RE-LIVE, performance 28

James Mweu stands next to Ian Kinyua, a drone pilot of Ian Kathurima Kinyua, SwiftLab at the end of the performance RE-LIVE in Turkwel River that runs in the Turkana desert of the Rift valley, Kenya.

The river runs through the Turkana desert of the Rift Valley, Northern Kenya. The RE-LIVE performance took place on the Turkana Plateau of the Rift Valley, the cradle of humankind and a natural depository of many paleontological treasures, including the famous Turkana Petrified Forest. During physiological measurements of the 12 million year old syzygium tree (ancestor of eucalyptus) a signal has been recorded, possibly indicating presence of life.

The performance resulting from this experience includes modern dwellers of the Turkana Basin and celebrates the encounter with the petrified trees and the continuity of life around them. Listening requires openness and patience. Through the dance, protective gestures pave the way for communication between nature and a human.

The dance in the river is a moving tree. The performers’ movements are inspired by the inner state of the tree, reconstituted from the transmitted data. Dancing in the water of the Turkwel river, the bodies of the performers are doubled with their reflections. Included in the cycles of nature, the performance takes place at the moment of sunset, when the backlight makes the silhouettes and their reflections similar to dancing trees.

The sun setting and fading gives space and time for the rebirth of life.