about

Cristina Viviani was born in Santiago, Chile. She grew up immersed in translation speaking Spanish, German and English at home. She studied French in high school. Her family lived in Germany before moving to Canada in 1970. In 1985 she studied architecture in Japan and returned home to face severe culture shock. After living in Kyoto, very little of the Western world made sense in relation to the life perspective she had found in Japan. Since then she has lived with one version or another of the Tao Te Ching as a guide, sanctuary and companion. 

Cristina is the translator of a new rendition of the Tao Te Ching. She is also the author and photographer of the book Tafoni, Natural Design of Weathered Stone, has written two poetry manuscripts and her poems have been published in numerous literary magazines. She has won design awards, distinctions, and currently teaches intuitive dance classes. She is a keen observer, inquirer, and explorer of what it means to be human in the midst of nature’s miraculous ongoing unfolding. 

Cristina holds a Bachelor of Architecture and an Interdisciplinary Masters of Fine Arts. Over the years, she has completed writing studios and certificates, dance workshops including Soul motion, 5-Rhythms, Butoh, Authentic Movement, and dance therapy training. She has taught ceramics, graphic design, and currently facilitates intuitive dance sessions.  

She has won design awards and arts grants. Her creative work has been published, exhibited and sold in galleries. She is the author of the book Tafoni Natural Design of Weathered Stone and Cristina’s poetry has been published in CV2, The Fiddlehead, Room, Event Poetry and Prose, Emerge 15, and in chap books Bone and Vertigo West. She has two poetry manuscripts in circulation for a publisher and a modern translation of the Tao Te Ching, which is now available through Amazon. Currently, she is working on a new collection of contemplative poems.

Poetry and dance, in one form or another, have been connecting threads throughout her creative path. As with her life, her creative work is intuitive and series oriented; by listening and following her inner source of inspiration, muse or intuition, the end result is always unexpected and surprising. 

Since childhood, her imagination has been nourished by the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Life experience, observing and walking in nature, cooking with a poetic licence, and free-flowing dance are the seeds and roots of her contemplative poetry, intuitive dance and creativity.