Abstract
For over 10 years, Zheng Bo has been working with plants and promoting ecosensitivity. The Rite of Spring (Tandvärkstallen) is part of a series of four films shot in different parts of the world, in environments as grandiose as they are diverse: a luxuriant fern forest in Taiwan; the Arabian desert, where a lone, majestic acacia thrives; a forest near a splendid beach in Germany; and in this piece, a forest of Tandvärkstallen pines in Sweden, which, in local folklore, are said to have magical healing powers.
For Zheng Bo, our knowledge of nature cannot be limited to theoretical or even empirical knowledge, and must necessarily pass through the body and through genuine feeling. Like the other films in the series, The Rite of Spring (Tandvärkstallen) explores human-plant intimacy and thus is in line with the ecosexuality movement. This sensual, even libidinal relationship with nature is transformed into a metaphysical connection, as the dancers' naked bodies vibrate in contact with the vegetation. Gradually, they enter a kind of trance, reminiscent of the movements choreographed by Nijinsky in the early 20th century for Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. Through his work, which gives trees and plants the status of subject rather than object, Zheng Bo invites us to a true communion with nature, and consequently to a new awareness of living things.
For Zheng Bo, our knowledge of nature cannot be limited to theoretical or even empirical knowledge, and must necessarily pass through the body and through genuine feeling. Like the other films in the series, The Rite of Spring (Tandvärkstallen) explores human-plant intimacy and thus is in line with the ecosexuality movement. This sensual, even libidinal relationship with nature is transformed into a metaphysical connection, as the dancers' naked bodies vibrate in contact with the vegetation. Gradually, they enter a kind of trance, reminiscent of the movements choreographed by Nijinsky in the early 20th century for Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. Through his work, which gives trees and plants the status of subject rather than object, Zheng Bo invites us to a true communion with nature, and consequently to a new awareness of living things.
| Translated title of the contribution | The Rite of Spring (Tandvärkstallen) |
|---|---|
| Original language | French |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Sept 2023 |
| Event | Biophilia - Musée d’art de Joliette , Joliette, Canada Duration: 30 Sept 2023 → 14 Jan 2024 https://www.museejoliette.org/en/expositions/biophilia/ |