Lumazen Yoga and ADSS present Language N’ Motion: Poetic Movement Expressions

An artistic coincidence

Had Tima Ozen of Lumazen Yoga not been leading a spring yoga and journaling event at the Philadelphia Small Works Gallery during the final days of Armstead Dickerson’s Versescape installation, the two might have not connected. Ozen’s largely self-guided class took place across three different rooms in the gallery, with space for participants to explore independently. Between poses, attendees were actively drawn to Armstead’s immersive poetry environment, adding responses to prompts on “textual tapestries” or a typewriter.

Ozen took note. She began to wonder if the two might purposely create something together.

“With yoga specifically, a lot of my focus is on making it accessible,” Ozen said. Another Lumazen Yoga class incorporates custom tea blends for attendees to sip throughout. “I really find joy in bringing yoga to different audiences, people who might’ve not done it before, and creating a safe space for them.”

Experiential Language Architecture

A poet, storyteller and self-described “language architect,” the artist Armstead is founder of the creative platform ADSS, which stands for All Different Shapes + Sizes. In an effort to make art and poetry more immersive, Armstead developed the creative practice of Experiential Language Architecture.

“The idea is building experiences with words. Maybe a novelist would use words to create a world on a page. I use words, space and experience to create an environment that people can walk around in,” Armstead explained.

Since the beginning, it’s been about creating an experience, even on the page. Armstead has always loved writing and began journaling purposefully during the pandemic, casually sharing some work. Early readers noted the structured nature of Armstead’s poems and intentional use of negative space.

Now, Armstead’s creations incorporate multiple forms of engagement, and planned upcoming work will combine photography, poetry and audio.

Reflecting on the journey

Language N’ Motion: Poetic Movement Expressions is “a new form of embodied storytelling,” according to its creators, and hopefully the start of further collaborations. Over the course of two hours in Clark Park, Ozen will lead attendees through gentle poses. Guided reflection questions woven throughout will blend the yoga practice with poetic experience.

Notably, participants will be invited to write directly on their mats with permanent markers. “We’re creating something new, having folks unlock the stories within them and inscribe those stories on their mats, so that mats are like a personal map of their own experiences,” Armstead said. And while the experience inherently calls on attendees to engage in multiple creative practices, the focus is on slowing down, reflecting and allowing insights to emerge.

“It’s not about creating the perfect pose, it’s not about writing the perfect answer. It’s about honoring what arises in the moment,” Ozen said.

Featured image: Tima Ozen of Lumazen Yoga and Armstead Dickerson of ADSS will collaborate to bring an interactive yoga and poetry experience to Clark Park. (Photo by Lumazen Yoga and ADSS.)

Image description: Two people sit cross-legged in the grass by a tree during the day, looking peaceful.