On 22 October 2024, I took part in an evening programme organised by Radboud Reflects at Schemerlicht Festival in Goffertpark Nijmegen, in conversation with cultural anthropologist Catrien Notermans about ecocentrism and our place in nature.

Catrien opened the evening with insights from her research into cultures that live in close kinship with the natural world. Drawing on a cross-cultural perspective, she explored the possibility of kinship beyond the human: what it means to feel related to animals, trees, land, and rivers, and what Western societies might learn from communities that place humans alongside rather than above other forms of life.

I joined the conversation following her lecture, reflecting on Mother of Pearl and the freshwater mussel at the heart of the work. I spoke of my admiration for a species vital to river ecosystems and their remarkable capacity to filter water, as well as about pearl formation as a defence mechanism.

This event was part of my participation in Schemerlicht Festival with the outdoor edition of Mother of Pearl.