Deep Gazing

The Sisters of the Celestial Order of Nephology is an interdisciplinary performance project by Horizon Factory (Erin Hill and Nina Vroemen). Formed in 2019 during a dance residency at Studio 303 (Montreal), the project takes the shape of a fictive religious order: two blue-cloaked atmospheric nuns devoted to the study of clouds and the ephemeral narratives they generate. Through this speculative framework, the Sisters engage with uncertainty, attunement, and ecological interdependence.

Central to the project are the practices of Deep Gazing and Scrying. Deep Gazing, a term coined by the Sisters and inspired by Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening, invites participants to attune to their environments through attention to the sky, bridging cloud identification and forecasting with embodied, sensorial, and intuitive modes of knowing. Complementing this, the Sisters practice Scrying—the art of prophesying through gazing—with the sky, identifying messages and meanings in the clouds beyond the art of forecasting. A storm does not end, but continues to move, to shift, and influence other systems. Together, these practices treat weather as a relational network, offering tools for cultivating intimate, personal connections to climate, community, and place. Working across performance, installation, workshops, and writing, Deep Gazing and Scrying are both artistic and pedagogical tools for thinking through life within complex, interconnected systems.

The 45 minute performance takes place outdoors beneath the celestial sphere. The Sisters will have scouted a path with specific viewpoints, and will guide audience members between the chosen landmarks. The performance is accompanied by an audio piece (English, French) and the audience listen through headphones, allowing audience to move or lay down, stay close or stray far from the performers. The experience ends with a collective Scrying practice and participants are invited to share what they've gleaned from the clouds.