Series of performative exercises – kind of an art yoga or performative gymnastics – I completed among the landscapes of Hrisey island, Iceland, during my stay in Old School Arts House residency in 2021.

Exercise 1: Mountain

Find a mountain or a hill, approach it, but not too close, you need to see it on your horizon. Analyse the character of the mountain’s outline – whether it is rather flat or acute, symmetric or asymmetric. Now get into a starting position, with both feet and hands on the ground, and your body parallel to it. Lift your pelvis – to that angle between your body and the ground when your silhouette begins to look similar to the mountain’s outline. Mimic the mountain, become a small human version of it. Fix yourself still in that position, until you feel pain in your muscles, then get back to being a regular vertical human.

Exercise 2: Tree

Find a forest or a grove, place yourself among the trees. Notice the character of the trees that you see around. Get into a starting position: your feet firmly in the ground, your body is straight. Lift your hands above your head, imitate the form of the tree’s branches. Mimic the tree’s behaviour. Stand there among them until your muscles start to hurt. Then leave the forest and get back to your regular human movements. A more difficult version of the exercise is performed with one leg lifted to imitate the lower tree branches.

Exercise 3: Grass

Find a plain flat clearing in the forest or a lawn. Analyse the character of grass on it. Get into a starting position: lie on the ground, all your body parts relaxed. Mimic the grass. Let the grass grow through your body – as it would be growing through you after you die. The time for performing this exercise is unlimited, but be cautious not to stay there forever. When you finish, let the grass release you, stand up and get back to your human life.