11 November, 2024
Spoken word artist Lev Avitan at the Annual Summit #BbN24
To celebrate our 2024 Annual Summit, Built by Nature commissioned Lev Avitan - a spoken word artist, political philosopher, and theater writer. Lev’s work delves deeply into themes of radical love, care, and healing.
We are excited to share the unique piece Lev performed at the event, inspired by the strategy, mission, and networks of Built by Nature. Note: This piece is written for performance and is shared here with the explicit agreement of the artist
Text:
today, we gather not just as builders,
not just as planners or thinkers,
but as stewards of a different kind of future
we have assembled bold strategies and ways,
that go against the grain, where we ply; we shape;
expand our frame, to lay a foundation that
breathes and regenerates
we have come together, to draw up a vision, a deal
one that doesn’t rise in just concrete or steel,
but is rather replenished by materials
provided by our very own planet
where we make shelter from timber
nestle deep within it, imagine cities where walls are living
and buildings grow with the same patience
as the ancient forests they’re born from
we explore to move forward; turn away from what depletes
towards a place where every beam, every finish,
every floorboard is extension of our mission
today, we aim for something huge, something different,
embark on a shift in perception, into making earth-friendly
construction the standard
today, we plan for something enduring
something that spans generations, where we read the growth rings
and notice we are surrounded by those who tended to us
so that tomorrow, we can see what it means to build by nature
leap beyond innovation, a rooted reminder that
progress can harmonize with preservation
a seamless design, lined with stuff from our surroundings
coming full circle, as we realize that value is found in
the very things that has been right in front of us
imagine homes made from grasses, seaweed and flax
from fungi, mycelia, algae and hemp
from all sort of woods made into planks
imagine a role for bacteria at that
imagine giving back in the same cycle as taking
imagine supporting rather than just draining
imagine providing rather mere receiving
imagine not just capturing, but also releasing
imagine investing - seeing profit in a plethora of ways
imagine connecting- a network extending its range
imagine sharing - knowledge granted its stage
imagine sustaining – towards a flourishing age
but this future, as close as we may be, necessitates
the realization that we are deeply entangled with everything
that lives
so the question remains: are we ready to commit
to our relationship to life, in the broadest sense of the word
and nurture ourselves in the same breath
as we nurture our world