Somatic Arts and Liveable Futures: Embodying Ecological Connections

Journal Articles
Written By Raffaele Rufo

Reactivating eco-consciousness through embodied interconnectedness, this research article situates ecosomatic practices as political acts of care and resistance. By awakening bodily memory and grieving ecological loss, it opens pathways for regeneration.

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Rufo, Raffaele (2024), ‘Somatic Arts and Liveable Futures. Embodying Ecological Connections’, Lagoonscapes. Venice Journal of Environmental Humanities vol. 4(1), pp. 199-218, http://doi.org/10.30687/LGSP/2785-2709/2024/01/010.

Abstract: The article reflects on the possibility to re-activate our eco-consciousness through embodied practices of interconnectedness with nonhuman living beings and systems. Then it discusses the cultural conditions shaping the growing field of ecosomatic practices and evaluate their political implications as acts of caring, collaboration, and cultural resistance. The importance of awakening the memory of the body and grieving for anthropogenic ecological losses is foregrounded as a key passage towards regeneration.

Raffaele Rufo

Raffaele Rufo (PhD) is a dance artist, a facilitator of artistic and cultural processes, and an independent scholar committed to community and land regeneration. His artistic background is entwined with the Australian ensemble ‘Liminal Theatre and Performance’ and with the Argentine Tango dance, which he later combined with Contact Improvisation, Body Weather and somatic movement. After focusing his performance practice on Melbourne’s public urban spaces, Raffaele has explored the questions of roots and exile in Milan and Rome through the ecosomatic relation with the nonhuman and matter. His ongoing and recent creative projects include ‘Rituali di Pa(e)ssaggio’, ‘Danced by the Tree’, ‘Return of the Centaurs’, ‘Ecokinetics’ and ‘Ecosomatic Persephone’. He is co-founder of the International Forum for Eco-Embodied Arts (IFEEA) and collaborates with Teatro del Lido di Ostia as artistic director of ‘La Selva’ Residency. Raffaele holds a Phd in dance and performance from Deakin University and his research has been published in academic journals and book collections.

www.raffaelerufo.com
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