Encountering trees, forest and powers of nature through participatory art

Kuvaus

Powers of Nature participatory art workshop was a collaboration between human participants (a druid, two artist-researchers and a dance artist) and trees in a forest. The series of workshops aimed to open a dialogue between human, non-human and nature spirits through various spiritual and bodily exercises and torevitalize Northern nature relation. In this presentation I focus on experimented practice with trees in which participants were guided into a dialogue with trees and widened their understanding of trees. The approach was derived from a need to release stress caused by modern life and environmental conflicts and to increase eco-awareness and appreciation of trees. The research aims were to develop arts-based methods for enhancing nature connectedness. The study was based on research in participatory art, dialogical aesthetics, transformative education and Arctic arts. Research was practice led with spiritual and artistic knowledge and followed principles of arts-based research enriched by documentary photographs and participants’ reflections collected in written form after the field work. Participants reported positive impacts on sense of well-being as well as transformation in comprehension of post-humanistic community. Expanding dialogue and sense of community into non-human nature and powers of nature is beneficial in arts for well-being. The result is meaninful in Arctic in where the nature is essential element of culture and environmental conflicts shadow communities.

Aikajakso	16 kesäk. 2021
Tapahtuman otsikko	International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences X
Tapahtuman tyyppi	Konferenssi
Sijainti	Arkangel, VenäjäNäytä kartalla
Vaikuttavuus / laajuus	Kansainvälinen