A dance between shadow and light

The rain falls on the forest canopy above our hammocks,
Drip, drip, drip,
I swing in my cocoon, safe and nurtured,
Listening to the susurration of the leaves,
The drip, drip of the rain,
Then...

The high-pitched call of the swifts circling above the forest,
The rustle of a creature in the undergrowth,
The smell of the rotting leaves,

I reach out to touch the forest floor,
A raindrop lands on my third eye,
I sense the rain has stopped its drumming,
Just the occasional drip, drip
From the heavy leaves above,
The dance of light and shadow,
Shadow and
Light

Light

We mimic the growth of the trees,

Leaning into the trunk,

Hanging from branches,

Can you see me now?

Shadow

Walking, we are falling,

We catch ourselves,

But we are always falling.

Shadow and light

Nothing is the same,

(no)thing is the same,

No

Thing

Is

The

Same

A dance between shadow and light


Keywords
forest bathing, komerobi, habitus, walking and falling, (no)thing is the same.

About the Author
Sophie Hedderwick is a multimedia artist, currently doing a practice research PhD at Birmingham School of Art, BCU, funded by M3C/AHRC. Her interdisciplinary research project reflects on how the adolescent body is (re)presented differently by digital technologies, through the prism of relational movement philosophy and eco-feminism. Sophie is interested in sustainable practices and the circular economy. She is currently researching bio-materials, to produce conductive textiles from waste products and seaweed. She is designing/making a bio mimicry motion capture costume for female dancers, based on pangolin scales, made from activated charcoal and seaweed.