Teach Yourself to Fly (2024)
Art ateliers / anthropology / performance / sound / photography
As part of the Création en Cours residency by the Ateliers Médicis
École élémentaire José Barau. Sainte-Suzanne, La Réunion
Teach Yourself to Fly is a multifaceted project rooted in the rich ecosystem and multiculturalism of La Réunion. Grounded in the biophilia hypothesis, it investigates the innate human instinct to connect with nature. Through expeditions across the island and exchanges with local communities—from urban settings to remote wilderness—I engaged with agents of sustainable development and learned about local folklore, daily life, and culinary traditions. I recorded soundscapes of birdsong, tropical storms, and omnipresent bodies of water, alongside analog photographs and written observations.
A central component of the project involved workshops with 10-year-old students, drawing on Pauline Oliveros’ Sonic Meditations (1971), which cultivate self-awareness and emotional health through listening and collective music-making, as well as sensorial movement improvisations from my studies at the Beaux-Arts de Paris and the Centre National de la Danse. These experiments were enhanced by layering loops of our voices with the surroundings, creating “sound ecosystems” through the lens of the children’s habitat.
Supported by educational site visits focused on conservation, these practices fostered a growing sense of care for the local biodiversity. The residency affirmed art as a powerful tool for ecological engagement and strengthened my role as an advocate for these urgent issues.