Report from 1st Nordic & International Symposium of Spiritual Technologies within Creative Practices. Invisibledrum Art Platform 4th-6th February 2020

We are so thankful and overwhelmed by the first gathering of Invisibledrum. The threads are thrown for the tapestry to be weaved next, to work together towards planetary healing and interspecies growth. It has felt like a given birth ceremony. We thank Rosendal Teater deeply for support and trust to help us to make it happen, special thanks to Lorents Christian and his tech knowledge, patience and kind support. We are grateful and special thanks so much to everyone who came and took part in it, all participants for the magical work and research sharing all hearted in values for the change to occur. Also a special thanks to Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere (Pleasant Island) for acknowledging where the pain of the planet is located. Maiken Hauksdatter for the awesome photographs. And finally, we thank the Spirits so much for guiding us and making this happen.

RESUME

Photo: Maiken Hauksdatter

We started the symposium with a creative circle, this format allowed us to light another aspect of how we related to our own family roots and personal stories, in this way we bring other group dynamics getting away from the more formalistic productive/professional institution format. We had a group opening ceremony of the space calling to the spirits.

The first day we had powerful presentations and discussions around Invisible places, what are they and what tools can be applied for planetary healing and community growth? How can the projects presented in this program support each other and exchange methods and strategies for development? We talked about the human understanding of love, Is it love when we are not free of fear? Conscious listening to what love is.  Also, we touched upon how artistic expression is threatened to be vulnerable to narcissistic dynamics in capitalistic societies.

The Evening session of participatory performance Interconnectivities was transformative powerful; true alchemy of the soul. 

Photo: Maiken Hauksdatter

On the second day of the symposium, we started in the morning with a woodcraft workshop by Ibrahima Seydi. There was an intimate space to learn from this beautiful tradition. A reminder of the origin of crafts creation for functions relating to ritual and shamanism. 

The afternoon session Technologies of the magical brought dynamic and very diverse practices together. We started with a powerful statement by Veronica Mota, her lecture-performance Karuma. Shamanic Ritual & Reding. Reflections on Capitalism, Technology and Alchemical Processes of Resistance within hegemonic and heteronormative societies, was a call to work in unity and togetherness to resist through the alchemical processes of the soul. Some of the presentations exposed the power structure between humans and the environment, the complex system and mathematics in the invisible and how to enhance it from the artistic practice. how the digital and the technological are integrated into the artistic research for the in-between and the invisible to manifest. Scientific terms as entropy and mathematics need to be combined with tools for evoking speculative methodologies, randomness, imagination, and creativity. 

The evening one to one performance and film screening open up and explore the in-between subjects, stories and personal narratives within the media and digital formats.

Photo: Maiken Hauksdatter

On the last day of the symposium, we started the day with an artist talk by  Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere of their work Pleasant Island, a theatre play about how capitalism methods of mining destroy ecosystems, the soul of humans, other species and Land. We continue with presentations around the theater and indigenous storytelling, shamanic and folk traditions, practices and relationships with ritual work, ceremonial formats, animistic languages, and somatic forms of communication. From the presentation we had discussions around the importance of the formalistic approach to express and transfer artistic and academic research, how we are struggling with form and language and the urge to unlearned academic and dichotomic habits, to work towards formats that encompass embodied knowledge and relate to the world from resonances. The last research presented at the symposium was Sacrum Libellum by Jessie Jack Ullevålseter , the presentation moved us to reflect on the importance of reclaiming the sacred as these places are clearly exposing how the state has exercised power upon people, species, bodies, and Mother Earth. 

The evening session on the last days was concluding the Symposium with a series of ritual performances, triggering in us the powerful interrelation to matter, space, sound a movement. An Earthed Earthling by Marita Isobel Solberg concluded the event embracing us by animistic gestures and lullabies for re-connecting to Earth.

Photo: Maiken Hauksdatter

on Friday the 7th the finissage was a Sweat lodge Ritual by lovely sauna master Daina Zalāne, a life-changing experience and practice that represents knowledge about the healing nature of plants and herbs, working with the elements of fire, water, and air, exploring ancient traditions of spoken and sung words, melodies and rhythms.

CONCLUSION/ DISCUSSION:

During the symposium and in the meeting on the 7th of February, we discussed how to think of a new way to integrate spiritual and soul healing work into the arts. We talked about how we can continue to create new streams within the arts, and bring into sight practices and artists working with these methodologies today. Also how we should or should not place our work within the academic institutions. An aim was to bring knowledgeable people together in a healthy and respectful way for the exchange of tools and formats within the arts and from traditional wisdom. But also to look at how we discuss animistic gestures and how we implement them into our artistic practices, in a way where we can learn more from our environment, nature and the invisible. Throughout many talks, performances, and presentations the focus was on how we can heal and unblock the energetic vortexes in our bodies and minds to reclaim the sacred places and protect Mother Earth. To be connected with the Earth and ecosystems to feel our place in the world from immanence and an animistic spiritual experience.

It was also discussed to focus next gatherings towards a more bodily and soul healing work, in the forms of a workshop based program throughout the whole day. It is important to balance the information and intellectual research with haptic and somatic experiences, so there is time to integrate what we learn from each other. A strong wish was also to work more outside for the next gathering, to be more in connection with nature, plant medicine, the elements, and the natural world. We also feel it will be good to have a stronger focus on sound healing and music-oriented events.

Topics: Invisible Places, Interconnectivities, Technologies of the magical, Technopaganism, Technoanimism, Technoshamanism, spiritual technologies, Encounter with virtualities, Paganism / Ritual & Folklore in performance art and theater, Immanence. 

Participants: Nancy Mauro-Flude, Vero Mota, Marita Isobel Solberg, Daina Zalāne, Noriko Okaku, Jaime De Los Rios, Ibrahima Seydi, Susanne M. Winterling, Darina Alster, Marketa Dolejšová, Johana Ciro, Gabriel Santamarina, Monika Alleweldt, Fabiane Morais Borges , Hannah Mjolsnes, Lise Hovikk, Amanda Fayant, Inkari Tawa Inkari, Jessie Jack Ullevålseter, Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere, Amalia Fonfara, Nazare Soares.

LINK TO FULL PROGRAM: