Baltic Sea Art Residency at BIRCA – Bækkelund International Residency Center for Artists on Bornholm. May 2024
The Smyrna sea, ‘myrrh of the sea’. Stella maris, star of the sea protect us. Mare, white cow, little bird ….giver of life , may we all acknowledge and recognize divine spirit in you.
The Baltic sea not only cries amber but amongst the top five most polluted seas globally. Its vast dead zones, deprived of oxygen due to pollution, stand as witnesses to the devastating effects of human activity. Eutrophication, fueled by excessive phosphorus and nitrogen, fosters rapid growth of algae, suffocating marine life and leaving barren expanses in its wake. A 96% of the Baltic Sea is affected by this menacing phenomenon. The influx of nitrogen, particularly from unsustainable agricultural practices and industrial discharge, exacerbates the crisis, while domestic wastewater further pollution.
Water mourns genocides, ecocides….
The project sought to access hidden narratives within the landscape, focusing on “liquid intelligence”—the wisdom of water, cellular memory, and the process of “becoming fluidity.” My Research centered on exploring the deep connections between land, water, and the human body, using somatic research, embodiment practices, and collaborative rituals.
The project involved performative actions at key natural sites on the Island of Bornholm in Denmark, such as the Black Pot Cave and Shrine Cliffs in Bornholm. These water offerings and rituals aimed to activate ancient routes and songlines, focusing on Earth healing, balance, and peace for both deceased souls and new life. Water collected from various locations on Bornholm was unified in a closing ceremony ritual performance at BIRCA’s sacred well.
The Shrine of Shrines is a misty ancient route through rock formations and the magnificent scenery of caves network named after a holy spring known for its healing qualities, now polluted by farming activity. On the last full moon, 24.05.24, Aurelie chauleur and I synchronized an offering and activation at the Black Pot Cave, Shrine Cliffs in Bornholm, and Adraga Cave in Sintra.
We established a space for rites of passage, drawing on more-than-human wisdom to navigate chaos and survival through somatic intuition, trust, inclusion and reciprocity. During our stay, we witnessed the death of disoriented Starlings and Swallows, who had lost their sense of direction. Their spirits guided us through borderland travels. Water was collected from diverse bodies around Bornholm and united in a closing water ceremony. The sacred well linked the waters and served as a gateway for winged souls in transition. Offerings of rose, lilac, and chestnut flower baths culminated and consecrated the ritual.
Bornholm’s ancient map stones, with their patterns, reveal a connection between early farming rituals and sun worship, offering insights into the island’s spiritual and cosmological origins. The research connects these ancient farming rituals with modern agricultural human print water pollution in the Baltic Sea and land ecosystems. Inspired by spiders and sunstones, the body functioned as an astronomical tool to explore cosmic life-death-rebirth cycles, embodying natural spiral movements in waves, currents, and planetary motions. We aimed to invoke geometrical clusters and geomantic features through beeswax, clay, sand and bell sounds , understanding the interconnected cycles of cosmos, nature, and culture.
Through these collaborations, the project deepened its reflection on water as a medium for transformation, healing, and memory. The work undertaken at BIRCA laid the groundwork for understanding how contemporary art, in conjunction with reactivation of lost ancestral knowledge, can address ecological concerns, bridging the realms of nature, spirit, and creativity.
Baltic Sea residency was founded by Nordisk Kulturfond .
