Breathing the Earth: Bodily Exploration of Relationality in Eco-rituals and Dances

Abstract

This video article is on the body movement, bodily exploration to make relationality with earth. On the body movements in environmental activism, rituals, and dances this article focuses. In spring 2003, the author attended a penance and walking called Samboilbae. Ever since, Samboilbae has been revered as representative, bodily, non-violent resistance in Korea. It has been recognized as highly sincere quest for resilience in human beings with more-than-human world, This video article tries to tell the participants’ bodily efforts and exploration toward embodiment of ecosomatic relationality between body and earth. At the second case, an invented ritual & performance based on old custom Maehyang, this article tries to tell ecological relationality embodied through the immersive or embedded matter and bodies in earth. At the last case, an invented ritual & performance based on old custom, Gaetje, the participants’ dances, ritual behaviors and materials were focused on. Bodily exploration into the forest and ocean for reciprocity, sensing and being sensed between human selves and earth, this article tries to tell.