Learning to Relate is a two-part publication that includes an untitled photo poem and four open-ended scores or invitations. Together, they invite a more thoughtful and relational way of connecting with Amazonian Land. This creative work grows out of reflections on colonial histories that have placed humans at the center. It explores the possibilities of ecological interdependence and affective, relational ways of being.

The first part presents the photo poem. It questions the fixed and dominant story often told about the Amazon, one that views the Land in a single direction, as something to be known, used, or taken from. This way of speaking about the Land is not neutral or accidental. As Natalie R. Davis and Janelle Schaeffe explain, when we focus only on the environment’s properties and functions, we often ignore the cultural, political, and lived meanings that shape our relationship with it. These fact-based narratives tend to support systems of extraction and profit, while erasing the memory and agency of the Land itself. The poem suggests another way. It invites us to shift our words and rethink who and what we see as a subject. In doing so, we begin to recognize the Amazon as a living being with her own power, stories, and history. This includes the ongoing presence of Indigenous peoples who have long been in relationship with her and continue to protect her.

The second part, Learning to Relate: Invitations for a Creative Encounter with the Amazon, takes inspiration from Fluxus scores. These are simple, open-ended instructions that encourage reflection, experimentation, and new ways of sensing the world. The four scores in this section offer gentle prompts for connecting with the Land through affective and anti-colonial practices. They encourage participants to move away from human-centered thinking and toward more relational forms of attunement. As Fikile Nxumalo and Marleen Villanueva explain, relational affect can spark curiosity about the more-than-human world. This kind of attention helps us imagine other ways of living that interrupt colonial and universal stories about nature. These invitations offer a way to practice ecological intimacy and reciprocity, while grounding our actions in historical and ongoing relationships with the Land and its protectors, across time and across species.