E D E N ' S C A V E
E A R T H M O V E M E N T L A B
T H E G A T H E R I N G
“This animal body, for all its susceptibility and vertigo, remains the primary instrument of all our knowing, as the capricious earth remains our primary cosmos.”
― David Abram, Becoming Animal
Earth Movement uses nature as the central training environment. It explores the roots of human movement, excavating the physical dynamics of the human-animal. Its work is devoted to enhancing each individual’s connection to nature, developing cognitive and physical approaches to how we see, feel, play and explore within the natural world. During the residency, held at Aercwel Mill in the Forest of Dean, participants immerse themselves in site, working with complex topographies, materiality, self and other to transform the everyday into something deeper, stranger, wilder - something essential.
Each day our work will move into deeper layers of movement, grounding into soil and weaving through branch - meeting something primal. It is here, that we allow expressive actions/dances to articulate. These might be the foundation to a project, or acts unto themselves.
Each day the group make their way to a new location in the depths of the forest. There, we explore training, connecting to the primal force of our bodies. Games and physical tasks evolve, as we research movement in its totality. Slowly, we unleash a different energy, engaging forgotten ways of listening, being, and becoming.
Earth Movement seeks to re-establish connections with nature and its essential place within the structures of modern living. It is an active training, seeking to evolve our physical, spatial, emotional and spiritual perceptions of the living world.
Crucial to The Gathering Residencies is how the community come together at the end of each day, sharing meals, practices, and have the opportunity to critically reflect individually and collectively upon discoveries and personal revelations.
T H E S E T - U P
The Gathering residencies take place at Aercwel Mill, a small and unique centre for artists in the Forest of Dean. The site is surrounded by woodland, and participants live on site close to the earth with accommodation options ranging from tents, bell-tents, caravan or shepherds hut.
Since 2022, Aercwel Mill has been in development and works are ongoing. You will find all the facilities you need, but the infrastructure is still being developed and the current amenities are both simple and communal. The site is also home to two young children under 4. This, we feel, is part of the power of what we are seeking to do here – so we invite you to intertwine creative visioning, practice-as-research and training voyages with family, community and evolving tribe.
C O U R S E L E A D E R
H E N R Y M C G R A T H
Henry McGrath is a renowned artist, actor, film-maker, physical performance artist and teacher. He has worked within a wide-web of performance worlds. He was a principal performer at Song of the Goat Theatre, touring globally, and played Hamlet in the company’s celebrated production, ‘Crazy God’. He was the artist Egon Schiele in BBC’s acclaimed doc-drama, ‘Dangerous Desires’ working closely with Amit Lahav, director of Gecko Theatre. He is Director of Eden's Cave, a laboratory performance group based in the Forest of Dean developing approaches to embodied practice, communal gatherings, live performance, and experimental film with artists locally and globally. He is Co-Founder of Animikii Theatre and Founder of the Solo School. As well as drawing from his experience of rigorous laboratory theatre practice, his work is becoming more deeply informed by his relationship with the forest environment in which he lives and the development of Aercwel Mill, a small cultural centre dedicated to the art of transformation.
N E X T C O U R S E
25th-29th J U L Y 2 0 2 3
£190-£250
£150 - Workshop Fee
£50 - Caravan
£40 - Furnished bell-tent
£25 - Furnished tent
£15 - Your tent and equipment
(First come first served basis)
You are also welcome to organise your own accommodation in the area.
£40 - Food
(Specialist foods and alcohol available with supplementary contribution of £10)
Note: Participants should be willing to be filmed as part of a trailer for future Earth Movement LAB opportunities.
Please don't let finances be a barrier to participation. If these figures pose a challenge for you, please contact us to enquire about bursary work-exchange places.
L I M I T E D P L A C E S
To apply for a place, please answer the following question:
What is drawing you to 'Earth Movement LAB' at this time?
Send max 500 words or 3 minute video to:
