E a r t h worm
Lumbricus terrestris
—Feral
Quake
Quake (2021) is the outcome of my six-month project exploring the relationships between neurodivergent experience and Shamanic practice.
Exploring interspecies communication through Shamanic practice, I discovered that the action of repetitively and rapidly treading ground prompted worms to come up to the surface. I call this the Worm Dance. Milliner Rosanna Gould conceived of a hat for me to wear whilst performing created with old iron nails taken from my floorboards that make a sheer curtain around my body. Whilst performing, the nails vibrate and jingle, transforming the hat into both costume and instrument.
Performing the Worm Dance to the point of exhaustion forces my body to shake vigorously. Shaking has a history in ancient and euphoric ritual practice, used to bring about altered states of consciousness and heighten spiritual awareness. During this project, I learned about trauma/tension release exercise (TRE): the induction of neurogenic shaking which relieves stress as well as induces pleasure and joy. For me, shaking also channels and alleviates sensory overload, stimulating and focusing the senses.
I wrote the phrase, “as I ran wild and claw backwards,” during a meditation around interspecies communication, human rewilding, and the process of remembering. This phrase became the lyrics to the song I repeatedly sing throughout the performance. Within the framework of spiritual practice, repetitive singing and chanting are communally practiced to communicate with the spiritual realm, reaching beyond the individual, and can be used to enter altered states of consciousness. This song is an offering and connection to the collective consciousness.
This piece is performed in my garden and filmed by Baiba Sprance and Marco Berardi. Quake was premiered with Shape Arts as part of their ‘Sustainability Season’ and was funded by the Arts Council of England.
Alicia Radage
Artist—London, UK