Notes

I just had a dream of a new lichen engagement inspired by the EPA. Their instructions are clear and accessible. They are simple. I dreamed of the snow on the patio and a front page with it. There are options for different ways of engagement, and instructions. Participants choose which protocol to contribute to. Various protocols include:

Lichen Dance:
Walk among the lichen, or dance among them or crawl among them. How does your body shift? What sort of choreography is required to adapt to them? In my dream I had such a beautiful vision. Maybe I should rest more.

Speaking of rest, this is another protocol.
Rest with the lichen.
Find a patch where you can lie for some time, or sit in a still position. Whisper to the lichen around you, expressing your intention to rest with them. Set a timer on your phone. Try 7 minutes or longer, and set the volume to low.
While resting, notice your breath and desires.

After timer rings:
What do you see? How does your body feel? Allow yourself to get up slowly and move around, letting the lichen time linger in your body.

More info:
Lichen grow less than a millimeter per year. They are also don't age, and are one of the oldest living organisms. How can resting be a way of experiencing lichen time?




Find a place you haven't been to yet or, find a new perspective, a new angle, and a new level. Bring drawing supplies. What patterns do you see on this patio landscape? What other life forms? Where are the lichens?

Get close to a lichen assemblage, allowing comfort in your body. Sketch an outline. Where do the lichen end? Are they wet or dry? What counts as one lichen?

More info:
What you are drawing an outline of a lichen Thallus. This is the body of the lichen, seemingly one contained world. A much closer look would reveal a symbiosis (the word was invented to describe lichen) between algae and fungi, as well as cyanobacteria. This is a whole world!

>>> I want a separate place for observational sketches, for diagrams to be posted and shared<<<

Air
Acknowledge the air space of the terrain. How might air be moving? What is it carrying with it? Bend down to a lichen that catches your eye. Breathe>>> Offer it your CO2 and accept its oxygen.
>>>Have video of leaf blowing in corner on loop<<<

Water
Bring a water bottle. Find a crack with tentacle lichen and slowly drip some water.

Examine through a crack
Take pictures and upload them
Whisper to the lichen
Research the bricks

Think outside: What is this space? When was it constructed? How can we rethink the way we care for it and the life that inhabits it?

Lichen photoshoot.
Position camera close to lichen. Hold down where you want to focus, then decrease exposure.

What about option for people off campus?

Section for WWL: World Wide Lichen!

I also should provide my own research into lichen and share resources, right?
Note: BEAUTIFUL thing is how EPA encourages participants to bring care to their actions while they do them. This really really deepens and heals me in different ways.

Photoshoot: Here's how you do it, and while you do it, bring care, love, and kindness. Show affection. Flirt and show gratitude. Whisper to the lichen and your own body as well. That's it! Go between seeing through camera and seeing without. How does the device/lens help you come closer and connect to the lichens? How does it distance you? Express affirmations and gratitude, thank the lichens for letting you take a picture of them.
Examine photos: What do the photos/videos reveal? How does this way of seeing feel in your body?

>>> Get low and close to a lichen with your camera. How close can you get before the focus blurs? Play with focus and exposure levels as you take photos and videos. Go between seeing through camera and seeing without. How does the device/lens help you come closer and connect to the lichens? How does it distance you?
Express affirmations and gratitude, thanking the lichens for letting you take a picture of them. Whisper and flirt.

Update: Crawling is a kind of dance. As is walking. It doesn't have to be a dance. Also, bring warm clothes and gloves just in case.

Today has been a glorious day. As I sit and type in the warmth, snow gently billows around, landing on the lichen and melting on their tongues. I'm mesmerized.

Oh my goodness. What a gift it would be, invitation to rest with lichen. I love the simple accessibility of this project. Vocal meditations tend to have a certain strict precious seriousness, but this feels timeless and accessible. Like the writing of the score. Sometimes removing voice might offer more space for interpretation and engagement.

Where do the lichen end?

Maybe they find a particular lichen, and bond with them?