the final gatherings on TRACES WE LEAVE thinks deeply about our impact – materially, socially, environmentally and otherwise – on each other and mother earth, by considering our ethical, moral and material responsibilities. zayaan’s melodic provocation titled spectacular entanglements in the rooted spaces explored an intricate dance between motherhood, ecology, and creative acts. Through her deeply personal yet ecologically resonant storytelling that illuminated every choice—from nurturing a garden to raising children—as a cyclical process of impact and restoration, she calls for a shift toward gentler, more restorative ways of being in the world

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using human-made scars like gold mine tailings and agricultural grids io challenge the permanence and wastefulness of traditional art practices, io offers the pursuit of creative practice that leaves ‘no trace’. she envisions a future where human creativity blends harmoniously into natural cycles as she creates mud balls, brimming with microbial life. miliswa’s speculative and evocative reconstruction of the tragic shipwreck of the san josé through the lens of the drowned child slaves provoke us to challenge colonial frameworks and reconsider how we memorialize history. her imaginative use of sand and mycelium conjures narratives of reclamation, erasure, and the natural world’s healing processes. langelihle's chosen medium is food, and she presents culinary traditions as multi-sensory archives that connect us to home, culture, and community. we are challenged to view food beyond sustenance, as a personal and collective act that links to memory, displacement and resilience. Finally, meghan’s sonic interlude explores how tangible and intangible traces are left, preserved, and transformed through artistic, ecological, and personal practices. she evokes profound reflections on transformation, surrender, and the interconnectedness of life and environment, mirroring the constant flux of life and its weighty, invisible traces

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together, the speakers wove together micro-gestures of care with vast ecological and historical questions, underscoring that the marks we leave are never singular—they resonate across time and space

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