A series of artistic tasks and exercises that I have collected and designed have the goal of redirecting attention to bodily intelligence in order to establish emotional balance. Awakening awareness related to our senses opens up the possibility of communication with the living world around us. Activating the body and awakening the senses is the key to removing the feeling of separation from nature.
As a theoretical background in developing art workshops in forests with clay, I was using Edward O. Wilson, Biophilia Hypothesis, which suggests that the human bond with other living beings and the world around them is crucial in order of achieving physical and mental stability. The Biophilia Hypothesis points to an evolutionary connection with nature that is not purely biological but is related to psychology and identity.
The other theory present is Stephen W. Porges, Polyvagal-Theory. This theory is related to neuroscience and explains in a very simple way, the mind-body connection. It looks at the nervous system as an inner-surveillance system that keeps us alive and out of trouble. Our emotions and habits are very much connected to this body’s intelligence. Creating healthy mind-body communication is fundamental to maintaining emotional balance. Body awareness and awareness of our environment through the senses are key to establishing a feeling of belonging and inner peace.
The main aspect of art exercises and assignments in the forest with clay is reclaiming attention. To be able to shift the focus of attention from one thing you have to point it out to another. Exercises presented mostly shift the focus of attention inwards toward the physical experience of emotions, as well as awareness of the physical living world around us. Activating senses play a crucial role in stress reduction and trauma healing. Clay as a very tactile art material has the potential for activation of the senses. We have a deep archetypical connection to this very accessible material. Its plasticity and skin-like texture make a direct connection with our body awareness. The process of creation, fragility, and repair which we face working with clay, can be metaphorically compared with processes happening in our lives.
Exercises and assignments presented are located in an outdoor environment, if possible, in the forest. Being in the outdoor environment automatically activates the senses. Through the creative process in the outdoor environment, we shift anthropocentric perspectives and reconnect with the living environment. Using materials found outdoors, the creative process becomes means of communication with the living environment. Art assignments and exercises in the forest with clay are divided in five groups:
- Attention exercises
- Senses awakening exercises
- Body activation exercises
- Connection exercises
- Introspection, empowerment, and release exercises
There are two kinds of attention exercises, ones that shift the focus of the attention to the living environment and the others that shift attention inwards towards ourselves.
For example, this exercise is related to colors. It can be played with a color palette; one has to go through the forest and try to find as many colors as possible and match them to the shades of colors in the color palette. Another approach is to collect colors in the forest and create your own color pallet or color spectrum.
An example of an exercise where attention is shifted inwards is for example one when creating a sculpture of the heart with closed eyes.
One has to close eyes and focus on its heart and breading process. After that without opening its eyes, one should create a sculpture of its heart.
Exercise going through the forest with closed eyes has the goal of awakening the senses. This exercise opens up a completely different tactile experience of a forest. Seeing is a very dominant sense in our life, if we disable it, we give power to other senses in this case sense of touch. Experiencing a forest with closed eyes enriches our notion of different textures, but as well gives us an experience of being completely lost and losing control, which can be very beneficial.
Many of us lost our connection with the body and use it without awareness. When body movements are free and creative our life becomes the same way enriched. Physical activity directly influences the work of hormones in our brain and body. That’s why I added exercises for body activation, usually at the beginning of the art workshop.
Many of us developed social anxiety. Contact with another person is not always easy to achieve, but through direct physical contact with another person, we develop trust and self-confidence. That’s why I added connection exercises to this art workshop.
