Project Proposal – Ilka Blue Nelson

Project Proposal

“Weaving stories with deep thinking beyond the limits of the anthropocene, I am trying to recall myself in a more-than-human world.” – Ilka Blue

The great Storyteller Robert Bly says mythology feeds our soul in the same way that science feeds our brain. So while our minds expand with discoveries like quantum physics, our souls are starved in the modern world that has historically rejected mythology. The challenge is to remember our mythological bodies so we can evolve in relationship with the more-than-human world. Deep Ecologist John Seed calls this “evolutionary remembering”.

Ecocide is not only the death of natural habitats, as biodiversity dies we loose our own diversity. Nature sustains us beyond the physical realm. Contemporary societies are awaking to the complexity of our dependence on nature including: psychological, spiritual, societal and pedagogical needs. For centuries mythologies have revealed these significant connections between self and environment. For example, in Pakeha myths the forest represents the place where initiation rites occur in order to transform innocence into maturity. As global deforestation increases we physically loose essential ecologies as well as vital reference points for the maturation of our emotional intelligence.

The opportunity of this project is to share and interlace cultural mythologies (Maori and Pakeha) that uncover and strengthen the reciprocal connection between individual and environmental health. It is a participatory dialogue in resistance to a paradigm of ‘mono-sapiens’. The project stakes out diverse spaces as potential ecological strongholds that will be documented (by participants) using multi-media and published via the social media platform Placestories.
Ilka Blue is the resident Magician heading the transdisciplinary studio The Last Tree. With roots deep in Bundjalung Country Australia, we branch far & wide to work with community projects. We’re currently focused on discovering the potential of storytelling as a pattern recognition & adaptation tool used to remediate biodiverse ecosystems (cultural & biological). Our practice weaves deep ecology with mythological connections to a more-than-human world. The Last Tree and Ilka Blue share a penchant for patterns and boundless passion for our planet.