RESEARCH

Əmemoriam

a choreographic research project on memory & movement

definitions

[ə]: "schwa", origin Latin. a mid central vowel first used in Bavarian dialects of the 1820's. a sound produced by relaxing the articulators in the oral cavity and vocalising. communication, embodied.

[memoriam]: origin Latin. in memory of, remembering or honoring the deceased. relation to "memory", the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.

Questions

How do we remember through the body?Where do we store autobiographical information, neurologically & kinesthetically?How does memory continue to live on through our embodied experiences?Can we trace memories to somatic patterns in order to access deeper recollection?

BACKGROUND

Inspired by conceptual advances in somatic-neuroscience research, this project aims to study the brain-body relationship in cognitive processes underlying memory. Both a personal and academic endeavor, əmemoriam is an ongoing research project that centers the body in data collection and dance creation; using multi-sensory stimulation and electroencephalography (EEG), the study will measure brain activity and sensorimotor patterns during memory retrieval, using resulting data to inspire choreographic scores and visual concepts that represent the physio-somatic basis of memory formation. This project draws from research on sensorimotor models of memory (SMM), past studies exploring neural encoding through the body, and growing literature from researchers & practitioners on the significance of embodied memory & cognition. This work will culminate into written & video documentation, capturing the creative process alongside findings from the research and literature review. This project is currently in development through the University of Florida, and will be presented in 2025-2026.

METHODOLOGY

[research]: this project takes on varied approaches to inform the choreographic process:1) a systematic review of relevant literature within the field of neuroscience & embodied memory2) a comparative analysis of brain activity from multi-sensory stimuli during memory recall trials3) improvisational research of somatotopy and multisensory stimuli related to specific autobiographical events

circa 2004, großmama und ich

STATUS

Currently in the process of designing the research study, while continuing to review relevant literature on the topic.Choreographic research is underway this fall 2024 in Germany.

stay updated: check back for more updates & process recordings, coming soon.

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