Clayos!

At a low point in the lofty Alpujjaras mountains, in the historical region of Andalusia in Spain, opening like a cupped hand, the Valle de Sensaciones (Valley of Sensations) lies in a gulf between mountains and hills, a living fossil record of powerful geologic and fluvial forces. The valley is inhabited by an edge-dwelling tribe of change-makers pioneering an alternative lifestyle. Dotted around this remote and slender valley are tree-house dwellings, natural-build structures, various domes and lodges, antique mobile homes, and caves. Even at the hottest time of the year this is an area of shaded plenitude, amassing rainfall and providing rich earth, fruits, and plentiful CLAY. This clay will be the subject and object of an embodied and artistic exploration of our wild nature, our dance, our craft, our voice and our clown-spirit, entitled: 'CLAYOS' Here in the womb of the land we will discover ourselves at our most earthy, messy, and humble. The word 'humble' is derived from the Latin ‘humus', meaning ‘earth’. ‘Clown’ is also cognate with ‘clod’, a noun that can describe both a lump of clay, and a simple person. Connecting with the mud, this workshop will give time for simplicity and humility. Connecting with how little we know and remaining innocent and playful, we will take time to connect with where we come from and where we will end up. It will be a time to get our hands dirty, to leave aside the perpetual reasonings of the mind in favour of using our hands to make objects and our bodies to sing and move. Here we will dig our bare bodies into the earth itself. We will watch as the shapes of spirits form themselves into masks our hands. We will ask the landscape to dance our bodies, feeling the clay drying on our skin and transforming us; we will build altars and find magic places in the wilderness to make art for it’s own sake, with no audience other than the trees, the birds, the mountains, and the sky. Over 7 Days, as the ripe May moon climbs to fullness, we will create rituals to honour the earth itself, explore our playful nature, unplug from the wired world, build fire and sing, be silent or weave tales, and just be the simple humans we are. Register: https://sensaciones.de/en/community-workshop/clayos/may19 Http://sensaciones.de/en/node/5410/73656e73 Sliding scale pricing/exchange, from €220 Concessions are available to those who inscribe earliest http://sensaciones.de/en/node/5410/73656e73 Getting there https://sensaciones.de/en/getting-here FACILITATION Daniel Hernandez is an itinerant mischief-maker exploring the ritual roots of performance. Harnessing archaic/ shamanic clown and mask cosmologies, his workshops provide fascinating and colourful routes into individuation: containing a vast treasure-box of rituals, dance, liminal states, grotesque archetypes and clown-lore. His performances, projects, ceremonies and workshops draw upon a wide variety of related traditions: These include Dance, Clown, Bouffon, Butoh, Contact Improvisation, Tao/Tantra, Vodou, Mask, Psychomagic, Art, Sacred Sexuality and Breathwork. https://www.facebook.com/groups/divine.ridiculous Chloe Wykes: artist, alchemist and bodyworker - researcher of creative practices and the healing arts. I explore harnessing balance, nurturing ebb and flow and play with juicy crafts and the wild elements. I use the voice, movement, touch and art expression woven with ritual and worship to support the unveiling of rich life forces, the self and pleasure: "At Clayos I will lead us on a journey with voice. We will explore our bodies as instruments, feeling how they resonate and purr. We will deepen into the power of our own sound, finding our mating call and our cry, and then, coming together in voice, we will feel the power of tribe and our primal roar. We will dance this with the nature and embodiment of the Tarot and the clay to delve into deep, earthy places." Achim Burkard traveled Europe for 14 years, joining various Ecovillages and Eco-projects with his vintage fire engine and circus caravan. In 2000 he found a paradisic place where he initiated „Valle de Sensaciones“. Even if many participants project got inspired to change their lifes, Achim aimed for a more effective contribution to social change. In 2010 he stepped into the IT team of the Global Ecovillage Network and started to develop a global platform to provide inspiration and knowledge about sustainable living and offer effective tools for Ecovillage creation. Working in the context of this vibrant global network inspired him to develop the concept of "Ecovillage laboratories", based on the experience of 12 years running Valle de Sensaciones, to hopefully inspire the creation of a variety of similar projects around the globe.