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Inkiling
Magazine (continued)
And how does science serve you in this endeavor?
I can go into the woods anytime and just hang out there and “feel the
vibe.” You know, pay attention to how birds are interacting with insects
and insects are interacting with plants and so on. And maybe that would be
a totally valid way to experience the forest. But if I can take what researchers
have been studying in detail about it, maybe I can get a little deeper into
it. Once I understand the code beneath what I can see on the surface, maybe
I can feel it in a deeper way. That’s what science provides me and my
creative team.
Will “Biome” have a strong message then?
I’m not interested in edutainment. I’m trying to make really good
artwork and a really good performance. But I do think that if artists interact
with scientists, interact with the tree canopy, interact with the woods and
create really good artwork, people are going to be interested in how they
did it. So even though I’m not going to create a show that says “Save
the trees” or “All the monkeys are dying,” I think that
if we make really great work then conservation messages are going to come
out.
What does the process of dance have in common with the process of
science?
At the highest level art and science are the same thing. The best scientists
in their best moment are totally creative. And for the best artists at their
best level, their art becomes a science. It becomes totally precise and sophisticated
and elegant.
So there’s this way that success in the arts and success in the sciences both require access to a larger portion of your mind or an opening of your mind – an ability or willingness to step out of what’s already been considered good or okay or acceptable. You have to be interested in things and alive in that way. And have the desire to go towards what you don’t know. Artists share that with scientists. (Anne Casselman)
