Symposium Program

Future Remains

In my talk I will share stories from a few encounters while on field trips or walking in nature close to my home. Many of whom have shaped my practice, developed further in conversation with friends and colleagues and led to several artworks which I will also talk about. 

In my work I have been looking for ways to visualize the relationship between natural and cultural heritage, often through a process of heritagization. I am interested in the phases of transformation and the afterlives of things, when elements of nature become something else through intended acts or chance encounters. 

In my talk I will share stories from two places in particular who have influenced my practice in meaningful ways. The first place is the southernmost point of Iceland, Surtsey island (erupt. ‘63 –’67), one of the youngest islands on earth and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The latter is a small beach that is partially a submerged peatbed and keeps the remains of a 6.000 year old birch forest that is only visible during a high tide. The beach, or more precisely a single branch from the old forest floor, plays a big part in my exhibition in Atelier Nord.  

Key words: wonder, extraction, transformations, afterlives of things 

BIO

Soft (Moving) Skills: Acknowledging and Naming Soft Skills in Dance Practice 

The presentation offers a reflection on the relationship between dance and soft skills as transversal competences that permeate the way we engage in creative processes, relationships and our professional roles. Soft skills are patterns of thought, behaviour and communication: transversal and nourishing dimensions to be cultivated from both an individual and collective perspective.

Through attention to the body and reflective exercises, the conversation opens up a vast topic: dance practices often involve implicit and embodied knowledge that cannot always be immediately translated into words. This knowledge can offer valuable guidance not only for those working in the performing arts, but also for other professional and research fields where engagement with complexity, uncertainty, and difference as resources becomes central.

The format is designed as a threshold : an introductory moment that offers ideas and guidelines for further work. 

The session is informed by the research developed in the EU projects Empowering Dance 1 and 2. 

There will also be a three-hour workshop after the keynote presentation, in which physical and reflective practices will be explored in depth with a small group of participants. 

BIO