A birch-woman will walk through the streets of Olot

BarcelonaPerhaps when they leave after buying a tortell at Can Carbasseres, or when they sunbathe on the steps of the Sant Esteve church on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25, the people of Olot will suddenly come across a birch woman. Let no one be alarmed: this is an action by British artist Olana Light, invited to the capital of La Garrotxa by the Sismògraf festival. Light's performance, titled The birch tree family, is one of the most notable events in the program and seeks to generate reflections in spectators and passers-by about the bond we have with nature. Submerged in the bark of a birch tree up to her knees, the artist will become a living sculpture that will walk silently through the center of Olot, wearing high-heeled shoes.

"The idea arose during confinement, when movement was restricted and public space became very valuable. I started walking with portable sculptures and realized that the work only truly breathes when it is outdoors. In the street it becomes alive, unpredictable, and shared, it interrupts the day-to-day and offers a quiet moment of wonder," explains Light.

Light will also exhibit, until April 26, the photographic project

Light will also exhibit, until April 26, the photographic project Searching for a place to belong at the Can Trincheria space in Olot. The exhibition consists of a series of self-portraits that merge with natural elements, with the intention of blurring the line between the human body and the landscape. "I often wonder where home truly is, because I am a person who has moved numerous times. In nature, I find a borderless space, a place where I can exist without definition," highlights the artist. Her work is also permeated by femininity, which she explores primarily through the body. "I am interested in seeing what happens when the body becomes something else, when it merges with the landscape, texture, and material. I don't understand femininity as something fixed, but as fluid, elemental, and connected to cycles of growth and change. The body becomes a vessel that carries both vulnerability and strength," says Light.

Take a pause and imagine

Olana Light's works are linked to an invitation to slow down the pace of life and observe beauty without interruptions or stridency. "They are pieces that bring a sense of wonder, while reminding us of our fragile relationship with the environment and the possibility of returning to it," points out Light, who adds that each encounter with the audience "has its own reading" and that "through a playful spirit, it invites people to pause and imagine." This spirit is also what defines the Sismògraf festival, especially in this year's edition, which will take place from April 23 to 26. The director of the event, Tena Busquets, explains that they have based their programming on two concepts: walking and well-being.

"Walking is transiting, but it is also discovering, it is looking differently. Walking, in this edition, aims to share a space-time by moving the body: sometimes physically and other times, by recalling an itinerary or walking in a more philosophical way," explains Busquets. Along these lines, Sismògraf has organized, for example, a three-hour walk through a natural environment with the dancers of the show Nomadics, from the Belgian company Voetvolk, and a walk along the Fluvià river with works by Àngels Margarit, Manuel Roque, and other choreographers. In parallel, the festival aims to invite the public to become aware of their own bodies and celebrate diversity through participation and, at the same time, contemplative experience. It will do so with works such as Vortex, by the Humanhood company; Mira, by Eva Duran, and Care to carry, by Nick Steur, who will offer a walk in which participants will learn the art of carrying a stone on their head.