April’s Theme is Movement
Our April theme is Movement, chosen by our Wellington chapter, illustrated by Hannah Webster, and presented by Mailchimp.
The body in motion is a thing of beauty. Our cells shake kinetic energy through the finely articulated instruments of muscle, ligament, and bone. We blink, we pulse, we dance. Some even pull off feats of human athleticism and daring, from which we can hardly look away.
Movement is a universal state of being. Even at rest, the matter we’re composed of is in motion — subatomic particles whir about at dizzying speeds, to create the sense of solidity. The things that appear still — the earth beneath us, the trunk of a tree above us, is but a trick of the eye. They move slowly but at a staggering scale.
When we move together, we can build social and collective movements. Like a murmuration of swallows, we can form sweeping visions of a world never seen before. Our collective energy directed like a mighty river flowing downstream, taking unexpected and winding turns to carve mountains.
We asked you, what does it feel like when your body is in motion? What greater movements do you choose to be a part of? Here’s what you shared:
💃 Expressions of Movement
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| Photo Credits: Tapan Pandit |
“This is a snapshot from a dance movement therapy facilitator for a community project in Pune, India, for persons with Parkinson’s Disease. The project has been running without charge for the last 13 years, and it’s been a privilege to be part of such a heartwarming project that works towards connection, rehabilitation and healing — a movement for movement! I’d like to share this love and power of movement with the Creative Movement community!” — Tanvi Hegade, Pune, India.
“A piece I wrote reflects on how the human body is part of the ongoing movement of the universe. Here’s an excerpt:
Your body lives here in this world.
And every moment of every day, your body goes about the constant busyness of living.
It is a universe of cells, trillions of living beings coordinating with each other for the unknown and unknowable higher purpose that is you. As if biology were a kind of worship.
You move; you are moved.
You are at home; you are a home.
– Les James, central Virginia, U.S.
“I would like to encourage people to get out and sketch on location with a sketchbook and a brush pen! Here’s a quick video I did recently and tips on how to best enjoy making sketches and nourishing our creativity on the go.” — Volta Voloshin-Smith, Dallas, Texas, U.S.
“The feeling of floating in water is the closest to weightlessness and communing with nature. I captured that feeling in an oil painting called ‘Transcend.’” — Mary Kamerer, Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
“Ten years ago, my friends and I developed technology that enables everyone to create music out of their body movement. Your body is an orchestra! We founded a startup called Nagual Sounds to market the technology but unfortunately it never took off.” — Matthias Strobel, Berlin, Germany
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| Image by Maria Louceiro, Berlin, Germany |
“I’m a mime — an original Movement artist. Through movement, I can transport my audience to anywhere and to any time from the perspective of any living being.” — Lelia Pendleton, Richmond, VA, USA
“It’s an illustration I did that reminds me to move my body, go outside and enjoy the fresh wind whenever I am stuck in a rut (mostly sitting at the office desk and work work work).” — Viktoria Spokojna, Germany
“When I free dive I am constantly in motion with the water but completely still in my mind. This image is about no motion as my dive partner Helen suspends herself for a moment to capture a photograph.” — Keri Muller, Cape Town, South Africa
“I am always photographing movement. I live in the coastal city of Rio de Janeiro (I am originally from another country, from a city without sea), so everything here is always moving, on the ground and in the water: Carnaval, skating, surf, dancing, swimming. You can check images on my photography portfolio or my Tumblr.” — Pablo Lara H., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
“Recently I have joined the Waterbear streaming platform. For me, it is a source of inspiration on various topics about the future of our planet that I can transfer into various forms of art.” — Alena Aichlmanova, Prague, Czech Republic.
“This work is about the carousel of faces — friends, family, strangers and acquaintances — who move through my mind. It is especially for those who I am remembering for the last time.” — Bosede Opetubo, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
“I created this animated GIF to express the feeling of a song but mostly an ease to use the body to stay grounded. A swag from within that exudes joy.” — Keva Epale, France
“My painting, “Forward Motion/Here Comes The Sun” (acrylic & spray paint on canvas) is about bursting out, moving forward into the new, seeing the sun after a long time…” — Liz Gold, Biddeford, Maine, USA
“Movement for me is bursts of dance throughout the day, an attempt to exorcize my anxiety about the confusing email I got or the plans I want to cancel. Twerk it out by the coffee maker. Jump up from the desk and flap my arms. Movement is head banging and sashaying my way to new perspectives.” — K. Fry, Portland, Oregon, U.S.
“For this April’s theme, I thought of participating with a simple lettering piece. The lettering itself represents the movement that can come in all forms and shapes. It’s bouncy, playful, happy, doesn’t follow strict rules, and makes us free to explore ourselves a bit more!” — Eleni Gayraud, Belgium