Living archival practice and the choreographical navigations: Encounters and approaches with other-than-human persons

This article delves into the collaborative work of the interspecies dance collective, Mapped to the Closest Address (MaCA), focusing on MaCA’s living archival practice and exploration of choreography with other-than-human persons. Through encounters with various species and environments, MaCA seeks to shift anthropocentric perspectives, interrogate its orientation towards modernity and coloniality, and question its understanding/administration/entanglement/devotion of, with, and to nature. The collective’s journey, from a digital residency during the COVID-19 pandemic to site research, installations, and performance at the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2022, is documented and analyzed. The collective’s collaborative process involves relinquishing control to allow for the emergence of disobedient movements and the exploration of choreography from the perspective of other-than-human perspectives. This practice includes encounters with kudzu vines and mountains, weaving their movements and patterns into performances and installations. The authors discusses the immersive performance Turn Off the House Lights , in which MaCA integrates stories from local communities with gestures inspired by the landscape. Through the collective’s living archival practice, MaCA aims to transmit a collective memory of intra-actions among organisms and environments. and highlight the intra-connectedness of humans and the other creatures of the Earth. The article reflects on the significance of choreography beyond human-centric notions, emphasizing the emergent forms of ecological performance and the dissolution of boundaries between human and non-human realms. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives including dance, visual art, and theatre, MaCA’s work exemplifies an intra-disciplinary approach to expressing the choreography of other-than-human persons. This approach not only presents audiences with immersive experiences but also responds to the future ecosystem through artistic exploration. Ultimately, MaCA’s living archival practices contribute to awareness of the collective lives of other-than-human persons and offer insights into navigating the collective’s enmeshment with the natural world.