[1] First reflection, Mov.1 (last part), from Michael Weiss. - - - Research with / through / of Body & Mind
At the very day the Choreolab ended, I went on to an interdisciplinary seminar of four days which happened to be a scientific forum, consisting of so--‐‑called ΄senior fellows΄ from natural sciences and one artist as well as a group which was named ΄junior fellows΄ (students and post-docs) from various disciplines. Interestingly enough with regard to the topic of the choreolab (deceleration), its core theme dealt also with time. Although it was inspiring in its own right, I would like to critically highlight the following: Coming from the intense experience of Choreolab, the shift to this forum was a revealing experience as to compare it with the nature of the lab: The scientific seminar’s focus rested entirely on cognitive abilities, furthermore the culturally encoded systems of body restriction and movement (while sitting) were striking for me, not to mention the formations of hierarchical zones (e.g. senior fellows sitting amongst themselves at the seminar and eating apart from junior fellows during the meals; only the former was changed at the end of the seminar due to comments from the junior fellows’ side to the organizers). This is―as already mentioned―not to say that there weren’t many inspirations during this seminar; they definitely existed. But the level of dissociations, e.g. between body/mind, thought/feeling or cognition/intuition―to name but these few―, was as fascinating for me in its intransigence deriving from a socio-cultural and academic history told therein as it was saddening. In comparison, the Choreolab offered a sophisticated interplay and interchange between body – and – mind, thought – and – feeling as well as cognition – and – intuition. Therefore, every day of the Choreolab―according to my perception―happened to be lived – ‑danced – ‑felt – thought – moved by entering the full potentials of research in their entirety rather than trying to pursue them in their partiality. - - - Due to its small scale, however, this essay cannot be the forum to present and discuss the many arts-based research methods which were utilized during Choreolab. With regard to the metatheme, I became keenly aware of how deceleration in its motion and emotion, sound and silence, action and inaction is a most powerful and transformative process to be grounded within one’s body – and – mind personality by reaching out to fundamental socio‑political as well as philosophical questions. That is why I consider the format of a choreolab to be a most essential contribution to questions we continuously should be asking in order to grow as individuals and collectively towards unfolding the creative potential of an inherent stillness to be found in deceleration which is―to my understanding―illuminating, transforming, and healing, personally as well as it could be collectively. - - - Michael Weiss Vienna (relayed by moderator) To subscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/empyre Send your own posting to: empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au _______________________________________________ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre