RETRATO DE
MUJERES
PIONERAS
(Portrait of Pioneer Women)
Creative Documentary & Tour
ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
RETRATO DE
MUJERES
PIONERAS
(Portrait of Pioneer Women)
Creative Documentary & Tour
PERFORMING
PERFORMING
ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
RESEARCH GROUPS
RESEARCH GROUPS
CURATING
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ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
ISABEL BURR RATY
DRAMATURGY
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ISABEL BURR RATY
BACKGROUNDS OF THE VILLAGE RESEARCH MAQUETTTE
2022-2023 RESEACH TRAJECTORY
With ‘Towards the Eco-erogenous Village’ multiyear research trajectory supported by VG, I addressed the question of how to give access to free energy so that the human and the more than human can shapeshift and charge? Aiming to further align my work with ‘sustainable futures’ initiatives and deepen my understanding of what erotism can do in artistic practice. I proposed to look into inner bodies technologies that can generate sustainable energy, speculating about converting sexual energy into electricity.
I carried out the research trajectory by consulting and having mentoring with experts in various art, scientific, hacking and sexual energy work fields and by participating in residencies. Furthermore, I shared the research process by organizing events, facilitating workshops and carrying out experiments in semi-public contexts. (See list of activities at the bottom).
In this process I navigated a journey that took me to look at how matter behaves on quantum spectrums, coming to an understanding of what harnessed electricity is and what it does to matter on an atomic level. To my surprise I found a story that instrumentalizes the free electrons inside Power Plants that transfer electrical currents through the grids that power our commodities. Unfortunately the implementation of harnessed electricity systems are exhausting the Earth's energy reserves, while a certain kind of human will probably progress to Type Civilization II of the Kardashev scale, venturing to colonize stars, asteroids and planets to consume their energies and resources.
According to critical theorist Elizabeth Povinelli (1), the culture of technoextraction is based on a mode of governance that she calls late settler liberalism in Geontopower. Illustrating how neoliberal economies employ the modus operandis of laissez-faire, to perpetuate the colonialism that is based on the distinction of opposing geological categories. These favor the living: bio/life over the non-living: geo/meteors.
With these reflections in mind, I decided to visualize the research, not with 'harnessed' electricity, but with molecular power transmissions. In order to imagine a post-nature environmental philosophy put in practice, where we could overcome governing systems definitions of the human and living and non-living natures.
THE VILLAGE MAQUETTE IDEA
From cognitive science perspectives, as well as from eastern medicines such as the Chinese medicine, in the energy generation processes of the body it is difficult to separate particles from molecules. The bio electrical system of the body impulses chemical reactions, to release hormones that influence our cognition. Moreover, what’s so interesting about specific eastern body techniques, such as sexual Qigong (2), is that they study the interconnections between the sexual energy, neuroendocrine and microbiome systems. And how when the body is put under specific conditions, such as darkness, vibration, moist, the interactions between these systems can potentially awaken dormant molecules that stimulate sensorial perception.
On the other hand, when we think about matter in quantum atomic levels it has superpowers. Electrons can tunnel (pass through walls), spin (as 4D spheres), be quantum entangled to another electron on the other side of the galaxy. One of the great mysteries in the history of Physics is: why when matter becomes solid all these quantum powers don’t manifest anymore? However, according to physicist Andrej Detela (3), these powers are still there and perhaps to be able to perceive them, is a question of consciousness.
With Amerindian Multi-perspectivism, the anthropologist Eduardo Viveiros de Castro (4) suggests that specific Amazonian tribes in Brazil have the word: body, but it holds a different conceptual meaning than in western cultures. According to this theory the concept body is understood as a space of non-biological kinship to these persons. Thus, their bodies can be a relative to subjects and things, because it can make affiliations to what is different through affinity. Since every living and ‘non-living’ entity is powered by one and same collective ‘soul’, which enables a person to experience life across the perspective of, for example, a volcano, a river, a spider web, a cloud, a jaguar, etc. De Castro’s anthropological suggestion inspired me to speculate that perhaps his theory resembles to what critical theorist Karen Barad (5) refers to as trans-material intra-actions, exemplifying that at the base of reality entities emerge from an entangled phenomena, not from pre-existing things.
Based on ideas coming from indigenous politics and queer ecologies, as well as based on the investigation I carried on regenerative farming systems, such as permaculture, I crafted the Moist Media Playground in my garden to visualize The (Power Plant) Village Maquette. Where I could envision a playground that would welcome persons to be a part of an elementary space and experiment with things that are not tangible to the western human eye. Inviting them to de-charge by being entangled with the earth, air, water and the fire from within (sexual energy), to make their bodies more permeable and sensitive to the information we have inside. In order to create new collective visions that can inspire us to understand our human experience differently. Moreover, it seems that just the thought of producing pleasure, brought back to life local medicinal herbal plants. Adding to this, I planted few sprouts and eatable flowers in my Garden Studio.
With these experiences at hand and because for me is difficult to ignore the current geopolitical violence, which amongst lives destruction, leaves enormous carbon footprints. I would like to develop a new strand of research to take The (Power Plant) Village Maquette to a next level. In this process I want to work with the imaginary of atomic and molecular fusions further. In order to possibly infuse new lines of eco-erogenous rebellious art objects that give new hopes.
References
(1) Elizabeth A. Povinelly, Geontologies: A Requiem to Late Liberalism (Chapter 1: The Three Figures of Geontology, pgs 5-9)
(2) Darkness Technology, Mantak Chia (Chapter Consciousness and the neuroendocrine system pgs 11-12)
(3) Andrej Detela, contribution in Embracing Transmaterials Futures Symposium round table (curated by Isabel Burr Raty), January 2025
(4) Eduardo Viveiros de Castro, The Relative Native, Essays on Indigenous Conceptual Worlds (Chapter 6, The Gift and the Given Three Nano-Essays on Kinship and Magic, pgs 143-145)
(5) Karen Barad article, Transmaterialities Trans*/Matter/realities and Queer Political imaginings, GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies
LIST OF RESEARCH TRAJECTORY ACTIVITIES
2022
> Body Practice research
-Residency at the Monastery Les Ardennes with Tantra monk Elke Van Campenhout
-Deepening my sexual Kung Fu training at Tao Gardens in Chiang Mai Thailand with Master Mantak Chia
-Mentoring on sacred intimacy and trans identities with Taoist/Hinduist teacher Aditya Duta
-Visit to Neuro-cognitive department/labs in Maastricht University
> Technology & materials research
-Mentoring with electric engineer and scenographer of A two Dog Company Vincent Malstaf
-Mentoring with artists and electronic hackers ooooo and Hans Andreas
-Mentoring with Giulia Bellinetti at Future Materials Lab Jan Van Eyck Academy
-Attendance to webinar Bio-Futures for Transplanetary Habitat Networking Symposium, Newcastle University UK
-Mentoring session with Kobe Matis on permaculture
-Attendance to webinar "Container Gardening: How to Grow an Abundance of Herbs, Vegetables and Fruit in Small Spaces" with Mark Ridsdill Smith organized by Biodynamic Gardening Club UK
-Participation in natural oils Maceration and herbal plants seeding workshop offered by Marguerite de Crayencour
> The Village Politics research
-Curating Topos 4: How Sci-Fi can the body be? at wpZimmer Antwerpen with guest artists Antye Guenther, Peggy Pierrot, Olave Nduwanje and ooooo
-Curating the tour of a ROCK/STAR: Mapuche Medicine Woman María Quiñelén visit in Brussels, co-produced with KVS, nadine, apass, ERG and Wabo
-Facilitating workshop Earth and Carbon imaginaries during Home, Street, Earth Block at a.pass
2023
> Towards the Village Maquette Research
-Mentoring with Viernulvier Ghent curator Marieke De Munck
-Mentoring with Kapelica Gallery Ljubljana curators Jurij Krpan and Sandra Sajovic
-Facilitating Earthly bodies electro-currents workshop at Kersnikova Institute Ljubljana
-Residency at wpZimmer, working with scenographer Marzia Dalfini
> Sharing the Maquette Research
-Invited as guest of honor by MUSEUM DHONDT-DHAENENS Ghent, to shape the Autumn Academy, coproduced by Nomadic School of Arts project KASK & Conservatorium
-Research sharing, It’s not post its happening in my garden!, in Etat des lieux at Buda Kortrijk, co-produced with nadine Brussels
-Curating and moderating panel discussion of Embracing Transmaterial Futures, Narratives on Hybridity and the Labyrinth of Interconnectedness, at Kapelica Gallery Ljubljana. Speakers artists and researchers Peggy Pierrot, Antye Guenther, Isbabel Burr Raty and quantum physicist Andrej Detela
-Faciliating a workshop for Creative Europe Inspirational Lab Forum participants at Kapelica Gallery Ljubljana, co-organized by the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (CZ), Sensorium Festival (SK) and Display Association for Research and Collective Practice (CZ)