EDEN'S CAVE
THE GATHERING:
EARTH MOVEMENT LAB
“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
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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 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.
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.
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.
THE SET-UP
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.
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.
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.
CORE TEAM
HENRY MCGRATH
ELEANOR BUCHAN
MARIS MEOS
Henry is a film-maker, actor, performance artist and educator devoted to empowering artists realise their unique creative vision. As Co-Artistic Leader of Eden's Cave, he has been developing approaches to embodied practice, communal gatherings, live performances, and experimental film with local and international artists. 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, pursuing a devoted investigation of how creative projects, training and new forms of expression emerge between self and organic sites.
Eleanor’s passion and work is the alchemy of communal gathering - how we live, share, reflect and commiunicate within the structures of a village. Eleanor is a storyteller, theatre- maker, facilitator and educator whose work drives towards mythic imagination, community gathering, and the roots of ritual. As Co- Artistic Leader of Eden’s Cave, she has been developing rites of passage work, placemaking practice, and modes of gathering at a time of global crisis.
Maris is a gifted creative producer with a talent for inspiring exceptional levels of detail. She cares deeply about the particpants experience, how each person is held and finds ways to empower the work of the educator. Maris has dedicated her life to promoting positive change through education and the creative arts. She has spearheaded large-scale projects in non- formal education, creative arts and community development. As Creative Producer for Eden’s Cave, she blends her vision with an excellent eye for detail, crafting captivating experiences that leave a lasting impression on all who engage with her work.
NEXT COURSE
15 - 20 JULY 2024
£190 - £250
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£150 - Workshop fee
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£50 - Furnished bell tent
£25 - Furnished tent
£15 - Your tent and equipment
(On a first-come, first-served basis)
You are also welcome to organise your own accommodation in the area.
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£50 - Food
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Please do not 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.
