BRAZIL
Nucleo De Artes Integradas, based in Rio, Brazil, are an award winning collective of artists who emerged from Favelas across Brazil and now create work for social impact and commentary. The collective is made up of some of Brazil’s most exciting artists and works within community settings as well as internationally. They will be creating art in and with communities who have been devastated by Covid and Climate crises.
VALLEY 1 - THE QUEST
The journey begins…
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The Hoopoe in the Sufi poem said:
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“One who enters here will be filled with such longing that they will give themself up completely to the quest symbolized by this valley. Then they will no longer fear the dragons….When the door is opened and they enter, then dogma, belief and unbelief—all cease to exist.”
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And our Anishnawbe elder and Guiding Bird, Duke Redbird, challenged us to consider the difference between Western hierarchies, and indigenous hierarchies that honoured Mother Earth and our co-existence.
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Our birds were asked:
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“What beliefs or dogmas shape or impact you? What superpowers do you possess to take this journey?”
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A Busca (The Quest)
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VALLEY 2 - LOVE
In this Valley of Love, journeying birds were asked to consider how love manifested in their communities and to share a ritual that expresses love and teach it to another – after considering:
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“If you look at things with the eye of ordinary reason you will never understand how necessary- it is to love.”– Attar, Conference of the Birds
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“And from strength will come power
The power to Love
And of Love
Humanity shall acquire reconciliation…through the power of Love.” – Duke Redbird
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Duke’s is particularly timely/topical as Canada just announced new calls-to-action on Sept.30, Canada’s national day for Truth and Reconciliation.
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And I believe our project asks us to reconcile our practices, with the planet and others…
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Amor (Love)
VALLEY 3 - KNOWLEDGE
In this Valley of Knowledge, we asked our groups to explore the true meaning and understanding of knowledge in a world where we have information overload, fake news and disconnect from nature.
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Duke Redbird tells us the only information highway we need to plug into is nature. Pawel Pokutycki asks us what the digital paradigm offers us by way of information and understanding.
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We asked our groups to capture the experience of a sunrise and note all the sensations, feelings, images and thoughts then share them on the information highway. What feelings do we have when we experience these sunrises digitally?
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Let us know, and place your sunrises on our padlet in the explore page.
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Conhecimento (Knowledge)
VALLEY 4 - DETACHMENT
In this Valley of Detachment, the Hoopoe tells us:
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“Then comes the valley where there is neither the desire to possess nor the wish to discover…Even when the blood of your heart shall fill the ocean, you will only be able to make the first stage. No traveller has seen the limit of this journey.”
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Our Guiding Bird Duke Redbird shares wisdom through his poetry around loss and reflection.
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We in turn asked the birds:
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“What losses and dramatic changes have you and your community experienced that have detached you from a sense of belonging, a sense of agency, a sense of being in control? What do you see in the mirror and what is the true inner reflection of you as a person or your community as a force? How can you write the change you believe in for your community, for this planet?”
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Desapego (Detachment)
VALLEY 6 - WONDERMENT
In the Valley of Wonderment the Hoopoe tells us:
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“Man lives in a dream …do not do as you have always done, be astonished and bewildered.”
and Duke reminds us that artists must chronicle their times, as from his poem, Daphne Odjig:
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“The people drew their legacy in colours and in line
The memory of ten thousand years eternally enshrined”
As artists are masters of wondering, we invited all birds to:
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“Wander and wonder, then create an act of wanton wonder.”
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Perplexidade (Wonderment)