SEED | in protection of mother earth

SEED | in protection of mother earth

SEED | in protection of mother earth
VIDEO INSTALLATION 00:18:40
at THE ECOZOIC ERA | PLANT, SEED, SOIL
A group exhibition at the  New Mexico State Capitol, Santa Fe
APRIL-AUGUST 2016
This film is a collaborative effort driven by Rulan Tangen of Dancing Earth, an internationally acclaimed indigenous dance company, and a multi-disciplined artist and activist, Marion Claire Wasserman. Rulan Tangen was given the opportunity to inform her creative process via the Grand Canyon Trust, and their group of native wisdom holders and activists. Last fall, there was a meeting and private council at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico with Tangen, Dancing Earth and the emissaries sent by the Grand Canyon Trust to speak about the world – modern reality and traditions. Their intention was to get to the heart of what messages need to be communicated at this time though dance and creative action. The recordings from this meeting became the basis of the soundtracks in this work; bringing these ideas and conversations as a ‘seed’ for both the choreography and the message of the work; hopefully seeding the audience to feel motivated to protect the earth. Additionally, in the face of climate change, Tangen selected  the Indigenous Women’s council proclamation at the Climate Change Summit, Paris 2015, as a basis for a new dance piece and audio track. We ask you to take a stand with us against resource extraction, fracking, fossil fuels, nuclear energy and weapons, and genetic engineering of our food. We ask that you stand for women’s rights, indigenous people’s rights and the rights of mother earth.

Shot with a drone at Ghost Ranch, the magical land speaks for herself. The multilayered red earth, expansive views, epic rock formations and the veins of the arroyos show the earth filled with rampant, vital, beauty. The dancers become mythical beings in this landscape bridging time, allowing the ancestors to speak through them.

It is with great gratitude to the Grand Canyon Trust and their emissaries representing multiple cultures and tribes and their willingness to lend their hearts and their voices that Dancing Earth, Tangen and Wasserman have been able to bring this work to life.