In February 2020 we selected contemporary dance artist Daniel Navarro Lorenzo as recipient of our 2-day micro-residency to support and further develop his solo piece: a fragile geography: PLACES.

What does nature mean to us? What do we remember of nature in the urban landscapes of streets, museums, and parks? What will we remember in the future when all nature is artificial?

Daniel's residency at the Barn

My time at the Barn has been really productive and beneficial for me and my work. The Barn, and its views across the landscape inspired me to develop and incorporate new ideas into my project: PLACES.

The setting, as well as the ethos of the Barn itself, was such a great fit for my work which aims to examine issues to do with nature and the environment, so it was easy to get inspired. The challenge I set myself for the two days was to recap my existing material and make some changes to some of the movement as well as to create a totally new section. I also wanted to use the micro-residency to show my work and get feedback.

I loved having the opportunity to work with the team at the Barn and share my work - making connections like these are so important for me, especially as I am still finding my way in my new home here in Scotland. It was great to feel so welcomed and be provided this platform - I felt so much support!

The solo I was working on, PLACES, is one of a number of pieces I have been developing as part of a much bigger project called A fragile geography, which also includes a duo and a group piece.

I have two upcoming residencies in March where I will continue working on the duo entitled STATE, which I hope will then allow me to develop a project involving more dancers. It is a project which I have had in mind since I moved to Scotland a year ago from Asia - it has been hard work to get to this stage but I feel things are progressing well and I hope that I will be back at the Barn in the near future when I am ready to showcase my entire project.