The Nature in Everything

Abstract

My background is originally in puppet theatre and later in visual arts. The core of puppeteering is giving an inanimate object soul (anima) through manipulating or “animating.” The object does not have to be a puppet. It can also be a shoe, book, or even materials like soil, sand, or water. In essence, being a puppeteer is an approach to materials. It is a way of transforming and giving them new meanings and ultimately bringing them to life. In my MFA in artistic research, I have continued working with materials, increasing focus on the sensorial experience. When working with natural materials, I have been curious to explore if it is possible to bring into the performing space the same deep, sensorial experience that people sometimes have in nature. I have researched what is needed to create the conditions for the audience to connect with the nature within themselves, allowing a different approach to reality through the materials with which they are engaged. This creates a space where they can dwell in their senses and imaginations with the material. My final project, Inasand… , is an interactive participatory piece for adults, a sense-making experience of collaborative creativity activating the senses. The project becomes a space where researching, experiencing, and interpreting are brought directly to the audience, connecting the external and internal through the sand. Environmental philosophers have been studying how people interact with nature, looking in various ways at how people experience and value the natural environment. Learning ways to listen becomes increasingly important and the arts can be a powerful tool for translating the concept of nature as solely outside of ourselves. For me there is a conjunction between the animated materials and the animated Earth, and I wish to create a space where we can think like sand sensing its real logic.The sand is placed in a black-box theatre with light and soundscape. The audience is invited to engage with the material in silence, creating a state of playful waves in the mind, wandering together with pre-sensing, bringing awareness into the body. People come together and experiment with their own senses, dwelling in close contact with natural materials, allowing themselves to sense the imagination that is deeply rooted in their bodies and hopefully hearing the subtle whispers in the animated world.