The Five Rings: Earth
ABOAGORA 2019 was held on August 21–23 at the Sibelius Museum in Turku. Via art and various academic disciplines, the Symposium investigated the element of “Earth” – a fundamental aspect of human life, spanning the past as well as our present situation, and our hopes for the future.
The presentations discussed of instance ecological concerns for planet earth, the empathy and animal rights, the concrete historicity of trees, forests and soil and studied identity, belonging, and being in place. The multi-disciplinary discussions illuminated the fundamental groundedness of humanity in soil and dust – as a metaphor within the arts, as a concrete evolutionary process, and as a moral demand for care and indebtedness.
The Earth
The Earths – planet Tellus, on which we live – is a fundamental aspect of human life, spanning the past, our present, and our hopes for the future. Our relationship to the element of earth has renewed its relevance and urgency today as the traces of past utilitarian and industrial centuries, combined with human greed, indifference and exploitation, have driven Gaia to despair and to the brink of collapse.
After the previous three-year thematic cycle The Threads of Fate, in 2019 Aboagora launched a new five-year thematic plan for 2019–2023 under the title The Five Rings.
The title refers to the book The Book of Five Rings, written in 1645, by Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵, c. 1584–June 13, 1645). He was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, writer and rōnin – a samurai without a master. Musashi became renowned through stories of his masterful double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 61 duels. Many consider him the greatest swordsman that ever lived. Near the end of his life, Musashi retreated to live as a hermit in a cave, to meditate and write a manual of kenjutsu, Japanese swordmanship, and martial arts. This practical book extends towards a philosophy of life, aiming at simplicity and no-nonsense. Throughout the years, it has also been read by people rethinking ways to lead or do business. The Book of Five Rings (五輪書, Go Rin no Sho) is divided into five books, each examining a different element of battle, just as there are different physical elements in life in Eastern religions. The five Aboagora symposia in 2019-2023 delved into these elements: earth, water, fire, wind and void.
Agora lectures from Aboagora 2019 are available on ABOAGORA’s YouTube channel:
Sandra Swart
Professor in the Department of History, Stellenbosch University
Animal Rites, Rights and Whites – The Politics of Animal Slaughter in South Africa
mirko nikolić
environmental humanities artist/researcher
Tino Mager
Postdoc at the Chair of History of Architecture and Urban Planning, TU Delft
Pauliina Feodoroff
Screenwriter, director and Sámi activist
Skäädsual- Skää´dsuâl- What is the Birth Story of This Age/ What Form Can an Atonement Take