Muscle of Freedom

In Muscle of Freedom, you sing “saying goodbye to being human… to be creatures.” What does it mean to be human vs creature?

For me, being a creature is liberation from being human – human in the sense of being part of a gendered society, part of a problematic value system that is leading to climate collapse, and being burdened with certain expectations. Being a creature to me is also an ambitious attempt for growth as well as an attempt to extend identity towards the mystical, and become more connected to nature again – even part of it.

What do you think are the pressures or expectations of being human and their influence on shaping our identity?

For me personally, it was trying to fit in and please everyone. It meant that I didn’t take the space or time to actually get to know myself. My inside was rather muted, hidden behind a smile. It felt like there was a disconnection between my inner emotions to the outer world. The pressure of being human to me meant that I went the way, rather than go my way or search for new ways. Back then, I didn’t think it was a big problem – until it lead to illness which forced me to search and act. This journey initially was quite lonely, I didn’t really communicate the pain with my friends and family. I was probably ashamed and not ready to share the troubles and face the following projected opinions. This changed; I now have a desire to share the continuation of this transformation. Because I think, many of us feel similar and share the need to gaze into the future. And I think so does mother earth, who is clearly ill because of the way society shaped it. So yeah, I hope we grow a cross-species community (of creatures) so that we can heal together and find new ways forward!

Does imagination have the power to transform the ideas that try to shape our identity?

I’m a fan, addicted, I think it can! I mean it’s the only thing that can guide us into new futures and collective identities. What we know and think versus all that we could. Besides societal grounds that we wish to preserve, I believe the potential for better futures lies in imagination. I especially think there is a need for imagining perspectives closer to nature.

Muscle of Freedom is embodied by a mystical creature called the Octoprowess, “a fearsome huntress in structured spiked textiles, ready to capture the potential that you see on this planet.” How did you develop this character? And why Octopus?

The song of the Octoprowess (Muscle of Freedom) really hopes to manifest an empowered state of readiness, for example, the feeling inside your stomach at the moment at which you have gathered all your courage to jump off a cliff and overcome your fears.

The Octoprowess really wants this to be a collective state. This creature with their many fluide tentacles seems to be a bit like a connector, they reach out, their touch is intense and genuine, they interconnect. So the Octoprowess symbolises our ties, our chemistry and our will to collaborate. They want to build communities so we can face future challenges together.

The other characteristic I love about the Octoprowess, is how they are incredible at shapeshifting. They have an extremely soft but strong body, that can merge through the tiniest hole. By aspiring to incarnate this creature, I want to grow the joy of transformation. I want to feel my body’s potential, I want to activate my power, but I want my muscles to feel tender, vulnerable, sensitive, non-controlling.

And a third reason is my pure desire to become more oceanic, to be able to travel to its depths and move like water.

What draws you to mystical, imaginary characters?

I don’t nurture energy from the now, from who I’ve been, but instead from what I could be, who one could be. The imaginary, which I always project onto the future, is an infinite source of energy and offers me a direction for my aspirations and passions. It allows me to remain a romantic. The creatures are me trying to encompass utopian identities and intensify certain feelings by giving them a physical shape. Along with melodies, superpowers, rituals, spells and sonics, ultimately I’m working towards creating FUTURA. FUTURA is an intermediary mystical realm populated by these creatures, a kind of hybrid world in which various temporalities and realities are lived as one, with infinite room to grow.

In creating another realm, does it help you draw a clear distinction between reality and the imaginative? Would you say it helps us understand what is subconsciously placed onto us in how we “should” perceive the world?

I feel a little bit more like moss, like slime, in a swamp. I don’t feel an intuitive impulse to tune my eyes to see that clear separation. I really enjoy the feeling of it all growing into each other, entangling. FUTURA is not just a disconnected escapist project.

There are some moments though where I’m faced with the clear separation, it clashes, it’s confusing, even overwhelming, but then the clarity feels too one-dimensional, and so I quickly let the moment or situation become overgrown again.

Ultimately, maybe my attraction to create and incorporate the radical imaginative is an offer for others to see this separation with contrast – and I would be honoured if that helps us recognise some of the subconscious, in part toxic structures, hierarchies, habits, relationships.

Watch Muscle of Freedom here.