Kompost & Kollektiv — Vom Nichtwissen und Lauschen (on not knowing and listening)
2nd dialogue-based format with a workshop component on ‘invisible choreographies’ in the world beneath our feet
* image from the lecutre and script-snippets *
content and programme of the afternoon workshops, 13 – 17 h
This second dialogue format was conceived by me, in consultation with Gisa Frank and Katharina Vogel from the collective, as a workshop and experiment, in which I incorporated information on data and facts relating to life in the soil in the form of a lecture.
I saw this as both an opportunity and a chance to observe the dance-artists within this framework, how factual information was absorbed individually and how each person dealt with it, and how we could together become aware of the situation as a whole and anticipate what might emerge from it collectively. I had devised a specific scenario.
To mark the opening of the ‘soil field’, I laid out visual material depicting life in the soil on the floor of the Tanzhaus’s main hall, along with items relating to the work of soil scientists – such as pipettes, test tubes and Petri dishes – as well as a soil microphone and various plant and woody materials. The collective members were asked to bring along an object they associated with compost and soil. Everyone shared a few words about their object contribution, and I provided some introductory information as well as reflective thoughts on the world of soil beneath our feet.
Afterwards, we went outside and walked in silence on a short circular route around the Tanzhaus: What can I hear, what do I see and observe, what does it smell like, what do I feel on my skin and elsewhere? Back inside, a landscape of focused movement emerged: a glossary of memories and observations was recorded in writing on sheets of packing paper that had been taped down. There was interaction, and in some cases the materials laid out were also incorporated. A spatial reality emerged in which everyone, according to their respective states of mind – whether actively or passively observing – took time to react and improvise. How might we approach the world of soil organisms, living beings that are different from us and yet also part of this world? How can one’s own inner state and perception of space be translated into movement and presence? It takes time for the subconscious levels that may connect human bodies to these organisms to be addressed.
Next, some input: a crash course through soil structure, using maps that categorise soil organisms into microorganisms (bacteria, protists, protozoa, microfungi …), microfauna (nematodes, tardigrades …), mesofauna (mites, springtails, isopods, springtails …) and into macrofauna (woodlice, earthworms …). More questions: What could soil life possibly have in common with our bodies, given that we are all embedded in co-evolutionary processes and entangled in mutual interdependencies? What relationship exists between our physical existence and the environment, in light of the realisation that the human species has become a geophysical planetary force and is acting in an invasive yet innovative manner?
the public resonance space in the evening 18–19:30 h
Für den öffentlichen Resonanzraume mit interessiertem Publikum am Abend – es kamen viele — hatten wir eine Struktur ausgearbeitet, die das Publikum miteinbezog. Als Türöffner in den Abend nahm je ein Kollektiv-Mitglied jeweils eine kleine Gruppe auf einen Rundgang. In einer je persönliche Einführung, sei es anhand des ausgelegten Materials oder vor den beschriebenen Packpapierbögen mit ihren Notizen, erzählten sie, was sie am Nachmittag erlebt und was sie an Daten und Fakten zu den Bordenorganismen aufgenommen hatten – sozusagen den Nachmittag nochmals Revue passieren lassen.
Ich gaben nochmals einen etwas anders gewichteten konzentrierten Input zum Bodenleben: z.B. ein Video, das extrem verlangsamt eine Springschwanz zeigt, der sich akrobatisch in die Luft katapultiert, und ich ging noch spezifischer auf das Bärtierchen mit seinen extremen Überlebensstrategien ein. Ebenfalls vom Kollektiv wurde eine offenbe Improvisation mit allen Beteiligten des Abends vorgeschlagen. Abgemacht wurde, dass ich hierfür zur Stimulation der Improvisation Begriffe und Textfragmente aus meinem Text-Skript in den Raum warf: Wir tasten uns heran ... Subtile Beziehungen mit Anderen ... Multiple Körper ... Hineinhören ... Nur Längsmuskulatur haben ... Riechend und grabend ... Tiefgräber sein ... die Wege kreuzen sich ...
conclusion
What moved me, and which, in all its layers and nuances, holds great value for me and could serve as a guide in my artistic mediation work on the environment and soil life:
The way interest was evident in everyone’s attentive presence, both in the afternoon and in the evening. I saw potential for how thematic and otherworldly subjects could be approached in an experimental, educational way. Watching and experiencing how everyone, in whatever way they found most natural, became deeply immersed in the movement was a unique experience. Looking back, I saw the whole event – both in the afternoon and in the evening – more as an interactive performance involving the collective and the audience.