Could a paradigm in which togetherness of all land species, even those invisible to the human eye because of their size, or concealed from it within the cavities of various bodies, help build a (more) compassionate entanglement of human-to-all-life? The mire, the ocean, the Hypersea remind that I am (we are) but one (some) among a plethora of species in this living mesh that makes up the planet. In this paradigm, the human voice decays, soon leaving no trail behind it.

Attunement, or to Recognize the Unspectacular

In my research and creative practices these last several years I look into how anthropogenic impact translates in disruptions and collapses all around us. Many a time, I am feeling a lot of despair in witnessing. Additional despair mounted with the russian invasion into Ukraine last year. I thought about what connects us and how, and what is the foundation of togetherness. I thought how collapse is indicative of our inner collapse that comes from isolation, loneliness and disconnection on multiple – personal, interpersonal, interspecies – levels. The text that resulted from those thoughts is one where I admire a mire-scape in Estonia, and think it back to the time when species first left the sea. There is this poetic theory of Hypersea by Mark and Dianna McMenamins that I weave into this text, thinking of the lulling sea within each of us being the continuation of life through time.

Attune (transitive verb):
1. to bring into harmony (tune)
2. to make aware or responsive

The link to the sound is beneath, whereas the text has been published on the 21st of June 2023 by Bioart Society / SOLU Finland, in a publication titled State of the Art – Elements for Critical Thinking and Doing. The entire publication wraps up the activities of a transdisciplinary Nordic-Baltic network SOTAN (State of the Art Network) of artists, practitioners, researchers, and organizations who have come together to discuss the role, responsibility, and potential of art and culture in the Anthropocene. The publication has been edited by briliant artists / researchers Erich Berger, Mari Keski-Korsu, Marietta Radomska and Line Thastum. A shout out to the wonderful Mari-Liis Rebane and Maajaam Earth Station for linking me to this constellation of thinkers and doers.