Exploring Sensomotoric Awareness in a Landscape
Conference contribution by Grete Refsum and Ingunn Rimestad at:
Aesth/Ethics in Environmental Change
Transdisciplinary workshop about the aesthetics, ethics, art, religion and ecology of the environment
The European Forum for the Study of Religion and the Environment,
Religious Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim,
Biological Station of Hiddensee, University of Greifswald,
Environmental Ethics, University of Greifswald
Hiddensee, 24-28 May 2010
Conference presentation: Presentation Being on the Beach
Abstract
every grain of sand
leaves witness of
a mountain fallen apart
Being on the Beach is a collaborative site-specific artistic research project initiated by a visual artist and a dancer/choreographer. Together with conference participants we wish to explore our sensomotoric awareness in a workshop on the nearby beach.
An oral presentation will introduce the workshop theoretically, while the experimentation on the beach will add to the individual’s personal experiential knowledge. Hopefully we will have shared discussions that may help conceptualize our experiences. The process will be documented and analyzed retrospectively.
A beach represents a border in between fluid water and firm land. Its area is unstable, oscillating between the tides. The beach receives – sediments and objects – and gives back to the sea. It is a place for cultural, labour and leisure, activities.
In this project, the beach is a site and a metaphor, standing for the current environmental condition. The Hiddensee workshop will systematically explore how our bodies relate to a landscape by all senses. The preliminary workshop structure is:
- observation of the landscape: experiencing gravity and grounding
- finding objects: relations and actions
- elaboration of the experiences gained in collaboration
- performative conclusion
The project exemplifies how art can widen our perception of nature.
End of Being on the Beach project, Hiddensee 28th May 2010
Bokbidrag / Book chapter
- Refsum, Grete and Ingunn Rimestad. 2013. Being on the Beach; Exploring Sensomotoric Awareness in a Landscape. In Aesth/Ethics in Environmental Change. Hiking through the Arts, Ecology, Religion and Ethics of the Environment (Studies in Religion and the Environment/Studien zur Religion und Umwelt, Vol. 7), edited by S. Bergmann, I. Blindow and K. Ott. Berlin-Münster-Wien-Zürich-London: LIT Verlag. (PDF)
