Conversations From The Shore
Conversations from the Shore Conversations is an on-going interdisciplinary art project. It explores the human relationship to the ‘unknown’ in relation to migration and freedom of movement. Designed to stimulate dialogue, it invites people from all sorts of background to connect to their surroundings and unpack the image of looking at the infinite horizon from a shore. Stimulated by meditation techniques and soundscapes, participants are guided through an imaginative journey to a place beyond the horizon to then collectively uncover the motivations that push people to leave home and/or explore the unknown. The process/workshop acts as a shared collective form of enquiry and as a sparkler for new collective creative forms to emerge.
Its form retains some characteristics similar to team-building processes and focuses on the theme of migration. More broadly, It can be adapt for educational and team-building purposes in institutions, schools, organisations and corporate businesses.
Duringthe residency at Bałtycka Galeria, Luisa Spina has been developing the project Conversations from the Shore. She invited the local community to take part in 3 workshops to unpack the image of looking at the infinite horizon from a shore.
The workshops were designed to facilitate dialogue. Participants were invited to re-connect to Ustka by walking, collecting found objects, taking pictures, making observations, remembering stories and recording sound. They then took an imaginative journey to a place beyond the horizon, share their experiences and collectively uncover the past histories of Ustka to explore the motivations that push people to leave home towards the unknown. Luisa Spina further invited the participants to meet weekly and facilitated sessions to help them make artworks that reflected their experiences of imaginatively journeying to unknown places.
The documentation of the workshops, audio recordings, videos and sculptures the artist made during the residency as well as the participants’ artworks inspired by ‘Conversations from the Shore’ culminated on an exhibition held at Bałtycka Galeria on the 23rd November 2017.
On the 25thNovember 2017, ‘Conversations from the Shore’ moved to the beach for a day of activities and interactive art designed by the artist and the workshops participants.
site-specific audio-stations
Conversations From The Shore audio meditation, part of the project, takes participants from a shore to an imaginary place beyond the horizon. Sounds recorded from a specific site together with voice narrations are used to create uncanny soundscapes. Playing with the sense of place and the imaginary. Conversations from The Shore audio stations can be modified and installed accordingly to different situations and environments creating a space of wandering and questioning for a specific community.
Wider Prospects
By contextualising the project in different parts of the world, I wish to collect personal and intimate journeys of humanity in continuous movement. Photographs, writings, audio and video recordings will be used in the future to create an immersive and participative installation piece. Through this work I wish to create a common ground of understanding in order to shift perception and activate awareness towards the contemporary issue of migration from an existential point of view.
Exhibition
2017, Ustka, Poland
The exhibition was held at Baltyca Galeria in the costal town of Ustka; Luisa Spina presented her work together with the work of locals, who participated to her workshops and responded to the experience with poems, sculptures and music.
Film
collaborative video, 28 mins, Ustka, Poland,2017
The duration of the video corresponds to the duration of the meditation process. It portraits the experience of collectively journeying to a place beyond the horizon and it is a collection of video, sound and pictures taken by the artist and the participants during the workshops.