Art in motion

Looking at art appears not to involve much in the way of movement, but according to recent findings in neuroscience this appearance is deceptive. Our motor neurons imitate the movements of the figures we see, and even imitate the implied movements of the artist creating the work. When looking at art we might be outwardly still, but on the inside we're buzzing with movement. This invites some philosophical questions: what difference, if any, do these motor responses make to our experience of art, to our emotional engagement with it or to our evaluation of how good it is?

The art of dance can be very powerful, evoking a range of emotions and responses. The “Wholodance: Whole-body Interaction Learning for Dance Education" project has used motion capture technology - which is used in video games and commercial film - to capture dancers performing ballet, contemporary, Greek folk dance and flamenco, to create animated avatars. Exploring experiential anatomy, somatic practice, dance performance and neuroscience, Karen and Rosa will explain what the Wholodance project data tells us about human movement and what emotions we feel when we watch an avatar of ourselves.

We live in a world where “communication is key” but for some people this isn't always easy, especially for those living with a learning disability, autism or cerebal palsy. In this talk Annette will use intercultural theory to illustrate the hidden power that words have in mainstream society, whilst Communicate2U will showcase their co-produced dance, drama and poetry to highlight the potential that the arts can have to empower and enable disenfranchised groups to teach others how to communicate more effectively with them.