Spirit of Water, collage, 2020
Image ID: a collage of a snowy mountain landscape with a body of clear blue water on the lower right. Hovering above the water is a large diamond. above the diamond hovers a cluster of pointy, wavy plant leaves.
Research
TRAVEL + EQUIPMENT
Support travel to bodies of ancestral waters in Scandinavia where I will focus on communing with several bodies of water through performative actions, dreams (interpreted through video), intuitive listening, the creation of mythical stories, and water gathering (documented through video and photography). In a time when the rift between western culture and the natural world has reached an immense chasm, it is my desire to begin to repair the spiritual and emotional connection with the waters of the earth. This research is followed by an artists residency in Finland (see below). This work will unfold in community events where I invite others to connect more deeply with water.
The main places of travel research are: Stora Sjofallets Muorkke National Park in northern Sweden and lake Akkajaure—one of the largest reservoirs in Sweden that lies at the headwaters of the Lule River; Lake Inari in Finland; and lake Vänern—the largest lake in Sweden. Through intuitive interactions I will gently draw the stories from the water—or seek the spirit of the water itself—through deep listening and performative actions, later to be woven into video work and guided meditations with water samples in my installations.
Funding will also support purchases of sound, video, and related equipment.
Spirit of Water, still from film collaboration (Star Traveler) with Brittany Gravely + Ken Linehan, 2015
Image ID: a vague image of a light skinned woman wearing a pale blue tunic encrusted with crystals is obscured by a cluster of crystals overlaying the image
reflect
After this period of travel, dream research, and video footage gathering I will spend a month at the Arteles Artist Residency in Finland to develop my research into final project form: a culmination of guided meditations, video, photography, interactive installations, and online and in person collaborative community experiences and events.
Dream Circle (Water), digital collage for interactive performance, 2013
Image ID: a blue close up of water rippling with the image of a light blue circle over the top
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The Water Keepers’ Library consists of a mixture of interactive performance, digital images, and envisioned mythical stories expressed through interactive installations where I guide metaphysical group communication experiences focused on exploring the consciousness of water and deepening or repairing the emotional and spiritual connection between humans and the waters of the earth. The Water Library currently contains over fifty samples of waters gathered with sacred gratitude by people around the world and was developed alongside a mythical story I envisioned of the origins of water in the universe. The vision for continued work includes; interactive website development in order to gather water connection experiences from people from around the world, creating a mobile sacred water library space, and developing collaborations with other organizations and individuals doing work with water.