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e217 devora neumark - sitting with emotions
Season 6 Episode 217
- What can I do to support the grieving? There's so much to grieve. Whether we think about the crisis of climate, whether we think about the political crises, the issue of displacement, which is around the world. Forced displacement, such a huge crisis. How do we manifest the kinds of spaces that people need to be able to individually and collectively get in touch with how they're feeling and do it in such a way that opens the possibility for what you're talking about with the renewal, or, you know, a post traumatic growth, if you will. And in my experience, you can't get to that post traumatic growth until you actually sit with the emotions, however difficult they are.
My conversation with interdisciplinary artist-researcher, educator, and community-engaged practitioner Devora Neumark and their 30 + years of contemplative practice most recently as a Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Fellow at the Centre for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg. This conversation was recorded on the unceded lands of the Algonquin-Ainishinaabe nation, in Ottawa, on February 21, 2025, while Devora was on their way back home to Iqaluit, Nunavut and spoke mostly about Displacement Codes, a collaboration with Karina Kesserwan, which centers around 13 prompts, adapted from AI-generated outputs, each designed to inspire reflection and performance-based responses to the lived experiences of displacement.
Action points
- Acknowledge and sit with difficult emotions to facilitate post-traumatic growth
- Engage in contemplative practices, such as meditation, to regulate emotions
- Collaborate across disciplines to broaden perspectives and create impactful change
- Prioritize understanding the present moment before planning for the future
- Reinforce community connections through dialogue and shared thinking
Show notes generated by Whisper Transcribe AI
Story Preview
Can art help us process the overwhelming grief of climate change and displacement? Devora Neumark shares how their project, Displacement Codes, uses contemplative performance and collaboration to explore these complex emotions. Discover how artists and citizens alike can find solace and action through mindful engagement and cross-disciplinary dialogue.
Chapter Summary
0:00 - The weight of global crises and the need for emotional processing.
0:56 - Introduction to Devora Neumark and the Displacement Codes project.
1:57 - Exploring emotions through performance art and holding space for others.
3:02 - Addressing colonization’s impact and mental health disparities.
3:53 - Art as a tool for acknowledgement, support, and co-creation.
4:44 - The importance of present-moment awareness before future planning.
6:05 - The collaboration with lawyer Karina Kesserwan on Displacement Codes.
7:05 - Newmark’s fellowship in Germany and focus on aesthetics in asylum housing.
7:55 - The process of developing performance prompts related to displacement.
8:32 - Incorporating AI and the dialogic nature of the project with Karina.
9:53 - Finding gestures and enacting responses to prompts.
11:13 - Navigating challenges and the evolving nature of collaboration.
12:31 - The power of cross-disciplinary co
Published on 8 months ago