Eco-internationalism for all? Workshop at Allied Ground, organized by Berliner Gazette!

From Berliner Gazette website’s description: «The workshops on October 5, 6, and 7 were the heart of the BG conference “Allied Grounds.” They brought together researchers, activists, and cultural workers from more than 25 countries and enabled new ways of spending quality time with each other.»

I participated in the one called Eco-Internationalism for All?

«If every economic activity has an ecological footprint, then it is obvious that we, as people who in one way or another work in a capitalist economy, have a significant share in climate production, albeit a largely unintentional and unconscious one. The ongoing restructuring of labor in the name of a green transition reproduces and even reinforces this destructive dimension of capitalism. Thus, reorganizing work as conscious and sustainable climate production based on internationalist alliances implies the following challenge: At the subjective level, issues of health (physical and mental) must be addressed in order to provide a basis for the growth of our political consciousness and agency as climate workers

Our resulting project can be seen here.

PAIN COLLECTIVELY SUNG, JOYS AND TEARS TOGETHER WE HUM / CANTAMOS EL DOLOR COLECTIVAMENTE, TARAREAMOS JUNTAS ALEGRIAS Y LAGRIMAS

On May, I guided the workshop Pain Collectively Sung, Joys and Tears together we Hum, in collaboration with Xanthoula Dakovanou, as part of Healing Exercises: Inherited and (e)merging women’s knowledges for collective learning and interspecies connections, the 2023 public program organized by the collective I belong to, Mouries.

Description of the workshop:

A vocal music therapy workshop focused on the creation of contemporary vocal rituals, based on the ancient tradition of laments, as a way of addressing every-day loss related to the different crises that we traverse (sanitary, ecological, political). 

We’ll consider our different relationships to our voices, their relation to our contexts and their gendered aspects, as departure points to share questions and experiences. The core of the workshop is a weekend dedicated to explore experiences of loss to create our own lamentations, supported by the music therapist and the group. We will do voice exercises, collective readings and discussion, drawing, writing and a closing farewell ritual. 


En mayo, guié el taller Pain Collectively Sung, Joys and Tears together we Hum, en colaboración con Xanthoula Dakovanou, como parte de Healing Exercises: Heredando y (e)fusionando saberes de mujeres para el aprendizaje colectivo y las conexiones interespecies, el programa público 2023 organizado por el colectivo al que pertenezco, Mouries.

Descripción del taller:

Un taller de musicoterapia vocal centrado en la creación de rituales vocales contemporáneos, basados en la antigua tradición de los lamentos, como forma de abordar las pérdidas cotidianas relacionadas con las diferentes crisis que atravesamos (sanitarias, ecológicas, políticas).

Consideraremos nuestras diferentes relaciones con nuestras voces, su relación con nuestros contextos y sus aspectos de género, como puntos de partida para compartir preguntas y experiencias. El núcleo del taller es un fin de semana dedicado a explorar experiencias de pérdida para crear nuestros propios lamentos, con el apoyo del musicoterapeuta y del grupo. Haremos ejercicios de voz, lecturas y debates colectivos, dibujo, escritura y un ritual de despedida final.

Virtual Sanctuary at Bienal 23 Fotografía de Porto Atos de Empatia! Santuario Virtual en la Bienal de Fotografía de Porto Atos de Empatia!

On May 18th opened the Bienal 23 Fotografía de Porto Atos de Empatia. A reduced version of my project Virtual Sanctuary for Fertilizing Mourning was included in the exhibition Ecologías Especulativas, curated by Virgilio Ferreira and Jane Dyer, sharing the Palacio de Fotografía de Porto with the artists Hyeseon Jeong, Seongmin Yuk, Ursula Biemann.


El 18 de mayo se inauguró la Bienal 23 Fotografía de Porto Atos de Empatia. Una versión reducida del proyecto Santuario Virtual Para un Duelo Fertilizante se incluyó en la exposición Ecologías Especulativas, curada por Virgilio Ferreira y Jane Dyer, compartiendo el Palacio de Fotografía de Oporto con los artistas Hyeseon Jeong, Seongmin Yuk, Ursula Biemann.

Exhibition text / Texto de la exposición:

SOBRE A EXPOSIÇÃO

Perante a rápida deterioração das condições de toda a vida na terra, Ecologias Especulativas prenuncia probabilidades de interconexão, reparação e transformação.

Partindo da redefinição do ‘eu’ humano como uma célula numa ecosfera diversa de células, tornamo-nos no ‘eu ecológico’ na natureza, enquanto parte integrada de um sistema complexo de diversas ecologias, comportamentos e inteligências. Interlaçando conhecimentos indígenas e científicos de envolvimento com o mundo, a exposição interroga relações entre humanos e não-humanos, recorrendo a tecnologias diversas na leitura de comunidades inter-espécies e dos laços que as sustentam. A artista suíça Ursula Biemann, o duo de artistas coreanos Hyeseon Jeong e Seongmin Yuk e a artista peruana Eliana Otta apresentam três provocações diferentes, embora relacionadas, sobre a nossa atualidade global e o que daí pode surgir.

Ecologias Especulativas propõe uma mudança no paradigma do poder, assumindo a responsabilidade ética e coletiva de enfrentar as urgências ecológicas e as condições de sobrevivência da vida na terra. Afirma-se assim enquanto provocação para desafiar os nossos preconceitos e medos sobre a forma como vivemos, apelando à re-visualização e regeneração do nosso mundo futuro.

SUGESTÃO DE ATIVAÇÃO

Convidamos ao foco consciente no que sentimos no momento, usando todos os sentidos. Que imagens entram no campo de consciência a partir da visão periférica? Que sons se percebem à distância? Que aromas invadem o espaço? Como reage a pele à variação de temperatura no percurso? Como navegamos entre luz e sombra? Com que corpos estabelecemos relação na visita? Como podemos transformar a nossa relação com o mundo? Concentre-se no som das luzes, no ruído ambiente da sala ao lado, na sensação da sua língua a tocar o céu da boca, na tensão nos seus ombros ou mandíbula, nos lugares frios e quentes no seu corpo, no zumbido do trânsito distante, na imagem desfocada do seu próprio corpo quando olha em frente. Use a tecnologia que tem consigo para fazer um registo expandido dos sentidos, em formato de imagem ou som.

Proposta integrada no Caderno de Ativação — dispositivo de mediação desenvolvido para a Bienal’23 Fotografia do Porto pelo coletivo ARISCA, disponível nos espaços expositivos e no Coreto do Jardim da Cordoaria.

Festival! 7 Prototypes for Eco-Social Renewal at Silent Green

The 7 Prototypes for Eco-Social Renewal supported by Driving the Human were finally unveiled at the beautiful venue Silent Green in Berlin between November 25-27. For my project Virtual Sanctuary for Fertilizing Mourning, the opportunity was ideal, since the place used to be a crematorium. I could exhibit drawings, audio pieces and video in its Kuppelhalle, creating a temporary commemorative space for the assassinated Indigenous leaders and environmental defenders whose stories can be now found at the website Luto Verde.

During the weekend, I participated in a round table with the amazing Brigitte Baptiste and Susane Pierre, with whom I also continued discussing in a moving one to one conversation. We were challenged by Vera Saccheti’s sharp questions and I also made a couple of workshops related to the project.

All pics: Camille Blake.


Los 7 Prototipos para la Renovación Eco-Social apoyados por Driving the Human finalmente se dieron a conocer en el hermoso lugar Silent Green en Berlín entre el 25 y el 27 de noviembre. Para mi proyecto Santuario Virtual de Luto Fertilizante, la oportunidad era ideal, ya que el lugar solía ser un crematorio. Pude exhibir dibujos, piezas de audio y video en su Kuppelhalle, creando un espacio conmemorativo temporal para los líderes indígenas y defensores ambientales asesinados cuyas historias ahora se pueden encontrar en el sitio web Luto Verde.

Durante el fin de semana participé en una mesa redonda con las geniales Brigitte Baptiste y Susane Pierre, con quienes también seguí discutiendo en una conmovedora conversación uno a uno. Fuimos desafiados por las preguntas agudas de Vera Saccheti y también hice un par de talleres relacionados con el proyecto.

Todas las fotos: Camille Blake.

Colaboración para Caravana de Hablarenarte

Mi colaboración para Caravana nro 2!!

Con mucha alegría respondí a la invitación de Hablarenarte para colaborar en su periódico Caravana. En este caso, compartí algunas reflexiones en torno a mi experiencia como residente de su proyecto Planta Alta, a donde fui invitada por la curadora Violeta Janeiro. Las ideas que entonces surgieron quedaron truncadas por la pandemia y entonces… puedes leer el texto completo aquí.

Unearthing memories at Pact 21

In the context of IMPACT 21, which happened in 10-14 November, Imayna Caceres, Nuno Cassola, Vasiliki Sifostratoudaki and me showed some results of our shared research Unearthing Memories, Feeding Practices for Plural Knowledges and Beings. This research was part of JUNCTIONS 21, a generous opportunity organized by PACT Zollverein.

Lost and Shared at One Minute Space, Athens

From October 22th to 31st 2021, the show I curated, Lost and shared: Approaches to collective mourning towards transformative politics could be visited at One Minute Space in Athens. Ten intense days of workshops, performances, screenings and discussions happened as part of the research for my PhD project.

«Acknowledging the simultaneous processes of loss that shape contemporary local and planetarian crises, artists, thinkers and performers address the current meaning of mourning. For it is within grieving and struggling realities that new political forces shall be created to reconnect ourselves with love, desire and transformation.»

Artists: VASKOS (Vassilis Noulas and Kostas Tzimoulis), Valinia Svoronou, Grigoria Vryttia, Maria Varela, Christina Phoebe, Sphinxes, Antigoni Bunny Tsagaropoulou, Eliana Otta

Talks, performances, workshops (COVID allowing) by: Marios Chatziprokopiou, Christina Phoebe, Fotini Gouseti, Gene Ray, Marina Miliou, Xanthoula Dakovánou, Marianne Tuckman, Theo Ilichenko, Nuno Cassola

More info and the full program can be found here.

(All the pictures by Thanassis Gatos)

Virtual Sanctuary for Fertilizing Mourning at 21 Visions for Eco Social Renewal in Radialsystem

As one of the selected projects for Driving the Human, Virtual Sanctuary for Fertilizing Mourning participated in the festival 21 Visions for Eco-social Renewal, from October 15-17 at Radialsystem in Berlin.

More info about my project here.

More info about the festival here.

(all the beautiful pictures were taking by Camille Blake)

Drawing is political! Workshop at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna

Thanks to a kind invitation by Hansel Sato, I made in October a workshop as part of the series Drawing is Political at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. We discussed about drawing and politics, reincarnation and how our future selves could communicate better among each other. The results were very gratifying and thanks to the participant’s enthusiasm and curiosity, we saw how drawing and politics have in common being tools for negotiating what is impossible…