Why is shamanic practice becoming relevant again in contemporary art?

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Psychogeological views of place and space are concerned with how our minds are shaped by our surroundings and the technologies we use. Living in postindustrial times – in which the machine (digital technology and media) has become God – has produced a sense of disconnection and alienation with many people. Similarly, covid has brought a condition of cocooning and withdrawal, as well as an intensification of online and virtual existence. In times of crisis, people look for solutions to transcend their current state of being. They try to find alternatives to transcend from what they are experiencing at that point in time. People are also worried about the future of planet earth; rumours of another world war; surging crime; and economic decline. In the modern world, the artist has taken over the role of the shaman. The roles of the shaman and the artist have always been tied to vision and a position of being between two worlds: That of the visible and the invisible. Shamanism has roots outside of the West in the cultures of indigenous peoples across the world extending through Siberia, Australia, and Africa, as well as the Americas and pre-modern Europe. But shamanism itself is not a formalised system of beliefs or an ideology, but rather a philosophy and an outlook. Artists have always been engaged with making the invisible visible, and the artist as shaman is primarily aimed at healing, transformation and transcendence.

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With the aim of remedying such as condition, this Seminar offers revitalisation of creativity and innovation through an investigation of modern-day shamanism as a philosophy of life, a way of thinking and reconciliation with raw nature. Within the context of global competition and the continual emergence of new products, it has become critical for survival and success to be able to think creatively and innovatively. The Seminar offers an unforgettable experience in South Africa aimed at therapeutic self-discovery and takes place in safe, luxury environments. It is suitable for anyone wishing to enhance their own creative thinking and problem-solving skills; for budding and professional artists; and for those wishing to reconnect with nature. 

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The Seminar aims to rekindle creativity in thinking and doing, and nurture problem solving skills through the use of raw materials using primal natural artmaking processes and materials. Our approach in the creativity and innovation programme includes methodologies such as brainstorming; synectics; lateral thinking; morphological analysis; and inventive problem solving. Advanced experimental thinking will be cultivated and developed. Participants will be encouraged to move out of their comfort zone and to become shamanic in their thinking. There will be focus on each participant’s individual art production, techniques and thought processes. The Seminar also promotes collective consciousness and collectivity.

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The Seminar mentor and Tour guide is Prof. Elfriede Dreyer, well-known arts academic, curator and artist with more than 30 years of experience in the South African arts industry. She leads the practical Seminar and act as tour guide in the Cape. She also provides discussion sessions on contemporary art; Ephemerality in artmaking; African Modernism;  the South African arts industry; and more. Read more

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Keywords

Creative development | Innovation | Psychogeograhy | Raw | Nature | Healing | Transcendence | Transformation | Earth consciousness | Cosmogram | Bodygram | Masking | Collectivity| | Recycling | ­­Deconstruction | Journey