Learning Water, Salty Eyes (video)

2020

HD video, sound, 15”44’
Authors: Katarína Poliačiková & Eva Priečková
Sound: Michal Kindernay

(a video excerpt available via the link below)

Learning Water, Salty Eyes was a part of the eponymous exhibition, in which my collaborator Eva Priečková and I weaved together performative reading with site-specific choreography and video projection to create a multilayered contemplation on water.
This video work represents a loose, intuitive interpretation of Watsu therapy, accompanied by a soundscape created specifically for this piece by Michal Kindernay.

About Watsu:
In the early 1980s, Harold Dull adapted Zen Shiatsu for use in warm water pools at Harbin Hot Springs in northern California, with emphasis on connecting with the breathing patterns of the receiver and establishing a meditative state during sessions. Dull observed that people receiving Watsu treatments entered a deep relaxation state, with strong physical and emotional effects.
Watsu is a form of aquatic bodywork characterized by one-on-one sessions in which a practitioner or therapist gently cradles, moves, stretches, and massages a receiver in chest-deep warm water.
During a Watsu session, the recipient's heart and respiration rates decrease, the depth of respiration increases, muscle tone decreases, and recipients report a deep state of relaxation. Many patients and clinicians report psychological benefits for stress reduction and resolving past traumas.
(adapted from Wiki)