ASWM Conference May 5-6, Syracuse NY
Registration Links and Conference information here
River Sisters: Finsevatn (Norway) & Seneca Falls (USA)
LOCUS / Thale Fastvold & Tanja Thorjussen: We will present a performative talk where we introduce our artistic research focusing on ecofeminism and hydrofeminism with our ongoing project “River Sisters” which we started in 2021 and will continue through the Ocean Decade 2020-2030. Our brief talk will be followed by a performance in our series “River Sisters” where we physically connect rivers and bodies of water through gathering and mixing water in a healing process. In this performance we will connect the River Finsevatn of Finse, Norway with the water of Seneca Falls, US.
Our artistic approach is to cross-pollinate ideas and knowledge in a healing way with performance rituals, art in public space, drawing and photography. Our focus is on hydrofeminism and the interconnectedness of all sentient beings of this planet, whether it be animals, waterways, ocean, human or forest communities.
To date, the River Sisters performance series has linked the rivers of Akerselva (Oslo 2020), Great Ouse (Kings Lynn UK 2021), Lille Lungegårdsvann (Bergen 2022) and Finsevatn (Finse 2022). Our conference will be their first river connection in the US.
Thale Blix Fastvold (b. 1978) is a Norwegian visual artist working primarily with photography, film and performance art. Thematically within the frameworks of eco feminism, inter-species-collaborations and the more-than-human intelligence, her work aims to utilise artistic research as a response to current ecological challenges. She believes collaborations, communication and speculative storytelling is essential to envision new and more sustainable futures. www.thalefastvold.com
Tanja Thorjussen (b. 1970) is an artist living in Oslo (NO). Her artistic medium spans between drawing, sculpture, performance and art in public space. Through speculative research her artistic practice revolves around how ancient art can inform the present. Her current artistic focus is on the mystic and spiritual in nature and bodies of water, hydrofeminism, and the science embedded in indigenous knowledge and ancient mythology.) www.tanjathorjussen.com
LOCUS is Thale and Tanja’s independent gallery space and small publishing house based on Oslo, established in 2006. As a nomadic and fluctuating entity LOCUS produce exhibitions and presents artists in various locations nationally and internationally.
Our deep gratitude to the 
In 2018 I attended the Gatekeepers Conference on sacred sites & pilgrimage and made a personal pilgrimage to Avebury, Silbury Hill, Glastonbury, and other sites. EARTHSPEAK explores a mythic, historical, poetic and subjective response to these geomantically potent sites, in particular Silbury Hill, the largest prehistoric monument in Europe, with research that suggests it was at one time a representation of the body of the Earth Mother. EARTHSPEAK also suggests that Geomantic reciprocity occurs as human beings bring intentionality to a particular place, making it a holy or sacred place. Numinous communion with “spirit of place” can become increasingly active as it accrues mythic power in the memory of the people, and in the land. Sacred places have both an innate and a developed capacity to bring about altered states of consciousness, especially if people come prepared within the liminal state of pilgrimage. 
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