One-on-one performance, March 14th & 15th 2020, 12:00-16:00, Helsinki’s Winter Garden. A version of this performance is available upon request. If you’re interested, write an email to mariadaniela.pascual@gmail.com.
There is nothing old under the sun is an invitation to play together: what if we allow a plant to be our guide? And what does it mean to get closer to someone, to another being or a space?
Inspired by Tarot as a speculative practice, this performance consists of thirty-minute long one-on-one card-reading sessions. We created our deck based on twelve plants from Helsinki’s Winter Garden, and we researched each of these plants. With the information we gathered, we designed two card spreads for participants to choose from: the first addresses a question of their choice while the second focuses on their presence in the Winter Garden. None of the spreads deal with fortune-telling; instead, they create a space to play, think, and making connections. The experience involves several senses and brings attention to symbols, pleasure, and bodily awareness.
After the readings, we invite the audience to keep exploring the garden in the company of a zine. Inside, they can find the cards, photographs of the plants to spot them in the garden, and scores to engage with all of them. The zine is a gift for the participants, and a digital copy is available here. We chose not to have live documentation of the piece, so the publication and some photographs will help you imagine it.
There is nothing old under the sun was my artistic thesis project for the MA in Live Art and Performance Studies at Uniarts Helsinki. Working group: Mercedes Balarezo Fernández, Georgina Goater, Riku-Pekka Kellokoski, Daniela Pascual Esparza, Anni Pellikka, Carlos Puentes Ramiro. Supervisors: Maija Hirvanen and Amador Fernández-Savater. Examiners: Tuija Kokkonen and Satu Herrala. The written thesis is available here.
RESEARCH UPDATE: I revisited There is nothing old under the sun during the autumn of 2021, thanks to the support of The Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike). During this period, I returned to the garden after a forced absence due to Covid-19. The twelve plants from the card-deck are still there; some have grown, others shrunk, and two have changed locations. Alone, without my working group, I decided to retrace our steps. I walked, slept, ate, read, observed, danced, studied, and drew. I mapped plants, people and activities. A month later, I started hosting card readings again, meeting 10 participants altogether. These readings lasted 2h00-2h30 instead of 30 minutes. They were the occasion to integrate what I’ve learned (and forgotten) about plant life and adjust the structure of the piece, for this work is transforming. Indeed, I returned to Latin America in December 2021, where I observed and studied four plants from the deck in an unprecedented way. It was the first time I saw them bloom or bear fruit. Each plant has become a window to the world, a guardian and companion travelling with me, whether in Helsinki’s Winter Garden or far away from Finland. Both the plants and the deck support me in mapping new or familiar environments; they have integrated my working methodology as tools for weaving and orienting myself even when I’m not working on There is nothing old under the sun. And so, as I shift my focus towards magic and biodiversity in a different artistic framework, the Winter Garden, rather than the focus of my research, is where I digest my findings.
jjjjjjjj
hola
Performances individuales, 14 y 15 de marzo del 2020, 12:00-16:00, Jardín de Invierno de Helsinki. Una versión de esta pieza está disponible bajo pedido. Si te interesa, escribe un correo a mariadaniela.pascual@gmail.com.
Llevaba un sol adentro nos invita a jugar y a dejarnos llevar: ¿qué pasa si permitimos que una planta nos guíe? ¿Qué significa acercarse a alguien, a un espacio, o a otro ser vivo?
Inspirándonos en el Tarot como práctica especulativa, planteamos estas lecturas, cortitas, de treinta minutos, como un ejercicio de observación e imaginación. Las cartas de nuestra baraja evocan doce plantas del Jardín de Invierno de Helsinki. Investigamos cada una de ellas y diseñamos dos tiradas de cartas. La primera se adentra en una pregunta de interés para el consultante, mientras que la segunda se enfoca en su presencia en el jardín, en cómo encontrarse con él. Las tiradas poco tienen que ver con adivinar o predecir el futuro: más bien, buscan habilitar un espacio para jugar, hilar y pensar en compañía. Los encuentros involucran varios símbolos y sentidos, celebrando el goce y la conciencia corporal.
Después de las lecturas, cada participante puede seguir explorando el jardín con un fanzine que incluye la baraja, fotos de las plantas para identificarlas y algunas sugerencias para acercarse a ellas. Es un regalo y puedes encontrarlo aquí. Decidimos no tomar fotos ni vídeos de la performance, así que dejaremos que el fanzine y otras imágenes guíen tu imaginación.
Llevaba un sol adentro fue mi trabajo final para la maestría en Artes Vivas y Estudios de Performance de Uniarts Helsinki. Equipo de trabajo: Mercedes Balarezo Fernández, Georgina Goater, Riku-Pekka Kellokoski, Daniela Pascual Esparza, Anni Pellikka, Carlos Puentes Ramiro. Supervisores: Maija Hirvanen y Amador Fernández-Savater. Examinadoras: Tuija Kokkonen y Satu Herrala. La contraparte escrita está disponible aquí.
We
Daniela Pascual 