val smith (Pākehā, they/them) is a choreographic artist residing and working on the lands of Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara in Aotearoa NZ. Their work explores socio-political dimensions of queerness and transness through performance, critical somatics, and friendship-based collaboration. Recent projects address queer and trans experiences of place, belonging and togetherness: Songs with Birds (2022) with Forest V Kapo (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Raukawa), a zoom-performance with birds about what it means to be transgender and migrating between lands, places and cultural spaces; ill grow back (2020) with Forest V Kapo for Experimental Dance Week Aotearoa explored trans divining, an approach to communicating with more-than/human beings and forces in performance; Bttm Methodology (2019) was a 3-day event in Artspace Aotearoa carpark with Richard Orjis (Pākehā) developing queer art making approaches through hosting, walks, spongy lunches, naps, discussions and workshops. Recently completing a PhD entitled Promiscuous Emplacements, research-creation that investigated more-than/human relationality through a series of performances with marginal urban places across Tāmaki Makaurau. val is an Arts Foundation Laureate (2019), and was the 2016 Caroline Plummer Fellow at Te Whare Wānanga o Ōtākou University of Otago.