Moving the Intention
A movement workshop by
Juan Beltrán Hilarión (Columbia/US)
18 July – 01 Aug (three sessions)
Tuesdays 6-9 pm
Defibrillator Gallery | 1463 W Chicago Avenue
Suggested donation: $5.00
The focus of this workshop is to provide a particular way of preparing our mind and body for artistic work. Starting from the idea that “the body is the main vehicle of experience in life,” this workshop aims to unpack our thoughts in order to be aware of the space that we occupy in the world, remembering that each one of us is a body.
The workshop is developed from exercises that seek to fortify, elastify and centralize the body and mind, through simple exercises of concatenate breathing and movement toward developing creative energy.
Juan is a Colombian Visual Artist who graduated from the Faculty of Arts of the District University of Bogotá. He develops his artistic work from different disciplines of art where he has found that the body to be the most powerful vehicle to explore the world. He understands the body as a place to emancipate, confront, and build our own way to be and to do.
Juan explores the relationship between the self and otherness, starting with his own family, home, friends and place of origin. Then, personal experiences opened his practice to new concepts and questions. Ritualistic work (Action Art) began to appear after his years of retreat and immersion into the Andean Mountains of Colombia. Only then did he start to develop a reflection of the symbolism of his childhood memories and the relationship between the space/body/object. This concatenation of ideas showed him a starting point on how we can build our own imagination, and how this imagary is a result of all of our social experiences. It was at this point when he discovered that he is an Animist, and that all his relationships with otherness are immersed in this path to be and to do.
Juan understands that every feeling and thought in our life is an opportunity to build and communicate something through action; he calls this idea the “Sacred Imagination”. This is the base concept for his artistic work, particularly in Action Art. He has been using concepts as well as physical and spiritual practices that he has learned in his 13 years of Martial Arts, specifically, Yang Taijiquan and Qigong, as well Shamanic experiences as Yagé “Ayahuasca” or Serpiente de los Cinco Elementos.
Juan says, “…For me is very important to understand the body as the main way of conscious living in synchrony with our particular space in the world.”
This is a physical workshop and all skill levels and people with disabilities are welcomed. Defibrillator is a ground level storefront and is accessible. Participants should wear loose comfortable clothing in layers for warmth, cooling, or cushion. There will be filtered water available to refill your bottle and you may want to bring a yoga mat (optional). Please refrain from perfumes or heavily scented products. If coming from out of town, we can recommend affordable accommodation in the vicinity. Contact MichaelBridges@DFBRL8R.org for more information.
