“The Matrix of our Human Identity” is a project that aspires to contribute to the study of diversity and inclusion.
How to capture from a visual perspective the matrix of our identity? If we created a timeline on a white wall, no dates, some selected texts and images that we consider to be iconic, ordered in a chronology, and ask you to add your own chronology of factors that brought you where you are and further... through drawings, writings or your own iconic images: what would we see? Would we get out of a limited view of some "parts"? Would we enter in a space of inclusiveness, curiosity, compassion and courage?... Would we see the true Human matrix? Would we become the whole? Would you see what you love and love it?
The intention is to simultaneously sense the history of humanity as a whole, by including all individual's history, and to sense humanity's aspiration as a whole, by including all individual's aspirations. It seems relevant to include everyone's body and voice in the history of humanity and everyone's body and voice in the aspiration of humanity. The assumption is that only then, we can have enough ground to sense what is needed with unconditional confidence.
Original project completed in 2015 and presented at Crescent Moon Project, NYC.
“The Matrix of our Human Identity”, virtual experiment with SPT, modified field dances, Dharma Art, archetypes, scribing, journaling.
With a modified field dance, a group of standers first simultaneously bring with their bodies the imprint of their embodied individual history, on a timeline. They are instructed to feel past, present and future as one. When their body finds its place and shape in the timeline, each stander say a word or a sentence from their spot, out of their shape. The sitters/observers actively listen in silence. Follows a time for sharing the individual experiences as sitters and standers. Switch standers/sitters and this time standers will be asked to simultaneously bring their individual aspirations, what they would like to offer to the world. Again past, present and future are instructed to be felt as one. When their body find its place and shape on the timeline, they say a word or a sentence out of their shape. Sitters/Observers actively listens in silence. Reiterations with embodied writing, drawing and singing follow as well as a time for sharing. Time for journaling. There is a difficulty and maybe a sense of loss for some sitters/observers to not to be able to capture the small details and beauty of an individual stillness/movement when the field dances happen simultaneously. However, the simultaneousity of the individual dances are important. Not the precise timing of each move. Not choreography. There is a need for spontaneity, and authenticity in this project. The simultaneous field dances are important for learning to sense the collective stillnesses and movements, and learn to sense individual contributions in the context of the whole.