Songs from the Compost: mutating bodies, imploding stars

Songs from the compost: mutating bodies, imploding stars is a poetic and hypnotic exploration of non-human forms of consciousness. Inspired by the works of the science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler and the biologist Lynn Margulis, the film blends song, choreography, and performance to explore the various symbiotic relationships that can be found in the forest.

The importance of interspecies relationships is emphasized in this space where death becomes a transformative process. As trees and human bodies sink into the forest floor, they decompose into nutrients that nourish moss, fungi, insects, bacteria and other life forms. This cyclical process paints a picture of a constant transition between life and death, demonstrating the necessity of intertwined networks between human and non-human.

Bridging visual and performing arts, Eglė Budvytytė approaches movement and gesture as technologies for a possible subversion of normativity, gender and social roles and for dominant narratives governing public spaces. She delves into the persuasive power of collectivity, vulnerability and the fluid relationships between bodies, the public and environments.