Umbilical cord ritual

2023, ritual performance

Materials: blod, raw wool, woodcut print.

The performance "Umbilical cord Ritual" is based on a public decoration with the title "Umbilical cord".
In the performance, an old pattern from Norwegian skinfell is printed in the hands of the audience, while they are given the words "from your ancestors, through you, and to those who come after you". Afterward, each audience member is also given a lump of raw wool in their hands, while a melody is sung.
Before the written language these historical patterns held knowledge about how to be in good relation with the Land and Spirits where people lived. This knowledge was passed on to the next generation. The patterns have old ritual and symbolic meanings dating back to pre-Christian times. They connect people's lives with the landscape and the beings with whom we lived and still do, even though we may have forgotten it.
The performance is a ritual act, where each audience is connected with the legacy of the ancestors. At the same time, the ritual seeks to enliven and honor the connection to the more than human beings we coexist with and remind us of where we come from and what we pass on. In this way the pattern printed into the hands of the audience is the umbilical cord, which is part of our invisible DNA and history.

Performance in K-U-K, Trondheim, 2023 , Foto: Susan Jamtøy.