Dancer crouches nude behind a tree stump bending forward so all you see is their spine and a hand placed on their back with the fingers pointing upwards. There is leaves and bark at the base of the stump and a black background behind.

Dance stands behind a tall pine tree amongst a forrest their body is not visible and they have one arm reaching left and one leg reaching right.

Performer is dancing on a dune with green bushes behind them and native grasses at their feet. They are in a lunge facing away from camera with have one arm raised and their hair blowing in the wind.

Biophilia

• Dance

South Australia • Australian Premiere

This immersive multidisciplinary photography and movement installation work explores humans’ relationship with and innate affinity to the natural world. Specifically, the Biophilia hypothesis, which suggests that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. It is a visceral experience through the eyes of Fern Mines and Ahlia Sanders, two young artists growing up experiencing climate anxiety. Prompting viewers to look inwards and consider their relationship to the natural world within today’s fast paced and consumption driven society. Highlighting that humans are not separate from the earth but live and breathe in the world like every other organism, connected to the web of nature in infinite ways.

Presented by: Fern Mines

Fern Mines and Ahlia Sanders, are emerging artists from the Fleurieu Peninsula collaborating across respective disciplines of dance and photography. Having both grown up on the beautiful coastline around Aldinga we share a passion for conserving the world around us. Fern brings her skills as a dance artist and choreographer, as well as the experience she gained working on films in her BA in Dance at WAAPA completed in 2021. As a photographer with an extensive portfolio of raw and nostalgic images Ahlia captures Fern’s movements in stunning environments in a mesmerising way.