Workshop: Meeting point of architecture + dance
in Isadora and Raymond Duncan Centre for Dance Research in Athens
A workshop for students of Architecture, Design and Dance
With the attendance of post-graduate students of the “Digital Forms of Art” MA from the Athens School of Fine Arts
Workshop planning: Manolis Iliakis, Architect-Spatial Designer
Art Direction: Penelope Iliaskou
Movement instruction: Betty Dramissioti, dancer, dance teacher
Theory assistant: Evelyn Gavrilou, Architect
According to Piaget, perception and sense of space results not only from the observation of things, but through our actions in relation to them. A questioning of the traditional relationship between body and space has become evident in leading architectural expression in recent decades. The fluidity of contemporary society complements the mobility of the body in a particularly revolutionary, choreographic way that influences the way we think. A great deal of modern choreography makes creative use of this new perception of space and body, thereby promoting greater understanding of such phenomena.
It is worth taking note of characteristic instances of collaboration between choreographers and architects, like that between Fr. Flammand and architects Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel and Diller + Scoffidio, and that between the choreographer Sasha Waltz and architect Thomas Schenk.
The educational programme which was conducted at the Isadora and Raymond Duncan Centre for the Study of Dance aimed to make it clear, at more than just a theoretical level, that our perception of space does not relate only to what we see (a static image) but also to what we hear, feel and taste. The way we move in a space combines with our senses to produce a living totality of things and situations which find expression through architectural thought and deed.
The short, six-day period saw the completion of the first exploratory process of understanding how the structure and scale of a building and its surroundings relate to the course and stance of the body. Exercises in movement were created with a view to activating the senses that link body and architectural environment. Initial observations of the way the human body interacts with the building and how the body develops geometrical relations with space were recorded using digital technology and the artistic eye of the students at the University College of Fine Arts Department of Postgraduate Studies.
During the same period lectures and discussions were held on the link between Architecture and Dance. The relationship that develops between a building and the human body was established. Theories and philosophical thought analysing this relationship were juxtaposed. The interdependence which developed between architecture and dance in the 20th century was analysed. Examples were presented to show how architects and choreographers work together. Methods of composition which both Art forms share were pinpointed (shared theoretical influences and practice in composition).
The design and actual building of simple structures helped in the exploration of the relationship between space and the human body. Practical work on structure and form was aimed at changing the conventional picture of space and movement within it. Making conventional movement impossible and interrupting typical movement in certain places both inside and outside the Centre was one simple approach to the subject.
The students worked in three groups, in three places that were selected after a “body reading” of all areas in the Centre. Students of both disciplines were involved in the movement and construction of the “interventions”. The most interesting moments in the workshop came when architects and dancers exchanged roles.
The seventh – and last – day of the workshop was open to the general public. The initial findings of the exploratory procedure were presented, with further development in the future in mind. In the movement activity which followed – in which the students of architecture and design were equally as active as the dancers – there was no intention to choreograph a link (there was not enough time for such an activity). The movement was the initial, and perhaps “hesitant”, outcome of the hands-on experience of the building and its surroundings.
Those involved in this educational process hope that investigation in this area continues, so as to explore the way awareness of the body, and intervening in what it takes for granted, awakens sensitivity to the space and time surrounding it.
They also hope to enhance existing methods of choreographic composition which relate to this field of study, so as to help young choreographers develop a particularly fluid vocabulary.
They are, therefore, trying to organise another workshop for dancers and architects, which will be in the form of an exploratory workshop. They are seeking people in Hellas and the rest of Europe who would be interested in making a contribution to this effort.
video of the workshop: Meeting point of architecture + dance
meeting point of architecture and dance from Manolis Iliakis on Vimeo.
