“Technoshamanism: Symbiotic Techniques of Art and Healing” presented by Shanken
Symposium:
Session Title:
- Other Cosmologies (short papers)
Presentation Title:
- Technoshamanism: Symbiotic Techniques of Art and Healing
Presentation Subtheme:
- Symbiotic Imaginaries
Presenter(s):
Venue(s):
Abstract:
The term “technoshamanism” has been used to refer to a broad range of social and cultural manifestations, including healing modalities and spiritual rituals, rave culture and electronic dance music (EDM), and various digital arts practices. I take technoshamanism to join together a combination of traditional shamanic technologies with emerging technologies based in silicon (dry), biology (wet) and hybrid (moist), all in the service of healing and sustaining life. This paper explores how contemporary artists pursue expanded forms of consciousness by symbiotically combining technoscientific tools and shamanic techniques. As this area of artistic practice remains a nebulous and undefined proposition, I describe some key artistic monuments to help demarcate this amorphous arena. Today there is no greater artistic calling, no greater aesthetic necessity than helping to heal and preserve Earth’s biodiversity for posterity. Technoshamanism, I propose, is a potent strategy to move in that direction.
