Re-sensitising the body: interactive art and the Feldenkrais method

doi:10.1504/IJART.2013.058283

Paper

Re-sensitising the body: interactive art and the Feldenkrais method

Published Dec 16, 2013 · L. Loke, G. Khut, Maggie Slattery

Int. J. Arts Technol.

UNKNOWN SJR score

32

Citations

2

Influential Citations

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Abstract

This article describes interdisciplinary research undertaken by a group of artists, designers, curators and somatic bodywork practitioners to explore a human-centred approach to the potential of touch, movement, balance and proprioception as modalities for interactive art. Somatic bodywork methodologies such as the Feldenkrais method provide highly developed frameworks for attending to these very phenomena. Re-sensitising the body through somatic investigations allowed us as makers of body-focussed interactive art to translate the subtle shifts in attention and nuances of felt sensation into the audience experience of sensor-based interactive artworks. We describe the results of a yearlong project through our experience of the making of one specific experimental artwork, surging verticality. We reflect on the conditions for audience engagement and the profound connections we experienced between Feldenkrais somatic bodywork and art practice as modes of enquiry into the world.

Study Snapshot

The Feldenkrais method helps interactive art makers translate subtle shifts in attention and felt sensations into audience experiences, enhancing audience engagement and connection to the world.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

Paper

Re-sensitising the body: interactive art and the Feldenkrais method

References

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Lygia Clark and Hélio Oiticica's interactive vocabularies and participatory creations from the 1960s and 1970s are relevant for artists working with digital communications technology.

Really, really small: the palpability of the invisible

Designing for technology as experience, incorporating embodiment and subjectivity, is crucial for human-computer interaction, as technology becomes an inseparable aspect of experience.

Bone, breath & gesture : practices of embodiment

This paper explores the importance of embodiment practices in addressing the current crisis in human life and politics, highlighting the need for a shift in values towards caring for the body and nurturing its intelligence sources.

Citations

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