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Photography Jordan Rose Jurich-Weston

 

Performers: 

                   Maria dawn

                   Amy Munz

                   Hannah Beck

                   Aaron Freedman

                   Nathalie Brilliant

Director & concept Nathalie Brilliant

Associate Director: Tayeb Alfahez

Producer: Al’Myra Communications

costume design Nathalie Brilliant

Thank you

Hanna Regev 

inSPACE Curatorial 

www.almyracommunications.com

 

 

Concept:

The movement depicted in the video begins with the body as a site that embodies the meaning of home. The body is central to the idea of home. It is the space that we as humans experience the world, think and feel. Moving outwardly from this main principle, that the body is an initial site of home, or settling, as the video progresses the movement from one body to more bodies can symbolize varying ideas – the formation of a community, of kinships, of a family, etc. The flash of forward progression to backward progression in the video suggests a memory of sorts – a flashing backwards of the mind and a quick flashing forwards of the mind and how the present can simultaneously contain many moments both containing the past, the present and future and flash between them instantaneously. The video presents the psychology of feeling at home with oneself, extending outwardly to external communities and even metaphorically symbolizing internal communities as well such as the formation of memory in that neurons are bonded together and synapses are forming.

The movement depicted in the video was created on the day of the shoot and from a close connection between the performers. The performers had worked together for over a year in a movement principle called a "moving meditation." A moving meditation can last up to 6 hours, and begins with a guided meditation, connecting the mind with the breath. From here, thoughts may arise, but to simply observe the thoughts, rather than get entwined or caught in them. By quieting the mind, it is easier to observe what comes up as research, or a study about oneself. From here, movement is guided by how weight shifts in the body. If standing weight may move into the right hip which may direct the right arm to fall towards the earth. As this happens, the body may follow. It is about moving with the weight shift of the body so that movement is not guided by thought but by sense and feeling. From here, the body may find a position that "feels" good -- maybe it feels as though the body is being stretched in a helpful way. To then pause in these areas that feel good, and then continue to move. The performers continue moving in this manner, and may meet with another performer while moving in this way. When the bodies meet, they employ a push/push force or a push/receive force. The push/push force dynamic entails bodies pushing against each other to create contact and support. The push/receive force dynamic entails bodies pushing against each other while one person pushes with the force, the other person may not push back, and rather recede into the push force. These force dynamics of push/push and push/receive allow the performers to move energy through their body as a way of releasing energy stored within them. The push is similar to a form of resistance. Thus, it helps energy to be released in a healthy and mindful manner. The movement would last up to 6 hours, but even doing this just for 10 minutes, has an affect on the mind and body. In essence this movement is a kind of psychological release to enable healing and recovery. By watching the body and thoughts through this movement and experience information arises about oneself, thoughts and body.

 

"When this work was created, I was unaware of specific healing modalities such as somatic experiencing and somatic psychology. After doing more research and training in these healing modalities I am now aware that these ways of moving with our bodies were tapping into somatic healing approaches and theories. With more knowledge rooted in somatic psychology, these performances will soon be recreated in the setting of nature focusing more heavily on somatic practices, yoga and meditation. Stay tuned for upcoming work. " 

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