TO FEEL MYSELF BELOVED ON THE EARTH

Choctaw-Cherokee artist, Jeffrey Gibson, is best known for his abstract painting, sculpture, and prints which carry an autobiographical cultural inflection. His video, To Feel Myself Beloved on the Earth, takes its title from the final poem in Raymond Carver’s last published work, A New Path to the Waterfall, and was produced in the turbulent months of 2020 during the pandemic and national civil unrest. Incorporating quilts, handmade garments, drums, prints, and video, Gibson filmed trained and untrained dancers from a variety of cultural backgrounds in various natural and urban locations. Within a soundscape of polyrhythmic drumming and ambient noises, the dancers transition between meditative breathing and un-choreographed movement to express the oscillating relationship between inner turmoil and harmony. Turning to breathing, physical movement, and nature to explore themes of identity, Gibson seeks to transform chaos to stability and healing through movement.