Corey Datu Watanabe
A New Grounding
Can we grieve ecological loss, while also embracing the gifts of the new? Through a cultural reframing of our relationship with invasive species, A New Grounding asks how collective ritual may serve as a vehicle to heal through and embrace the trials and tribulations of ecosystem change. My thesis proposes a series of collective rituals which occur at the ecotone between the Phragmites australis and the salt marsh which transition the community through the stages of healing post climate catastrophe. From mourning and despair, to acceptance and courage, to joy and celebration, this thesis sees the ritual process of healing through climate loss as the root of a new joy, and resilience amidst the void of our climate uncertain reality.
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