Open Level
29 May – 5 June 2024
Artis Umbria, Italy
Folding is the substrate of worldly engagement, a living continuum of dimension and depth. What can a f/old be? Above all, folding is a catalytic process of change. The practice of F/old – rooted in the perceptive, somatic body – opens up a sensually diverse field, free from cultural constraints. This workshop dives into the complexity of bodily fold/folding in order to release new states of embodiment.
G;emma will gently guide the group into fleshy portals to greet the unknown, deepening into folding dynamics. The concept of folding remains in a state of suspension, emerging, dissolving and forming new layers of communicative power. Through partnering with the corporeal, the environment and with mixed media (paper/fabric/debris), participants will uncover eclipsed states of being. What emerges will be a rewilding of our dormant and hidden selves. No specific movement or somatic training is necessary to join in this divine entanglement.
The merging of the terms ‘matrix’ and ‘rewilding’ is accompanied by a transformation in the awareness of the self to understand itself as part of the environment. The concept of rewilding, which is traditionally associated with restoring ecological balance, is transferred here to our ‘inner environment’ – the extracellular matrix in the fascial system. The focus is on the connection between this matrix and the (autonomic) nervous system, a simultaneous sensing from within and without. The aim of the workshop is to expand the fields of action in order to perceive ourselves as actors in an ecosystem – both human and beyond the human components – and to generate artistic actions.
Through tactile experiences, improvisation and easy-to-learn techniques such as rocking, we expand our possibilities for experience and action. Repetition and variation become a rhythmic dance that keeps our nervous system in motion and makes it easier to let go. The profound effects of this journey not only affect ourselves, but also influence the collective group dynamic.
The echo of this exploration is meant to reverberate in the world to foster a sense of lightness, creativity and artistic expression, not to mention connection with our immediate environment.
G;emma and Kerstin will interweave their teaching to engage the group in a somatic journey, one oscillating between the many expressions of folding and fascia.
