Reclaiming the alienated Self
(2017)
Dissertation, MA Art and Science, Central Saint Martins
Abstract: The unpredictable shift from the natural world to the (digital) technological sphere confronts body and mind with a variety of new challenges. A lack of physical sensations, loss of identity and increasing self-awareness lead to isolation and alienation. Although neurological researchers are only beginning to understand the relation of mind and body, technological inventions are offered to the conditioned consumer who commits to alterations. Critical voices perceive the postdigital era as an awake nightmare that urgently requires models by which human being can live in balance with technology. Returning to past handworks and somatic practices, such as contemporary dance could treat man- made damages, yet reclaiming the self demands an examination of man-made failure and a collective solution. My work involves the interdisciplinary collaboration withcontemporary dancers and handworkers, where I analyse the importance of habitual mind-, body- and groupwork through workshops and personal experiences. Furthermore I am holding ongoing interviews with professionals with different backgrounds, and undertook internships in neuroscience and fashion design. Secondary research on self and culture in psychology and philosophy function as sources of information and enrichment of vocabulary. This study is part of an ongoing research project analysing the changes of mind and body through technological alterations and sociological misconceptions (racism and sexism). In analysing these changes from a female perspective, and through interdisciplinary collaboration, this research will increase an understanding of underrepresented areas. Simultaneously it will be used for workshops in the arts to provide independent knowledge on Self and Culture, and to produce works that engage the viewer to reflect on the above issues.
︎Published in the LABS Database (2017)
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