In November of 2016, I organized a durational performance that inhabited numerous outdoor spaces
on the Occidental College campus. Inspired by Beatrix Ferrand's role in shaping the landscape there
during the 1930s, the piece examined how her influence may affect movement through campus today.
This history, paired with the current scientific knowledge of the intelligence and communication of
plants, served as the foundation for the movement score. The qualities of the various settings (different
thoroughfares, an amphitheater, an olive grove, and a fountain) shaped and reshaped the way in which
the score unfolded, often defining the amount of space in which the bodies had to move. The work was
designed to be both something that may be "happened upon" while students and faculty go about their
day, and as a formal performance that can be viewed for long periods of time and followed to its
various locations.
Performers include:
Bernard Brown
Jennie Mary Tai Liu
Carol McDowell
Cheryl Banks-Smith
Devika Wickremesinghe
Flora Wiegmann
Score:
1. A comfortable approach
2. To Acclimate
3. What's underfoot
4. Signal and receive
5. The gardener's record
