David Marchant

Professor of the Practice in Performing Arts

“There was a day I was practicing for a performance, climbing a favorite tree; I put my weight a little bit too far out on a branch and I felt it crack. I felt terrible for the damage I had caused. Another tree I had been working with died and I started to wonder if I had contributed to its death. I feel remorse for the loss of these beings just like if a pet died.”

Here, “working with” means exploring human movement in the natural world – a unique part of David’s work as an artist – in the oak, hickory, and maple trees that make up Tyson Research Center. He and his partner, Holly Seitz, have been creating performance art installations in natural landscapes for over a decade. This experiential practice has led to the development of a mindful, movement-oriented understanding of the natural world – a process they call “somatic ecology.”

“There were certain insights we were gaining from our sensory, interactive practice we noticed were similar to principles that ecologists study. The gift of this time here at Tyson is that we can go deeper in our process and gain new ideas working among a community of scientists.”

These insights contribute to a novel ecological performance artwork inspired by direct relationship and empathy with the natural world. David’s mindfulness of impending climate catastrophe and human indifference informs his vision for change.

“I believe if people ultimately decide to save this situation it will be because we feel that it is important. For human beings to think we’re too small to have an impact is to misunderstand that we are not on the earth, we are of it.”

David was an artist-in-residence at Tyson during summer 2019. Learn more about his work here.