Linh Le

Terra Multorum – Land of the Many is a site-specific performance installation which recognizes the many species who inhabit an area. 

“Terra Multorum” is a response to the term “Terra Nullius” which means “No Man’s Land.” The idea that the land does not belong to or is inhabited by anyone was and is still used as a way to legitimize the colonization of areas and the extraction of resources.

An area is always inhabited by many species even though we sometimes do not notice them or pretend they do not exist.

I collect materials like stones from the site, write the names of species who live in the area on each stone and form circles with the stones in the landscape. I activate the installation with slow and repetitive movements, poetic reading and communal actions.

The installation is a space for reflection and a tribute to the land of the many species.

The performance installation was developed during Metropolis Performing Landscapes Aalborg 2023.

Terra Multorum – Land of the Many has been performed on several locations in the context of:

Bornholms Kulturuge Sværd-Skovlilje, Kultippen, coal waste, 2024

CopenhAustin Residency Bats, MoHA & WH9, Austin, Texas, 2024

Stien til Sydbjerget KIN Festival Sydhavn Teater, Sydhavnstippen, a former waste area, 2023

Non-Stop Metropolis Performing Landscapes, Refshaleøen, an old shipping yard, 2023

Kalkland Metropolis Performing Landscapes Aalborg, Mjels Kalkværk, an active chalk pit, 2023

Feature photo: Hans Ravn