Lars Schmidt, natural thinker and activist, dance, performance and visual artist, improviser, permaculture designer, gardener, facilitator and teacher
Currently based in Gent, Belgium.
Lars has worked internationally as actor for film and TV, as acting coach and director.
His main acting teacher and mentor was Susan Batson, for whom he worked as longtime assistant and as acting instructor in her studio in New York City.
Other actors and teachers he had the pleasure to be studying with are Marcia Haufrecht and Elisabeth Kemp. All of his former teachers are life-time members of The Actors Studio in New York and have been faculty of the New School of Social Research NY.
In dance and bodywork his path led from classical and modern dance training to post modern dance forms like Contact Improvisation and Butoh, as well as to the inquiry of a variety of somatic practices, Body Mind Centering and Tango – using cultural centers like New York, Berlin and Buenos Aires as source of inspiration and input.
Following a call to gain knowledge and skills about basic needs of food and shelter, he has spent several years living and working on organic farms and with shepherds in France, Italy and Norway, and with studies of applied ecological design (Diploma of Applied Permaculture Design).
He has created and curated interdisciplinary projects like 'Art, Ecology & Education' in Berlin, and facilitated workshops linking the performing arts, somatic and nature awareness with contemplative understanding.
Being an advocate and activist for nature protection and regeneration, he has created wildlife gardens and conducted research in animal behavior and communication, as well as in different fields of traditional craftsmanship and land use.
Pursuing a deepening engagement in the practice and art of improvisation and listening and its translation and formulation as life practice, he plays concerts in the context of experimental music and sound art and organizes happenings integrating experimental arts, performance and improvisation.
He also works within the realm of painting, photography and sculpture and holds a Masters in Fine Arts and Performance from Glasgow School of Art.
Lars is a member of the International Ecoart Network and has given lectures in the university context on the role of art in times of crisis.
CV on demand
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photo: Delia Spatareanu