Creating Community Ecological Identity
Through Site-Specific Performance and Storytelling
Across the world, communities are rediscovering the profound power of creative connection to place. Through site-specific performance and storytelling, people are weaving new relationships with their local landscapes and with each other—relationships rooted in attention, care, and reciprocity. These artistic practices offer hopeful pathways toward what the Applied Eco-Arts (AEA) framework calls "Community Ecological Identity" – a shared sense of belonging to and responsibility for the living ecosystems we call home.
What is Community Ecological Identity?
Community Ecological Identity emerges when a group of people develop a collective understanding of their relationship to local ecosystems. This shared identity includes:
Recognition of the unique ecological features that define a place
Awareness of how human and more-than-human communities have interacted over time
Collective stories that embody local ecological knowledge
Shared symbols and practices that honor bioregional characteristics
A sense of mutual responsibility as stewards of local ecosystems
Unlike individualistic approaches to environmental connection, community ecological identity fosters collective engagement and action. It transforms "my backyard" into "our watershed" and "my concern" into "our responsibility."
The Power of Site-Specific Performance
Site-specific performance differs fundamentally from conventional theatrical presentations. Rather than using natural settings as mere backdrops, these performances:
Emerge from deep listening to the land itself
Respond directly to the ecological and cultural histories of a place
Invite participants to engage with their surroundings through multiple senses
Blur the lines between performers, audience, and environment
Create experiences that could not exist in any other location
When designed through a AEA lens, site-specific performances become powerful vehicles for cultivating community ecological identity by making visible the often invisible relationships between people and place.
The Role of Ecological Storytelling
Stories have always been how humans make meaning of their relationship with the natural world. Ecological storytelling:
Weaves together scientific understanding with cultural and personal narratives
Makes abstract environmental concepts tangible and relatable
Preserves and transmits traditional ecological knowledge
Creates emotional pathways for environmental connection
Offers possibilities for reimagining human-nature relationships
When communities create and share ecological stories about their specific places, they develop narrative threads that bind people to each other and to the land they inhabit.
Facilitation Principles for Community Ecological Identity Work
1. Begin with Somatic Attunement
Before introducing performance elements or storytelling prompts, create opportunities for participants to physically attune to the site through:
Silent observation using multiple senses
Guided awareness of bodily responses to environmental conditions
Simple movement explorations that respond to the landscape's features
Breath practices that connect human and ecological rhythms
Sensory mapping activities that document subjective experiences of place
This somatic foundation ensures that performances and stories emerge from direct experience rather than preconceptions.
2. Invite Multi-Vocal Site Research
Encourage participants to gather diverse knowledge about the site by:
Researching Indigenous histories and relationships with the land
Learning about geological and ecological processes that shaped the area
Collecting personal and community stories about the place
Observing more-than-human residents and their patterns
Identifying environmental challenges and regenerative possibilities
Emphasize that valid knowledge comes in many forms—scientific studies, oral histories, personal memories, and direct observation all contribute to understanding a place.
3. Create Temporal Bridges
Help participants connect past, present, and future dimensions of the site by:
Acknowledging the ancestral stewards of the land
Exploring how the landscape has changed over time
Identifying ecological patterns that persist despite human alterations
Imagining possible futures for the site based on current trajectories
Envisioning regenerative relationships that could emerge
These temporal connections situate community identity within larger ecological timeframes, fostering long-term thinking and responsibility.
4. Facilitate Embodied Narratives
Guide the development of performances and stories that engage the body as a primary vehicle for ecological knowledge:
Create movement sequences inspired by natural elements or processes
Develop site-specific choreography that responds to landscape features
Craft gestural vocabularies that embody local ecological relationships
Integrate voice and sound that harmonize with the site's acoustic properties
Design audience experiences that require physical engagement with place
These embodied approaches activate knowledge pathways beyond cognitive understanding, creating deeper ecological connections.
5. Practice Aesthetic Reciprocity
Ensure that creative work gives back to the site rather than merely extracting inspiration:
Leave no trace or create positive environmental impact
Incorporate stewardship actions within performance experiences
Design performances that reveal overlooked ecological features or relationships
Create stories that amplify the voices of marginalized human and more-than-human communities
Develop long-term artistic relationships with specific places rather than one-time events
This reciprocity transforms performance from consumption to contribution.
Best Practices: A Four-Phase Approach to Community Ecological Identity
Creating meaningful site-specific performances and stories requires a thoughtful, phased approach. Here's a practical framework that can be adapted to various communities and ecosystems:
Phase 1: Ecological Listening & Attunement (2-3 months)
Best practices for this foundation phase include:
Regular site visits at different times of day and weather conditions
Guided sensory inventories that document sounds, scents, textures, and visual patterns
Movement exercises that physically respond to landscape features
Silent observation practices to notice more-than-human activities
Research circles where participants share ecological and cultural histories
Intergenerational dialogues to capture changing relationships with place
Weather and seasonal journals that track patterns over time
Ecological mapping activities that identify relationships and connections
This phase builds the somatic and informational foundation for authentic creative work.
Phase 2: Story Emergence & Gathering (2-3 months)
During this phase, facilitate the emergence of place-based narratives through:
Story circles where participants share personal connections to the site
Site-responsive writing prompts that generate poetry, narratives, or scripts
Movement explorations inspired by ecological processes
Sound gathering using field recordings and vocal responses
Visual documentation through drawing, photography, or mapping
Collaborative creation sessions that weave individual responses together
Draft performances tested with small, supportive audiences
Feedback processes that honor the integrity of emerging work
This phase transforms individual experiences into shareable expressions.
Phase 3: Performance Integration & Refinement (2-3 months)
Best practices for developing cohesive site-specific experiences include:
Mapping the audience journey through the landscape
Identifying natural gathering spaces for performance moments
Creating transitions that maintain ecological awareness
Integrating stewardship actions within the performance structure
Developing participation invitations that engage audience members
Rehearsing with the landscape rather than despite it
Adjusting to seasonal changes as they occur
Anticipating and accommodating weather variations
Ensuring minimal ecological impact of all performance elements
This phase transforms individual creative elements into a cohesive experience.
Phase 4: Community Integration & Legacy (2-3 months)
The final phase extends impact beyond the performances through:
Community reflection circles to process shared experiences
Documentation that preserves both process and performance
Educational resources for schools and community groups
Stewardship initiatives emerging from deepened relationships
Policy advocacy informed by ecological insights
Seasonal rituals that maintain connection to place
Skill-sharing workshops that spread facilitation capacity
Public archives of stories and community ecological knowledge
Celebration events that honor all participants, human and more-than-human
The most meaningful outcome isn't the performance itself but a demonstrable shift in how participants understand and talk about their relationship with local ecosystems – from "the landscape" to "our home" and from abstract environmental concern to embodied ecological responsibility.
Facilitation Challenges and Considerations
Working with Contested Places
Many sites hold complicated, sometimes painful histories of displacement, extraction, or environmental harm. Effective facilitation:
Acknowledges multiple, sometimes conflicting narratives about place
Creates space for difficult emotions to be expressed
Avoids simplistic resolutions or false harmony
Recognizes that ecological healing often requires addressing historical injustices
Understands that different community members may have very different relationships with the same place
Balancing Structure and Emergence
While clear facilitation frameworks help participants engage meaningfully, overly predetermined outcomes can limit authentic ecological connection. Skilled facilitators:
Provide enough structure to support participation without prescribing specific responses
Remain flexible and responsive to what emerges from site engagement
Create space for unexpected discoveries and spontaneous expression
Adapt timeframes to honor the natural rhythms of place and process
Balance planned activities with unstructured exploration time
Supporting Multiple Forms of Participation
Community members bring diverse abilities, comfort levels, and cultural backgrounds to site-specific work. Inclusive facilitation:
Creates multiple entry points for engagement
Values different forms of expression and contribution
Addresses physical accessibility considerations for outdoor sites
Provides options for those uncomfortable with performance
Recognizes and honors cultural protocols related to land engagement
Measuring Impact Beyond Applause
The success of community ecological identity work cannot be measured by conventional performance metrics. More meaningful indicators include:
Shifts in language used to describe local ecosystems
New or strengthened relationships between community members
Emergence of community-led environmental stewardship initiatives
Integration of ecological stories into community gatherings and decisions
Continued site engagement after the formal project concludes
Changes in individual and collective behaviors related to local ecosystems
Beginning Your Community's Ecological Identity Journey
Ready to explore how site-specific performance and storytelling might strengthen your community's ecological identity? Consider these starting points:
Identify a significant local ecosystem that would benefit from deeper community connection
Gather a small, diverse group of interested community members
Begin with simple somatic practices that attune participants to the site
Collect initial observations and stories through accessible creative prompts
Research the site's ecological and cultural histories together
Develop small performance experiments that respond directly to place
Share the process with wider community through informal gatherings
Document emerging stories and insights in accessible formats
Identify potential pathways for ongoing engagement and stewardship
Celebrate the relationships formed with each other and with place
Transform Your Relationship with Your EcoSelf this Earth Day
Join our 22-day Applied Eco-Arts Challenge starting April 19, 2025, and discover how simple creative practices can heal both inner and outer ecosystems. Register now to receive your free guide and connect with a growing community of ecological creatives making Earth Day every day. Your journey toward deeper ecological connection begins with a single creative act—will you join us? #EarthDayEveryDay #EveryBodyEveryDay #NatureConnect365