Andrea Haenggi
Fond of diversity, artist, dancer, choreographer, and activist Andrea Haenggi creates a bold and marvelous connection between the awareness of today’s ecosystem with her passion clearly shown throughout her purpose and works. A native of Switzerland with a vast amount of courage. Andrea Haenggi has shown the world the capabilities of displaying the false realities of Earth’s system with a reality she portrays of her own and preaches others to come and follow.
With a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Research Practice from the University of Plymouth to co-founding an establishment of her own; the Environmental Performance Agency (EPA), Andrea Haenggi has her motives set to awakening the true meaning of Earth’s systems through social art and practices of movement that integrate her unique dance background art perspective. One of Andrea’s most likings is the art of dancing, a Swiss Canton Solothurn Dance winner with being an analyst in Certified movement with her cooperation with the Laban Institute of New York; she intertwines diverse factors to make her vision of the Earth as transparent as she can.
EPA: Environmental Performance Agency
Andrea Haenggi, the co-founder of the EPA and it’s an infamous value compared to the actual EPA, investigate the endless possibilities of eco-social art. The group’s persona and overall theme are to change the typical constructed method of thinking of the earth and to demonstrate the narrative of the earth’s system may differ significantly from one may believe. Still, an ongoing project of Andrea’s, the birthplace of this project, is fascinating and intriguing. The question was proposed, what is the world beyond humans, beyond humanity? As well as the question of the possibilities of knowledge that could be gathered from diverse urban plants to the extent where it may lead answers and conclusions to issues today, of the social and ecological crisis. With a group of artists, the EPA was born.
With its commencement in the year 2017, Andrea’s goal was to retaliate and create a more verbal and robust response to show the importance of the actual EPA funding. With its decline in funds, Andrea and fellow artists saw this also as an opportunity to formulate this movement and contrast the usual method of protesting.
Weedy Islet Sensations on Stage
Andrea Haenggi presented at five myles, Brooklyn
Andrea Haenggi performing at Five Myles in Brooklyn, NY, December 2016
Courtesy of the artist
The performance piece “Weedy Islet Sensation on Stage” by Andrea Haenggi, is a choreographed act where unique plant sensations become the backbone for the performance. Andrea’s interesting alter-ego performer, Artemisia Mugwort and the Weedy Islet, glide throughout the stage in the purpose of creating a new continent just in the moment. Andrea basically touches, smells, dances, talks, and uses the audience in order to make sense to dance the thought of sensations within her inner speeches. The works explore themes such as climate change, immigration, different kinds of feminism, and interacts with numerous complications that blur the lines between the female performer, the plants and the audience.
Decors. She got love. No point in being dramatic.
Courtesy of the artist
Décors. She got love. No point in being dramatic” by Andrea Haenggi, performs a euphoric choreography that embodies the essence of an Artemisia Vulgaris, also referred to as mugwort (weed). In this trimmed 2 minute video, we see the many movements such as crawling, wailing, swinging, sitting, and dancing to resemble the life of a weed. The viewers are questioned, “Was ist das Unkraut Leben? (What is weeds life?)”. Imitating the Artemisia Vulgaris, it questions us how weeds(nature) were to act if they were to take on life. Andrea challenges themes such as global warming, freedom, justice, and appreciation toward nature, reenacting herself as a weed to illustrate how it is to fill in the shoes of an Artemisia Mugwort. Andrea Haenggi does a phenomenal job, captivating the audience with her exhilarating choreography describing the many stages of an Artemisia Vulgaris.
"Dear Artemisia,
– it stopped raining – afternoon - grey – feeling good -
I’m growing very tall and upright inside my body–stillness
What do I want from you?
Your presence – always in my memory – do you remember?
– I sensed a tug of resistance from you
–I pulled on you – to come towards my hand -
you resisted even more – in the end you gave in. –
I was standing next to the corrugated metal wall
Do you remember?
You were not alone – a Coke can gripped by your roots –
or maybe you gripped the can
deliberate, decisive, desiring, on purpose
–you surprised me
–– all the talk about Anthropocene was right in front of my eyes
– in my hand - you brought the trash to me What do I want from you?
- Nothing – nothing – or, more accurately, no thing
I know what you want? - do I? – maybe not.
I know you are a plant – first & always
I know this was brief. see you soon, my friend."
See you soon. Love,
andrea
Bibliography
“Urban Weeds As Agency Artemisia Has A Question For You” (Andrea Haenggi, 2017),3, https://weedychoreography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/mfa-506-final-andrea-haenggi.pdf