emerge

“Shedding superficial layers that shield her from the cold, Janvier resigns to a snowy wood bisected by a dark creek. Her rigidity thaws into a fluid ritual, bathing in the icy air insulated only by her underthings and her resolve. In a vulnerable moment, this human finds primal solidarity with water (in all its states) as a generator of life. Though the work feels technically primitive, the narrative Janvier gently weaves is direct and honest.” (review: Sarah Jo Kirsch-The Uniter)

E|Merge is the name of the residency I attended at Earthdance, MA. While I was there, most of my work time was spent outdoors either in collaboration with others or alone in the woods. I came across this spot along the creek which a friend had named the womb centre. In a space of healing my own wounds, I sat down and was thinking of transformation of the snow to water, especially as we held a New Moon gathering where we melted snow, carried it to a tiny cabin in the woods, whispered our thoughts/prayers/wishes to the water before meditating in silence. As women we are influenced by the waters in and around us with our cycles. The blanket as remembrance to those who have gone before us and a reminder to keep our circles strong. 

*after previewing the video at the end of the residency, I shared a story of a burn I experienced on my lower stomach and how I wished I could meditate the scars to magically disappear. Just like how I wished the snow we melted and whispered to (which turned brown) would magically be clear after we meditated together. From there I place the vessel of water on my stomach where I did a dance with it with musicians improvising live music. 

Screened at the following festivals:
Asinabka Festival (Ottawa)- August 2018
Skylines Dance and Film Festival (Winnipeg)- August 2018
Mile Zero’s Reeling (Edmonton)- September 2018
WNDX Festival of Moving Images (Winnipeg)- September 2018
VideoSkin Contemporary Dance Video Works (Yukon)- November 2018