the fold as somatic/artistic practice
I am profoundly interested in folds and folding – in nature, in the material world, in our bodies. From the very beginnings of life – human, animal, plant – we enfold and unfold to become what we are. Movement is the ‘origami’ that is continuously enfolding and unfolding is life itself, endlessly expressive and unique. Underneath the physical dynamics of folding is the impulse to create.
And, what can a fold be? From the vantage point of art making – folds can be made from anything and become anything. In essence, folds can transcend their daily pedestrian simplicity and become art. As art – and as science – folds find their origin in the ancient geometric craft of origami which continues to inspire (bio)engineers and computer scientists. While the human body cannot fold like paper or other human-made materials, yet, there is a shared process in the act of creating something new from one whole sheet of paper. The human body changes its shape throughout life from one ‘piece of paper,’ sans cuts
For the past decade (2012 – 2023), I have worked collaboratively with dancer and multimedia artist Susan Sentler (London) in creating a pedagogical scaffold for the fold. Together, we have honed an approach to teaching through improvisational movement, visual art inspiration, and multimedia play. We have taught worldwide. Susan has created multiple art installations and I have offered many different ‘jam’s (improvisational investigations). Our themes are intriguing: light and edge, palimpsest, codex, smudge, decay, drift, and more. Our book, art making as embodied enquiry: the f/ol\d is under review at Intellect Books, UK, and our website, thfold.net is in evolution. We invite you to stay tuned to future workshops and endeavors and to stay tuned to our new website
image by Susan Sentler from the f/ol\d Palimpsest workshop 2022