The body in movement intrigues me greatly: the ways in which dexterity, knowledge and understanding come together particularly in art making, art practice, craft, performance; but also in wider contexts of manufacturing, domestic and work environments and even robotics. Observing the body engaged in a range of work, leisure and communication postures has been a focus of my work over the last 18 months or so. Postures of Making is giving me the opportunity to extend my work through a collaboration with Dr Valerie Woods, ergonomics scientist. Exploring what is happening inside the body from a musculoskeletal perspective will help me to go beyond aesthetics, feeding into a new body of work. Learning from Val about ergonomics and ergonomic analysis; using goniometers, task analysis and other scientific methods of measurement and enquiry will build upon and extend experience I have of working with professionals from other backgrounds including architecture and engineering. Two goniometers have arrived in the post, and although visually I can see how they might be used, it will be when Val and I work together that I will understand the data they will reveal.
This project has been buzzing around in the background for over 10 years: an idea, a notion, thought about, picked up and put down. Now it’s taken form and gained support I have been reading around the subject more fully, but feel a long way from understanding. Each discipline has its own language, and this is something I strive to understand; trying to identify common ground and approaches. As I write this I reflect on my own posture, how I sit on my ergonomically designed computer chair with one leg tucked underneath me and my shoulders aching. This project is going to take my practice and understanding of the body somewhere I cannot at this stage imagine.
