“Humans are not moved/inspired/captivated by their illusion of separateness from nature, rather their deeply held understanding of life’s unity.” Karl Cronin, principal investigator at the Somatic Natural History Archive
Karl Cronin is an artist, scientist, musician and mystic. He created the Somatic Natural History Archive to explore the body in relation to nature. The site contains several years worth of what he terms “Harvests.” These are simple videos of him in natural environments. In each space he moves or poses in synchrony with the elements around him. The videos are relaxing and intriguing. His movements are grounded and embodied and do enhance the experience of viewing the natural elements with which he is working.
His Harvests change with each year. The first year Harvests are longer, which I enjoy, because they allow me the chance to absorb the space and his movement. The following years the examples of Harvests are shorter. I guess these work to get people to see his experiences but they aren’t as satisfying as the vulnerability I sense in the first set which are longer takes and become immersive.
I love how he states his interest and what motivates this form of art:
“I am interested in what inspires reverie and the hard to articulate feeling of transcendence.”
Get a taste of his vision at his site Somatic Natural History Archive.
His personal site explores and exhibits more of his work, including his music. This link leads to videos and text about his dance explorations. I particularly love his Birds of the Gulf Coast.
He has plenty of art and music and musings to keep you thinking and enjoying for a while. Check out his Vimeo channel.
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