Artists: January Yoon Cho (Visual Artist) & Georgina Bates (Movement Artist) 

Duration: 3 min 30 sec

Note: Originally designed for stage with Desert Walk Video projection; adaptable to various spatial requirements.

Umbilical Walk is a live movement performance conceived by interdisciplinary artist January Yoon Cho and performed by two mother artists: Cho as Mother Earth and movement artist Georgina Bates as life force. Created through a mother-to-mother collaboration, Umbilical Walk uses the umbilical cord as a visual and performative symbol of connection. The performance examines humanity’s relationship with Mother Earth by tracing the flow of life force through movement. Gestures articulate growth, decay, and renewal, reflecting the full cycle of life and the interdependence of living systems.

Derived from Cho’s photographic work, We Have Traveled Afar from the Desert Walk Series, the performance emphasizes rhythm, relational movement, and energy, inviting audiences to consider how human life is entwined with broader ecological networks.

Media Links:

• Umbilical Walk Performance in El Barrio’s Artspace:
  https://youtu.be/0fSG0PtBqVg?feature=shared

• Desert Walk Video Projection:
https://vimeo.com/1096019645?share=copy