female

Occupation: undergraduate student

Social aspects

Although archery is a sport and the practice is supposed to help one refine the technique in order to prepare for competitive shooting, what I find interesting is how it is also used as means for calming oneself down. The agent in my case says that the very repetitive process of shooting requires enormous focus and thus has something of meditation to it. Indeed, some types of archery are considered mainly meditative – kyudo for example is an integral part of the Zen buddhism, however any kind requires a clear and disciplined mind and full control over the body (as even a slight variation of the form can impact the outcome).

As a result, the range tends to be quiet while people are shooting. However it fills with chatter as everyone collects the arrows and checks the scores (usually after three shots). People compare the results, help each other take the arrows out, sometimes record the scores. Furthermore the shooting range tends to be fairly crowded, which results in many people shooting at the same targets. Those queuing try not to interrupt the shooting, however it is generally time for socialising. Everyone talks, mostly – though not only – about archery, more experienced archers advise the novices, people compare their equipment, do some minor reparations and joke a lot. There even are some people who come to the sessions mostly to socialise.

As a result, most archers at the club are friends who would often meet up in their free time. As it is a student club, most people are particularly busy around the same time (close to the end of term, for example). In the less strenous periods many people like to go to a nearby pub straight after archery.

Although many people come to the practice prompted by their friends and so already know someone, new bonds are formed quickly and a fairly close-knit group of friends emerges. In case of the University of London Archery Club, archery is not only a calming sport activity, but also a social activity.

Fig. 10 Everyone gets sociable

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As you may have noticed, the actual chaine operatoire is only the sequence of the gestures, performed with given raw materials, using a given kind of energy and resulting in a given change. However it is interesting to see how that particular action fits into a wider, social context. If one described preparing tea or coffee, they would mention how this beverage helps create and maintain bonds between friends and family (Swedish even have a name for such coffee-meetings which emphasize the social aspect, rather than the drink itself - fika). Presumably it could apply to any action analyzed as a chaine operatoire - after all, we are social animals.

What are your thoughts? Is a social aspect inevitably linked to any sort of action we may embark on? Can you describe archery practice as a chaine operatoire? Or should this term be applied only in the narrow, 'archaeological', sense? Do we even need such a concept? And why not use the English name?

Bibliography:

Coupaye, L. 2009. Ways of Enchanting. In: Journal of Material Culture, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 433-458.

Martinón-Torres, M. 2002. Chaine operatoire: the concept and its applications within the study of technology. Available at: link [accessed on 17.03.2015].

More on fika here.