Lars Schmidt, wandering monk and poet, dance, performance and visual artist, experimental musician, improviser, permaculture designer and facilitator (www.passiveactivism.net)
Exploring the fundaments of cultural and spiritual matters, he often establishes transdisciplinary spaces, in order to support the emergence of a new narrative.
Formative years in New York City, Berlin and Glasgow.
Regular periods of retreated life in mountain regions of France and Norway.
Background and studies in music and the performing arts, fine arts, somatics, photography and film, ecology and anthropology.
He has worked as actor for film and TV, as acting coach and director.
His main acting coach and mentor was Susan Batson, for whom he worked as longtime assistant and as acting instructor in New York City.
In dance and bodywork his path led from classical and modern dance training to working with postmodern dance forms (mainly Contact Improvisation), tango and in situ performances.
He is an advocate and activist for nature protection and regeneration, creating wildlife gardens and pursuing research in animal behavior and communication, as well as in different fields of traditional craftsmanship and land use.
He holds a diploma of Applied Permaculture Design (applied ecological design) and has worked and lived with shepherds and on organic farms in France, Italy and Norway.
His artistic work meanders through the fields of music and sound art, photography, film and visual arts, poetry and performance.
He holds a Master of Fine Arts and Performance from Glasgow School of Art.
As facilitator and curator he aims at building bridges towards indigenous and Eastern understanding, linking vision and practice, knowing and creating.
Lars has lived, worked and taught in major cities like New York, Paris, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Barcelona or Oslo.
He is a member of the International Ecoart Network.
Being a practitioner of Zazen meditation since many years, he has also inquired into the Theravada and Tibetan branches of Buddhism, as well as the philosophies of the Vedanta.
CV on demand
Get in touch at: info (at) contemplative-arts.org