The idea of artificial intelligence does not hold my interest. It seems cold and lifeless compared to the presence of the tangible, breathing, libidinous intelligence of the wild world–one which has given birth to innumerable forms which experience real life through sensorial bodies, a living intelligence so intelligent that it found a way to marvel at the sight of itself gazing up at the mountain through me.
Seen across the street, he catches your attention. Strawberry blonde lynx chops (yes lynx) frame his face. He's stylish - he's got something different going on – you can feel it, but you can't place it. He crosses the street, meets your eye, and says hello. His voice is deep and calming, and many refer to it as soothing. This part is important and we'll come back to it later. The part you need to know right now is that you feel safe and seen by this absolute stranger.
Robert E. Livingood is an artist whose dedication and connection to spirit is steadfast, and this publication idea may never have sprouted without his presence in my world. Over the years Robert has supported my connection to the unseen and encouraged my exploration of both my art and my inner landscape. He also introduced me to grizzlies, wolverines and lynx, and for all of this I am deeply grateful. Please join me in shining a light on this incredible human, skilled artist, and soulful creature.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Robert E. Livingood had a childhood steeped in wild experiences. The seventh and youngest child of a single mother, he was surrounded by his older siblings and the varied art and culture that each delved into. From opera to punk and new wave, Robert was exposed to it all, and it helped him cultivate an interest in the vast landscape of human experience, particularly in the experiences that left him feeling the most alive. By his early twenties, art, activism, and grizzly bears had become the main ways Rob connected to his sense of what he terms wildness – to his sense of spirit.
Robert has spent his entire adult life following grizzlies. He moved out west in his early twenties to be closer to them, and then proceeded to become a Grizzly Biologist in order to spend more of his waking life around them. Now most spring and early summer afternoons, you can find him following their tracks through the mountains and valleys surrounding Nelson, British Columbia. He refers to himself as a 'grizzly devotee'. The bear is Robert's totem - his name, Robert, even means 'son of bear', but the bear is also his guide and his friend. Working and living alongside them for over twenty seven years, Robert has had many loving and profound experiences with them. Every encounter leaves him in awe of their power and their gentleness. They are always on his mind and in his heart, their energy and medicine are in everything he creates, and his time spent around these god-like creatures is what helps a stranger feel safe around him.
Livingood is a storyteller. If you've met him, you've probably heard one of his stories about an otherworldly encounter with a grizzly. He knows the power a story can have because he's also a writer - one with a lyrical and soothing cadence to his prose. When speaking about his process, he says he never truly knows where the writing is going, he only knows where it will start - by noticing the details of the environment he's in. Every piece of writing transports you to a detailed landscape and then gently takes your hand and leads you on a sensorial journey into the unknown. He's always intrigued by where it takes him and how it often it loops back around in a predictably unpredictable way. 'Every art form has its own way of communicating' he often says. I've felt this too, the difference in the way a painting lets me know where it's going versus a piece of writing; I can literally see a new color on the canvas before it's even been mixed. Writing is more mysterious, especially if you allow it do its nonlinear thing. Robert does. He lets it lead him into the wilderness.
Standing on the river bed, listening to the sound of flowing water, imagining glacial wisdom being whispered to cobble as it tumbles from the high mountains. I dip my finger into the channel to include myself in the conversation. I love being surprised by feeling the sudden pressure of an eagle’s wings flapping twenty feet overhead, or the primal humility that rushes over me whenever a grizzly emerges from behind the cover of trees, but I also love this–the potency of unmitigated sensation, more authentic than an unfiltered photograph, the simple, sensorial, sharpness of the water’s cold.
Where writing is more of a journey that the unseen is leading him on, photography is a mouth-agape acknowledging and honoring of the beauty of nature. Robert's images are minimal yet deep, pleasing and yet somehow haunting. He has an eye for color combinations that calm the nervous system, and compositions that remind us of the enormity of the landscape. Water and Rock (first image) juxtaposes solid rock and still waters with the mud-churning rush of a creek. It speaks of yin and yang, of action penetrating receptivity.
I have always loved what are known as ecotones. These are the margins where distinct ecological zones meet - for example coastal estuaries where the terrestrial combines with the marine. It is in these places that I find incredible diversity, where various species (i.e. energies) inter-finger and come together in new and unexpected ways.
Way of the Forest (second image) speaks of deep winter, stillness, and dream time. The curves in the landscape combined with the almost monotone palette hold a deep sadness; a valley laden with winter's grief. Robert loves the layering of textures and colors; they speak to layers of existence – the human viewing the landscape, the forest as the “other than human”, and the mist as the “cloudy heaven.”
Volca Bear (third image) is a snapshot of the artist in his dream landscape. Grizzly tracks, battery-powered synths, and a landscape with nothing else but those two things in it. Robert sees it as a self-portrait, a minimal image that shows the use of “contemporary tools like synthesizers to give voice to what is most wild and primal”.
Although Robert has been practicing all of his art forms since he was in his early teens, he is probably best known for his music. Both an internationally known DJ and music producer in the underground scenes of new and dark wave, minimal, ambient, and post-punk. His sounds puts people at ease and create room for connection to happen and dance floors to erupt. His dance tracks invoke the spirits of cultural engineers that have inspired him since his youth in Detroit, such as Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV, and in terms of DJ style, the Electrifying Mojo. Subtle nods to those who have come before him are woven into his synth sounds and vocal samples, while at the same time he's found his own edge to explore and cultivate. Released on international labels like Ombra INTL out of Berlin and Underground Pacific, out of California, Robert might now be known as a cultural engineer in his own rite.
Ombra - Berlin
Robert's more ambient soundscapes are created from audio recordings of natural phenomena, as well as by recording live in wild landscapes on tiny battery-powered synthesizers (again see third image above). Responding to the climate, weather, landscape and the wild creatures whose home he's visiting, he creates these assuasive although sometimes eerie pieces. Tones and melodies cross a line between music and what sounds like voices of the land. It's as though Robert is hollowing himself out to become a conduit for the most earthly of sonic messages. These pieces are utilized as soundscapes for multiple public gallery installations, as companion pieces to paintings designed for meditation, and have been released on music labels like Dead Channel out of Louisville, KT.
https://deadchannelrecords.com/track/courtship-ritual
Wildness and beauty are inextricably linked in Robert's work. One cannot exist without the other. They are his compass, and they have led him to some incredible landscapes, rich experiences, and a sense of deep connection and love. Thank you for sharing your love of both with us, Robert.
If you are interested in hearing more of Robert E. Livingood's music and DJ mixes, head to his Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/robertlivingood
Connect with Robert and see more of his photography on Instagram at @robert.e.livingood
Read more of Robert’s writing on his Substack:
Images in the order they are posted:
Water and Rock, 2021
Way of the Forest, 2021
Volca Bear, 2021
Artist in studio, 2021
If you liked this article and want to learn more about living around grizzlies, reach out to Robert! He’s love to talk to you about it. Charlie Russell’s life and work is also a great place to start:
https://charlierussellbears.com
Gay Bradshaw is a psychologist and ecologist who has been shifting the scientific lens with her work around animal trauma recovery and wildlife self-determination. To learn more about trans-species psychology, visit her website here:
Thank you for creating this space for us all to share this side of our creativity and process!