ABSTRACT

AbunDance of Nature: Blurring the lines between body and environment

An autoethnographic PaR project investigating the connection one has to their environment, and the value and influence of devising choreography amongst nature on creativity and choreographic inventiveness

Íris Ásmundardóttir

@00634886

MA Dance: Performance and Professional Practices

Practice-as-Research Project/Dissertation

MM-W500-M0005-52592-22

Supervisor: Deborah Milner

06. 09. 2022

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This project is an autoethnographic practice as research dissertation project. The general definition of autoethnography is ‘an approach to research that puts the self at the center of cultural analysis’ (Roulston, 2018). My approach to the methodis analytical, self-reflective and interpretive, as I have researched relevant practitioners’ practices, and pre-existingresearch to produce a dance film.

As societal evolution progresses, with its inclusion of technological advancements, and rapid urbanisation, humans‘ detachment from nature is becoming greater and greater (Berman, et al, 2019). Research gathered by Richard Louv (2019) suggests that current declines in human contact with nature is resulting in greater emotional and physical illnesses, lessened use of the senses, and diminished attention span. This detachment is even being referred to as ‘nature-deficit disorder’ (Louv, 2019), and people who suffer from mental and physical conditions are even being prescribed nature therapy as a method of healing. Japan has been at the forefront of this with a method called Shinrinyoku, or ‘forest bathing’ in English, where the aim is to involve all of the five senses while spending time in nature. Research around this unconventional approach to healing proved that the act of ‘forest bathing’ increased the Natural Killer lymphocytes in the blood and reduced the adrenaline levels in the body (Li, 2009). Therefore, immersing oneself in nature is seen as an act of stress reduction, and is one of the reasons why e.g. workplaces are creating greener environments for their employees in this era of workload burnout conditions (Barton, 2019).

This project has looked at the idea of nature-deficit disorder from an artistic point of view. Research gathered from a Danish study, demonstrated how nature had a positive influence on various creative elements amongst a group of artists from various fields within the arts. The idea of creating when in an environment where you are relying on your instinct rather than logical thinking was prominent and came to have a great influence on the practical side of this project. Moreover, looking at practitioners Andrea Olsen and Suprapto Suryodarmo, who both work with the idea of devising movement from the connection to one’s environment, created the through-line of this project, as their research coincided as they articulated how ‘in order to be in touch with your environment, you first need to be in touch with yourself’. This idea shaped the creative process for the film, as practices relating to the idea of connection to yourself and your environment, like Qi Gong, meditation practice, Amerta movement, and open water swimming, had a great influence on the movement composition. By using the practices mentioned earlier, as well as sensations experienced outdoors, the aim was to bring the creative benefits of nature into the studio and translate the ideas into movement. Furthermore, bringing the movement back outside to the source to access the natural movement and performance qualities embedded in nature, and the flux within each moment in the space you are in each time was an integral part of the research and creative process. As an autoethographic project, the process and the incorporation of new research into practice was documented through reflective writing, poetry, and finally a dance film.

The film includes seven dancers who participated in the creative and research process. It is the final product of this projects and draws together the research, and embeds some of the principles in the choreography, editing process and filming. Due to time and availability the dancers only spent a week together embodying, learning, and creating, but in order to gain maximum effect from the research, it would have proved beneficial to include the dancers earlier and immerse them greater into the practice and the principles found in this project.