Walking-Dancing with Elements

Description

From astronomers to poets, from geoscientists to philosophers – many different disciplines have tried to explain how humans are situated in the world and cosmos. Moving-with is my way of relating to the elements; attuning to the elemental shaping through walking and dancing; allowing myself to be moved, danced, and shaped by something greater than myself.

Walking in itself can be an artistic practice, whereby Walking Art is art in which ‘walking’ is an integral part of the work. I research elemental presence through Walking Art as well as my scientific and other artistic work, for example, through the lenses of ecosomatics, anthropology, environmental humanities, process philosophy, integrative law, or radical pedagogies. 

For many years now, the specific qualities of Water & Earth have been drawing me in. I capitalise the words Water and Earth as a simple way of acknowledging the power and wisdom of these incredible qualities, which defy easy human understanding.

Just going on a simple walk is one way of experiencing the fascination of Water & Earth, and something which most of us are familiar with.  Living on the Mediterranean coast near Barcelona, I walk as contemplative and artistic practice, often with the following questions, which of course can be asked anywhere in the world:

How is Water? How is Earth?

How are the relations of Water & Earth?

In many places, there is a special relation of Water with the Feminine and the Water qualities of lakes, rivers and oceans are often mythologised as feminine beings, as female goddesses and divinities. Over time, this inquiry into Water as feminine has become its own project. In addition, I trained to offer Janzu, which is a meditative Water flotation and immersion practice.

Asking how are the relations of Water & Earth, I became drawn to the spaces where Water & Earth meet. These in-between interstitial spaces are where things get messy, juicy, curious, challenging, poetic and more. Most of all, it’s where lots of sounds happen, so as I’m walking, I’m listening deeply:

Which are the sounds of Earth, of Water, and of these interstitial spaces?

From this moving and listening-with interstitial elemental qualities, emerges another big question:

How do different types and qualities of water, soil, and rock, shape human understandings and sensations of peace?

I walked with this question, for example, during my MaasWacht, and began offering so-called walkshops around this theme, such as ‘Lama–Mud: Coming home to where we came from’ during the International Prespa Walking Arts Encounter WAC 2025, in North-Eastern Greece.

From the time when I studied law, I remain curious about what can take us beyond the significant limitations and failures of human legal constructs and frameworks, and so the question regarding Water, Earth & Peace, too, has become its own project.

My inquiry into elemental presence is closely coupled with my research with the so-called more-than-human, which has taken me to the River Ivindo, specific trees, birds, lichen (as life which can reach an age of 4000 years and more), and Ecologies of Embodiment as research creation and radical artistic-pedagogical practice.

Follow the links below for portraits of the specific projects which have emerged from my research and the practice of walking-dancing with the Elements.

Thank you for joining me, if you like, and exploring all these interrelated questions together.