Spacetuning. A practice of co-becoming

ᴡᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ɢᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʀᴏᴏᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴏꜰꜰᴇʀ ᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀ ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇꜱᴘᴏɴᴅꜱ. ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ. ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴇ. ᴡᴇ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀʟʟᴇɴɢᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴇᴍʙᴏᴅʏɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴀᴘᴇꜱʜɪᴘꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴄɪᴘᴀɴᴛꜱ’ ʙᴏᴅʏ-ꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ. ᴛᴏ ʀᴇꜱᴘᴏɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇ ʀᴇꜱᴘᴏɴꜱᴇ-ᴀʙʟᴇ. ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴡᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʙᴏᴅɪᴇꜱ ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɪᴀʟɪᴢᴇ – ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ – ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ ꜱʜᴀʀᴇ ᴀ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴏꜰ ꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴛᴜɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏɴᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ, ʜᴏʟᴅ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴄʀᴀꜰᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴄᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇɴɢᴀɢᴇᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ, ꜰᴏʀ ᴏɴᴇꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀꜱ? ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ ɪꜱ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴀɴ ᴀꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ. ᴡᴇ ɪɴᴠɪᴛᴇ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏʀᴏᴜꜱ ʙᴏᴜɴᴅᴀʀʏ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇʟꜰ-ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇꜱꜱ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇ-ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇꜱꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴀʏ (ɪꜰ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴅɪᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ꜱᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ?). ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴀʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴘᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜʀꜰᴀᴄᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴇʟʟꜱ, ᴅɪᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴛᴏɴᴇꜱ ꜰɪᴇʟᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ, ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇ-ꜰᴏʀᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴜɴᴅᴀʀɪᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴛ. ɪ ᴀᴅᴅ ᴀ ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ꜱQᴜᴇᴀʟ. ʜᴇʀᴇ, ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴀʟꜱᴏ ᴏᴏᴢᴇ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ. ʀᴇ-ᴘᴀᴛᴛᴇʀɴ ʏᴏᴜ. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴛ ɪᴛ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ…?

Spacetuning. A practice of co-becoming is embodied by dance artists Helina Karvak, Joanna Kalm, Laura Kvelstein, Nele Kotli and Rasmus Stenager Jensen. 

The practice welcomes diverse forms of participation guided by an individual’s perception of the moment, while inviting awareness of one’s role as a witness, experiencer, and co-creator.

Location: ARS kunstilinnak – Stuudio 98 ja stuudio 53 

Schedule of practice room: 

10.03 3pm open space*, 4-6pm practice, 6pm open space

11.03 3pm open space, 4-6pm practice, 6pm open space

12.03 11am open space, 12-2pm practice, 2pm break, 3pm open space, 4-6pm practice, 6pm open space
13.03 3pm open space, 4-6pm practice, 6pm open space

14.03 11am open space, 12-2pm practice, 2pm break, 3pm open space, 4-6pm practice, 6pm open space

*The room is open one hour before and after practice in support of calm and gradual arrival into embodied presence and the space, affording free time for being-engaging and for becoming acquainted with the surroundings.

Spacetuning. A practice of co-becoming is based on somatic self- and other-awareness, supports embodied being-engagement and somatic sense-making, which in turn grounds the collaborative process of how the practice framework forms and is formed in relations. One of the key focuses of research and practice is response-ability – to one’s own process and to the group members as well as to spatial dynamics. Given that the body and the environment are co-emergent and in intra-active relationships, to what extent do we allow ourselves to truly participate in this co-becoming? Do we know how and dare to affect the becoming of the environment with our own processes? And to what extent is the environment (as a socio-material process) capable of considering and responding to the differences of its participants? Thus, this practice is an attempt to move beyond the invisible and silent boundary (is it real or habitual?) between oneself and space, where personal processes are kept within (to what extent is personal really personal?), and where the environment tends to perceive and respond only to a small extent. It is an attempt to move from embodied presence and awareness to engagement with – to inclusive action, response and co-becoming, where the body-self is more broadly involved. 

It is a somatic-artistic practice that is expressed in the presence, experiences and engagements of each participant – invisibly-visibly –, and calls upon differentiation and interpretation of the experience, as well as (co-)creating one’s being-engaging.

Helina Karvak, Joanna Kalm, Laura Kvelstein, Nele Kotli, and Rasmus Stenager have been practicing together since the fall of 2025, but the core of the group has been collaborating since 2022 under the name membrane tamers, referring to the ability of cell membranes to change their properties—fluidity, permeability, and structure—in relation to themselves and their environment. The group's central intention is to integrate embodied practices and somatic sensemaking with everyday life and artistic endeavours, thus bringing life and art into intimate proximity and overlap. This intention is in line with the movement of social somatics.  

In realising Spacetuning. A practice of co-becoming, the group is joined by the textile artist Juulia Aleksandra Mikson, somatic movement teacher and dramaturg Mari Märgi, and creative producer Annika Üprus, who support the development of this co-emergent practice.

Spacetuning. A practice of co-becoming is the 2nd artistic research project of Joanna Kalm’s doctoral studies at Estonian Academy of Arts. This project follows the durational and participatory performance practice Bodyplace. A room for being a body presented in 2024 at Tallinn Art Hall gallery. Kalm’s artistic research draws on somatic co- and self-regulation theory and is grounded in the organism’s capacity for self-organization—manifesting both at the level of the body-self and the group—with the aim of co-creating inclusive, body-based practices and spaces.

The project is made possible thanks to the deep commitment of the participating dance artists, and thanks to the support of the Doctoral School of Estonian Academy of Arts,  Estonian Cultural Endowment, the Estonian Artists' Association and Somaatikum. Thank you!