Performing with Plants in the Ob-scene Anthropocene

Is there a way for the anthropocentric and anthropomorphic art form par excellence, the theatre, or performance art for that matter, to expand beyond their human and humanist bias? Is the term Anthropocene in any way useful for theatre and performance studies or performance-as-research? In the anthology Anthropocene Feminism (Grusin 2017) Rosi Braidotti proposes four theses for a posthumanist feminism: 1) feminism is not a humanism, 2) anthropos is off-center, 3) zoe is the ruling principle, 4) sexuality is a force beyond gender. These assertions can undoubtedly be put on stage, but do they have relevance for developing or understanding performance practices off-stage and off-center, such as those trying to explore alternative ways and sites of performing, like performing with plants? In this text, I examine Braidotti’s affirmative theses and explore their usefulness with regard to performance analysis, use some of my experiments in the artistic research project “Performing with plants” as examples, and consider what the implications and possible uses of these theses are for our understanding of performances with other-than-human entities, which we share our planet with

Looking at (Overlooked) Lichen: Visual Journaling as Part of Meetings with Remarkable and Unremarkable Trees

The daily practice of photographing lichen on bark developed from my interest in the bark of trees during the project Performing with Plants (2017-2019) and continued during the project Meetings with Remarkable and Unremarkable Trees (2020-2021). In this essay I return to these visual fieldnotes, compare the visual diary on Flickr with my previous journals on social media, and consider the potential of such practices for developing awareness of and a respectful relationship to other beings that we share this planet with.

Writing with a Pine: Addressing a Tree as Audience

Writing letters to trees next to the trees with a camera as witness is a practice connected to the problem of speaking for, with, or to others. Addressing the tree as an audience rather than speaking about the tree, or as the tree, or on behalf of the tree, is here explored as one way of encountering trees. This poses new problems; by treating plants as persons, rather than acknowledging the vegetal in me, do I neglect our joint participation in zoe, and disregard our trans-corporeality? Is addressing the tree in writing actually making our relationship more fictional compared to simply breathing and appearing together? - The text consists of four parts, including a prologue, the letter, a dialogue with critical references and an epilogue. Besides exploring the problem of addressing a tree, the aim is to demonstrate how artistic research can allow seemingly contradictory approaches to coexist on an experiential level.Kirjeiden kirjoittaminen puille niiden luona, kamera todistajana, kytkeytyy kysymykseen puhumisesta toisten puolesta, toisten kanssa tai toisille. Puun puhutteleminen yleisönä, sen sijaan että puhuisi puusta tai puuna tai puun puolesta, näyttäytyy tässä eräänä mahdollisuutena kohdata puu. Näin syntyy puolestaan uusia kysymyksiä: unohdanko jaetun olemassaolomme zoen piirissä ja jätän huomiotta ruumiidenvälisyytemme, kun kohtelen kasveja henkilöinä sen sijaan, että tunnistaisin kasvimaisuuden itsessäni? Verrattuna siihen, että vain hengittäisimme ja esiintyisimme yhdessä, lisääkö puun puhutteleminen kirjoittamalla tosiasiassa suhteemme kuvitteellisuutta? – Teksti koostuu neljästä osasta, sisältäen alkusanat, kirjeen, kriittisillä viitteillä täydennetyn vuoropuhelun ja jälkisanat. Pyrkimyksenä on, paitsi pohtia puun puhuttelemisen ongelmaa, näyttää miten taiteellinen tutkimus voi sallia keskenään vastakkaisilta vaikuttavien lähestymistapojen yhteisolemisen kokemuksen tasolla