This complex natural balance is reflected in the climate system as well, which is also a network of biological, chemical and physical elements and processes. Life, in its many forms, is a means of retaining water on Earth since most bodies, from flesh to plants, from trees to humans, contain at least 50 percent water, if not often more. Thus, life as a way of retaining water on the surface of the planet makes «transpiration» possible, meaning: the evaporation of water in the atmospheric system, which is the means of regulating the earth’s temperature.
All of this evokes associations about breathing and the rhythms of the life cycle, such as the metabolism of the Earth's biosphere over the course of the year: evident is this “heartbeat of nature” in an animation derived from NASA observations. Living bodies, temperature regulation, sweating, flux, fluidity, all of this naturally indicates a primary dance of life on Earth. Hence the metaphor between the human body and the planetary system. A metaphor that is not new by itself since the human body has often been understood as a mirror of the larger environment or the cosmos throughout the ages, from ancient animistic philosophies to medieval cosmology to today.
In those correspondences between the micro and the macro levels, we again encounter the motif of “Resonance” that informs the title of the exhibition. Resonance is, as the German sociologist Harmut Rosa puts it, a movement of being “affected” by the world around us, which in turn generates “e-motion” as the capacity to respond meaningfully to our surroundings. Our dance as living beings in the world is thus always also a dance with the world.
In this conversation across fields of research, we explore permeabilities, crosspollinations, and commonalities between visual and dance/choreographic practices embedded in the atmospheric system of the earth.
Prior to the research talk, The Field invites guests on a walk through the neighborhood around the Tanzhaus Zürich. Starting at 17:30, Take Your Body For a Walk asks participants to specifically explore the nearby riverbanks of the Limmat and Sihl. Inputs will be sent via chat messages, which invite guests on a sensory adventure.
