Erin Single
Media artist, designer, educator
Project 01
Snail dance
Video installation and performance
Year: 2026
Performance documentation.
June 2026
Audience watching the video installation and performer.
Snail dance
Live performance and single-channel video installation, dimensions variable
Duration: 9 minutes 51 seconds, loop
How can we shift from an extractive relationship with minerals to a regenerative one by fostering care, community, and connection with nature? Snail dance was the output of a month-long residency in the Orobic Alps in northern Italy in response to the theme: Minerals: Our (in)organic Roots.
This work was created with the support of the Nature, Art & Habitat Residency in Val Taleggio, Italy, and Middle Georgia State University.
Snail shell found during fieldwork in Val Taleggio, Italy.A character-based site-specific performance both live and on screen was developed in response to the entanglement of minerals within all aspects of life in the valley.Snail found on a hike in Val Taleggio. Calcite is the primary mineral found in snail shells which are made up of calcium carbonate, a chemical compound also found in limestone.Snail mucin is popular in beauty products for its moisturizing and protective properties. (Rashad, M., Sampò, S., Cataldi, A., & Zara, S. (2025). From Nature to Nurture: The Science and Applications of Snail Slime in Health and Beauty. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 24(2), e70002. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.70002)
Still from single-channel video installation. Snail dance juxtaposes the interior emotional world of a character with the exterior physical world of her enviroment.