SKEP Project 2020

The first edition of the Embodied Knowledge Workshop resulted in a sustained collaboration with some of its participants over the first pandemic year. The collaboration was held remotely, and allowed the group to hold a reading circle on feminist ecology theories as well as share embodied exercises online.

The flexibility with which the group was able to navigate pandemic conditions for continued participation was grounded in the ability to hold educational spaces for collaborative work and navigate challenges faced in difficult situations.

Participant reflection

“This was a group where philosophical text, personal writing/creating and bodily movement were brought together to encourage and explore new ways of learning and immersing ourselves with concepts from often dense texts. The topics brought forth by Maria on this project were often topics and concepts I was not immediately familiar with and yet Maria had the adeptness and skill to making these complex notions both approachable and digestible through an ability for explaining nuances within texts and finding dynamic ways of embodying the premise of the concepts through movement. What I would notice during the processes were times when someone might become quieter or disengaged --- Maria would gently re-engage with the participant and encourage a shift within the approach taken or dynamics of the group to allow for inclusion. This shift meant that participation was fluid and consensual.” ---Emma May Clear, MA student, Finland-UK, 2022

“The flexibility with which we were able to navigate pandemic conditions for the continued participation was grounded in Maria’s ability to hold educational spaces for collaborative work and navigate challenges faced in difficult situations. I still refer to the concepts and approaches I learned through the processes of the SKEP project as I develop my own artistic work and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in it.” ---Emma May Clear, MA student, Finland-UK, 2022