Embodied Landscapes

Embodied Landscapes is a multidisciplinary art film created by artists Jessalyn Finch, Mary Mailand Schlichting, and Laura Sukowatey. Blending contemporary dance, sculpture, drawing, and cinematic storytelling, the film explores the inner terrain of identity, memory, and transformation. Through movement and visual imagery, the work invites viewers to consider the relationship between the body, the environments we inhabit, and the beliefs we carry about ourselves.

The film follows a wandering figure moving through shifting landscapes, guided by an otherworldly presence. Sculptural forms, evolving drawings, and choreographed movement act as visual metaphors for the layers of perception that shape how we experience our bodies and our lives. As the environments change, the figure confronts distortion, resistance, and release, revealing the quiet resilience that emerges through awareness and understanding.

Embodied Landscapes was filmed across five locations in Minnesota and created by a three-woman team spanning visual art, choreography and filmmaking. Together, the artists merge their disciplines to transform traditional artistic boundaries, creating a contemplative and immersive viewing experience. At its core, the film asks how we might reconnect with ourselves, physically, emotionally, and creatively, in a world that often encourages disconnection.

2026