FEBRUARY
Sharing philosophy with young people never stops astonishing me!
This week I was called to Islebjerg church in Frederikssund, Denmark, to give a workshop for those preparing for their confirmations there this spring.
We were more than seventy-five people in the room, including the four priests attending, and the lecture and discussions were on phenomenology - Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, Arendt - as well as on feminism, body consciousness, and pressure of expectations. The young adults debated in smaller groups after our common session, we all danced together and acknowledged the fun and strenght of being bodies, and all along they were impressively focused, reflected, and willing to share.
The photo is of stones they'd decorated before I arrived, found on a nearby beach. A huge thanks to the priests of the two Frederikssund churches for having me over!
This week I was called to Islebjerg church in Frederikssund, Denmark, to give a workshop for those preparing for their confirmations there this spring.
We were more than seventy-five people in the room, including the four priests attending, and the lecture and discussions were on phenomenology - Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, Arendt - as well as on feminism, body consciousness, and pressure of expectations. The young adults debated in smaller groups after our common session, we all danced together and acknowledged the fun and strenght of being bodies, and all along they were impressively focused, reflected, and willing to share.
The photo is of stones they'd decorated before I arrived, found on a nearby beach. A huge thanks to the priests of the two Frederikssund churches for having me over!
2024
November
So honoured to be asked to present my research at Center for Phenomenological Psychology and Aesthetics, at the Department of Psychology at the University of Copenhagen!
I've known the center for some years, and been part of a reading group there. The work they do on mapping out how people experience art is excellent. This is how they describe their aim:
"We seek to describe and understand the nature of intense experiences with art and their psychological consequences. Such inquiries involve working systematically on topics such as sensation, affectivity, emotion, and perception, all deeply embedded in general and individual psychological processes. The Center is founded to encourage a deepened understanding of art as a phenomenon which provide for personal and cultural development and enrichment."
We had a great afternoon with passionate discussions as well as recognitions, followed up with beer and further talks at the local cafe.
Huge thanks to professor Tone Roald for invitating me!
I've known the center for some years, and been part of a reading group there. The work they do on mapping out how people experience art is excellent. This is how they describe their aim:
"We seek to describe and understand the nature of intense experiences with art and their psychological consequences. Such inquiries involve working systematically on topics such as sensation, affectivity, emotion, and perception, all deeply embedded in general and individual psychological processes. The Center is founded to encourage a deepened understanding of art as a phenomenon which provide for personal and cultural development and enrichment."
We had a great afternoon with passionate discussions as well as recognitions, followed up with beer and further talks at the local cafe.
Huge thanks to professor Tone Roald for invitating me!
SEPTEMBER
This time there was a "new" class at the University College of Dance Art in Oslo, where I've been lecturing shorter philosophy courses for some years now. The "new" ones had studied dance for a year, and were only new to me! Now, at their second year's first semester, I came to give them a little theory on bodily consciousness, philosophy of the body, and philosophy of dance. What a kind and clever class!
We warmed up drawing on a roll of paper on the floor ("how do I feel today?", "my body today"). While drawing I had individual chats with each student. During my lecture we discussed the different theories and how these were experienced in their dance practises. After a relaxation- and fantasy exercise, the students shared what they feel triggers the flow state, personal methods implied to get into their work mode, and the different states of consciousness at play in work processes on the floor.
I can't wait to see them again for further debates and sharing!
We warmed up drawing on a roll of paper on the floor ("how do I feel today?", "my body today"). While drawing I had individual chats with each student. During my lecture we discussed the different theories and how these were experienced in their dance practises. After a relaxation- and fantasy exercise, the students shared what they feel triggers the flow state, personal methods implied to get into their work mode, and the different states of consciousness at play in work processes on the floor.
I can't wait to see them again for further debates and sharing!
JULY
In my capacity as an academic and a voice-over artist I often get tasks that has to do with language. It can be translation, proofreading, text writing, taking minutes, or interpretation. None of these jobs seem to qualify as “news” in themselves, but I thought it might be interesting to mention them.
This month, for example, I worked for a week as a Norwegian interpreter for students at Banedanmark; the Danish state railways under the ministry of transport. It was an amazing dive into what, for me, was a completely new world, with a specified language for signs, tasks, and places in railway operation. "My" young, Norwegian railway workers all passed their Danish courses and did brilliantly!
I was commisioned for this task by a translation company called Mylect. They put me up in a lovely hotel in Fredericia, Jutland, for the week. In the afternoons I went for walks in the beautiful surroundings, used their swimming facilities, and had meals at their excellent restaurant - even though the work itself was quite intense, it felt a bit like a holiday!
This month, for example, I worked for a week as a Norwegian interpreter for students at Banedanmark; the Danish state railways under the ministry of transport. It was an amazing dive into what, for me, was a completely new world, with a specified language for signs, tasks, and places in railway operation. "My" young, Norwegian railway workers all passed their Danish courses and did brilliantly!
I was commisioned for this task by a translation company called Mylect. They put me up in a lovely hotel in Fredericia, Jutland, for the week. In the afternoons I went for walks in the beautiful surroundings, used their swimming facilities, and had meals at their excellent restaurant - even though the work itself was quite intense, it felt a bit like a holiday!
I’ve also been proofreading quite a lot this year, for a company called Character Localization. They specialize in games, and have given me proofreading tasks on computer games, board games, and card games. I think they ask skilled gamers to do the translation itself, and then I come in to give a final polish. Some of the games have been super entertaining to get an insight into, such as the card game OK Boomer! for example. Here you team up with the ones around the table who are about your age, and form an ”old school” and a “new school”. The cards ask questions that are simple to answer if you’re in one age group and not if you’re in the other, and can be like “What is a beatnik?”, and “What does this emoji symbolize?” (a picture of a peach).
Another task has been taking the minutes at meetings in local branches of KAB. KAB is Denmark’s largest administrator of non-profit housing. I started taking minutes and writing summaries of our meetings as a voluntary board member in the estate I live in, and did that every month for about six years. Lately I’ve been invited to take minutes at larger meetings at other estates, as paid work. I quite enjoy getting an insight into the running of things, and I do love expressing myself in writing, finding the right sentences, describing the essences of what discussions and claims have been revealing.
As a kid at school I used to love the puzzles of grammar, finding the smoothest phrasings, describing affairs and in general expressing myself verbally in writing. I didn’t pay much attention to these things in my early adult years, though. In those days stage work using my bodily and affective language dominated, and was what I developed and advanced in. Then, in my forties, I realized I’d missed the written language, the intellectual side of myself, and I started taking classes at the university. The rest is history!
I really appreciate the variety of these paid language jobs, as I cherish doing the more regular voice-overs, the odd performance tasks, and the philosophical lecturing and teaching I do. Based on freelance commitment they give me pockets of time to focus on the academic, philosophical research I conduct without a salary.
Another task has been taking the minutes at meetings in local branches of KAB. KAB is Denmark’s largest administrator of non-profit housing. I started taking minutes and writing summaries of our meetings as a voluntary board member in the estate I live in, and did that every month for about six years. Lately I’ve been invited to take minutes at larger meetings at other estates, as paid work. I quite enjoy getting an insight into the running of things, and I do love expressing myself in writing, finding the right sentences, describing the essences of what discussions and claims have been revealing.
As a kid at school I used to love the puzzles of grammar, finding the smoothest phrasings, describing affairs and in general expressing myself verbally in writing. I didn’t pay much attention to these things in my early adult years, though. In those days stage work using my bodily and affective language dominated, and was what I developed and advanced in. Then, in my forties, I realized I’d missed the written language, the intellectual side of myself, and I started taking classes at the university. The rest is history!
I really appreciate the variety of these paid language jobs, as I cherish doing the more regular voice-overs, the odd performance tasks, and the philosophical lecturing and teaching I do. Based on freelance commitment they give me pockets of time to focus on the academic, philosophical research I conduct without a salary.
May
(X)sites is a Gothenburg based land art organisation, that biannually organize temporary, site specific art exhibitions in the Swedish nature. The invited, international artists arrive from far and near to the opening seminar, which functions as the artists' first meeting with each other and the organizers, as well as an inspirational gathering with lectures and debates on art, landscape, nature, and artistic consciousness. I've loved giving lectures on consciousness and artistic work at these seminars since the very start in 2017.
In order to get ready to start at their individual sites in the Swedish landscapes, the artists met at Varberg fortress this year. We were accommodated in the old fortress prison, in the cells. A rather creapy feeling to hear that old metal door shut behind one's back at midnight! The cleverly made street lights outside lit up like flickering flames in the bright Scandinavian summer night. The atmosphere was filled with our curiousity about the historical Varberg fortress, mixed with the here and now cosy and inspiring assembly.
We had a couple of great days together, and as it has always been the case, I met lovely people who more than willingly engaged themselves in philosophical discussions on their artistic practises. Their descriptions, recognition, and argumentation inspired my research - I really love these tasks as a philosophical lecturer!
Below you'll find a link to (X)sites website, where you can see some of the magnificent art works, as well as a link to (X)sites' collaborator Konstnärscentrum Väst's site.
In order to get ready to start at their individual sites in the Swedish landscapes, the artists met at Varberg fortress this year. We were accommodated in the old fortress prison, in the cells. A rather creapy feeling to hear that old metal door shut behind one's back at midnight! The cleverly made street lights outside lit up like flickering flames in the bright Scandinavian summer night. The atmosphere was filled with our curiousity about the historical Varberg fortress, mixed with the here and now cosy and inspiring assembly.
We had a couple of great days together, and as it has always been the case, I met lovely people who more than willingly engaged themselves in philosophical discussions on their artistic practises. Their descriptions, recognition, and argumentation inspired my research - I really love these tasks as a philosophical lecturer!
Below you'll find a link to (X)sites website, where you can see some of the magnificent art works, as well as a link to (X)sites' collaborator Konstnärscentrum Väst's site.
JANUARY
Some years ago artist and landscape architect Gunilla Bandolin invited me to write a preface for her upcoming art book. We'd met at a seminar at the Swedish (x)sites, where she was participating as an artist and I as a philosophical lecturer. I accepted the invitation with pleasure. After researching her internationally acclaimed art I wrote an essay based on how her works literally embody aspects of the theories of phenomenology, embodied cognition, and affordances.
The other day I received my copy of the book, Bruksskulptur/Applied Sculpture, published at Bokförlaget Faethon this month. It is such a pleasure to hold it in my hands!
My essay had turned into an afterword, and was accompanied by Gunilla's own text. The book is prefaced by insightful comments written by landscape architect Monika Gora, art critic Magnus Bons, art historian Måns Holst-Ekström, and architect Elizabeth Bonde Hatz.
Most importantly, the book is brimming with Gunilla's organic, inviting, joyful, amazing sculptures. These art works are truly applying people's everyday lives with aesthetic, practical, broadening, and eye-opening experiences.
The other day I received my copy of the book, Bruksskulptur/Applied Sculpture, published at Bokförlaget Faethon this month. It is such a pleasure to hold it in my hands!
My essay had turned into an afterword, and was accompanied by Gunilla's own text. The book is prefaced by insightful comments written by landscape architect Monika Gora, art critic Magnus Bons, art historian Måns Holst-Ekström, and architect Elizabeth Bonde Hatz.
Most importantly, the book is brimming with Gunilla's organic, inviting, joyful, amazing sculptures. These art works are truly applying people's everyday lives with aesthetic, practical, broadening, and eye-opening experiences.
2023
DECEMBER
Since before the pandemic professor Jeff Friedman at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and I have talked about the possibility of me coming over to do a workshop or teach at their university. We initially met at the first international dance philosophy conference ever, at Texas State University back in 2016, and have kept in touch since then.
Finally there was a possibility, and we decided to turn it into three lectures, one at the Philosophy Department and two at Dance Studies.
It was a marvelous experience to come to Rutgers as an extern scholar! I was treated like a queen and had a wonderful time with the students.
Finally there was a possibility, and we decided to turn it into three lectures, one at the Philosophy Department and two at Dance Studies.
It was a marvelous experience to come to Rutgers as an extern scholar! I was treated like a queen and had a wonderful time with the students.
One of my lectures - which included a small dance section where we tried out the Sri Lankan classical dance I studied in Kandy in the 1980's - was about classical dances of India and Sri Lanka. I loved being able to use knowledge from my past in Asia, and to dance a tiny bit and get into these unique beats again!
The lecture also involved talking about the development of our work on multiculturalism. In the 80's I was active at the Anti Racist Center in Oslo, amongst other things as a drama teacher. And in the 80's, 90's and 00's it ment a lot to me to perform the Sri Lankan dance in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany and thus practice cultural exchange and openness towards a varied view of the arts. I additionally incorporated steps and rhythms I'd learned in Asia in several of my other dance- and theatre performances in Scandinavia in those years.
Later, only, I learned that some saw European dancers trained in Asian or African dance traditions as appropriating culture in an unseemly manner. I started reading academic theories on cultural appropriation and talked with other dancers I know who perform, for instance, Indian dance. The academic theories vary, scholars are not black and white on what cultural appropriation amounts to. We, as dancers, haven't met any negative responses to us doing these styles - perhaps due to the circumstances: my dance friends and myself have done so with the greatest of respect towards tradition, religion, and history, we've spent years in Asia to learn these traditions, and we're trained by locally acknowledged dance gurus. In India I met the assumption that I'd been Indian in other incarnations, having an embodied understanding of the culture.
This being said, the last thing I want is to insult others. I completely understand the feelings aroused when minorities and previously exploited and suppressed populations react towards Europeans and Westerners - who traditionally and generally have been oppressors all around the world - making use of their heritage. I also appreciate that I might show implicit attitudes through my movements and ways of being, that unconsciously reflect my subjective base as a European person, that might not go with classical, Asian dances.
It is a dilemma, for sure, and a thing we must talk about. Discussing this with the dance students and teachers at Rutgers gave me new perspectives, and affirmed that these issues are addressed during their education. Their next semester is dedicated to, amongst other things, cultural appropriation, as well as Asian dance.
I additionally gave a lecture on my philosophical claim of the existence of a high-order level of embodied consciousness at the students' club at the Department of Philosophy, introduced by professor Justin Kalef. We had great discussions afterwards on our experiences of reflecting through sports- and art activities, and on the Chinese concept Wu Wei; the theory of effortless action.
The third lecture was for a larger audience, organized by Dance and the Centre for Women in the Arts and Humanities at Rutgers University. My presentation was their 2022 lecture on dance and philosophy, quite an honor! It made me happy to see so many people turning up to hear about dance philosophy or more specifically: the form of attention that artists make use of, that allows the flow state to emerge.
Here's a link to the announcement of this lecture:
The lecture also involved talking about the development of our work on multiculturalism. In the 80's I was active at the Anti Racist Center in Oslo, amongst other things as a drama teacher. And in the 80's, 90's and 00's it ment a lot to me to perform the Sri Lankan dance in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany and thus practice cultural exchange and openness towards a varied view of the arts. I additionally incorporated steps and rhythms I'd learned in Asia in several of my other dance- and theatre performances in Scandinavia in those years.
Later, only, I learned that some saw European dancers trained in Asian or African dance traditions as appropriating culture in an unseemly manner. I started reading academic theories on cultural appropriation and talked with other dancers I know who perform, for instance, Indian dance. The academic theories vary, scholars are not black and white on what cultural appropriation amounts to. We, as dancers, haven't met any negative responses to us doing these styles - perhaps due to the circumstances: my dance friends and myself have done so with the greatest of respect towards tradition, religion, and history, we've spent years in Asia to learn these traditions, and we're trained by locally acknowledged dance gurus. In India I met the assumption that I'd been Indian in other incarnations, having an embodied understanding of the culture.
This being said, the last thing I want is to insult others. I completely understand the feelings aroused when minorities and previously exploited and suppressed populations react towards Europeans and Westerners - who traditionally and generally have been oppressors all around the world - making use of their heritage. I also appreciate that I might show implicit attitudes through my movements and ways of being, that unconsciously reflect my subjective base as a European person, that might not go with classical, Asian dances.
It is a dilemma, for sure, and a thing we must talk about. Discussing this with the dance students and teachers at Rutgers gave me new perspectives, and affirmed that these issues are addressed during their education. Their next semester is dedicated to, amongst other things, cultural appropriation, as well as Asian dance.
I additionally gave a lecture on my philosophical claim of the existence of a high-order level of embodied consciousness at the students' club at the Department of Philosophy, introduced by professor Justin Kalef. We had great discussions afterwards on our experiences of reflecting through sports- and art activities, and on the Chinese concept Wu Wei; the theory of effortless action.
The third lecture was for a larger audience, organized by Dance and the Centre for Women in the Arts and Humanities at Rutgers University. My presentation was their 2022 lecture on dance and philosophy, quite an honor! It made me happy to see so many people turning up to hear about dance philosophy or more specifically: the form of attention that artists make use of, that allows the flow state to emerge.
Here's a link to the announcement of this lecture:
And here you can read more about my friend and college, who made all this happen:
NOVEMBER
Copenhagen Acting School, formerly known as Skuespillerskolen Ophelia, invited me to give a talk as one of their "One Night Stand" events.
Current and former acting students came to hear about flow, bodily consciousness, and the state of artistic focus. We had some great discussions, and as I always feel at these kind of meetings, the talks with the students and practitioners of art, gave me new input and opened my horizon, yet again.
The school is specializing in American methods, such as the Meisner technique of acting. It seemed the students found parallels to this technique's advice on how to "stop thinking and trust one's impulses" in the philosophical material I presented.
You can read more about their work at the school's site here:
Current and former acting students came to hear about flow, bodily consciousness, and the state of artistic focus. We had some great discussions, and as I always feel at these kind of meetings, the talks with the students and practitioners of art, gave me new input and opened my horizon, yet again.
The school is specializing in American methods, such as the Meisner technique of acting. It seemed the students found parallels to this technique's advice on how to "stop thinking and trust one's impulses" in the philosophical material I presented.
You can read more about their work at the school's site here:
OCTOBER
On October 28th 2022 Christine Leroy (Université Paris 8 Vincennes Saint-Denis), Anna Westin (St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London), and Caroline Ibos (Université Paris 8 Vincennes Saint-Denis) hosted a very special event in Paris.
The event, their second colloquium this year, was filled with hybrid presentations on the body, care, and aesthetics, and in the company of the excellent scholars they'd invited, I presented my paper on "Listening to the body". We all had a lot in common, even though we came from varied fields - anthropology, philosophy, dance, and care ethics - and had inspiring talks both during the sessions and in our breaks.
It all took place at Maison des Sciences de l’Homme Paris Nord, Campus Condorcet in Aubervilliers, a northern suburb of Paris.
The campus seemed to be quite new and still on its way - unfinished, new architecture rose up all around the modern and well facilitated buildings we spent time in. In between smaller, old, abandoned factories and houses still clung on. We were told the area had been closely linked to industrialization and immigration for centuries, and that it had been a rather poor area of the country until they moved several parts of the University of Paris and their research activities there.
It was fascinating to walk around in the midst of the historical transformation of this part of the city. It reminded me of my old home town Moss in Norway, and the processes going on there. And it also reminded me of the broadness of the notion of care.
Here's a link to the colloquiums' website. The next colloquium will be on the 17th of November!
The event, their second colloquium this year, was filled with hybrid presentations on the body, care, and aesthetics, and in the company of the excellent scholars they'd invited, I presented my paper on "Listening to the body". We all had a lot in common, even though we came from varied fields - anthropology, philosophy, dance, and care ethics - and had inspiring talks both during the sessions and in our breaks.
It all took place at Maison des Sciences de l’Homme Paris Nord, Campus Condorcet in Aubervilliers, a northern suburb of Paris.
The campus seemed to be quite new and still on its way - unfinished, new architecture rose up all around the modern and well facilitated buildings we spent time in. In between smaller, old, abandoned factories and houses still clung on. We were told the area had been closely linked to industrialization and immigration for centuries, and that it had been a rather poor area of the country until they moved several parts of the University of Paris and their research activities there.
It was fascinating to walk around in the midst of the historical transformation of this part of the city. It reminded me of my old home town Moss in Norway, and the processes going on there. And it also reminded me of the broadness of the notion of care.
Here's a link to the colloquiums' website. The next colloquium will be on the 17th of November!
September
Here's a recording of my talk at Dance and Embodied Cognition - Embodiment and Sensemaking in Dance,
- and here's the whole website, with lots of inspiring presentations on dance and embodied cognition!
August
What a week!
New York - Teachers College, Columbia University
Dancing, moving, discussing, sharing - in general having a great time with dance scholars Matthew Henley and Christian Kronsted (the organizers) and Bettina Bläsing, Lindsay Lindberg, Shay Welch, Miriam Giguere, Barbara Bashaw, Charlotte Hathaway, Barbara Montero, Mingxi Xu, Adesola Akinleye, Lars Dahl Pedersen, and Robin Conrad.
The week's theme was Dance and Embodied Cognition - Embodiment and Sensemaking in Dance, with a specific focus on kinetic research methods. The week consisted of movement and dance through a variety of workshops in the mornings, round table discussions, presentations in the group, as well as a zoom conference in the early evenings. I presented my ongoing work on the zoom conference: Giving it all! Or....? Researching affectivity in performing dancers.
I feel inspired, grateful, and honored to have been invited, and to have been in such excellent company!
New York - Teachers College, Columbia University
Dancing, moving, discussing, sharing - in general having a great time with dance scholars Matthew Henley and Christian Kronsted (the organizers) and Bettina Bläsing, Lindsay Lindberg, Shay Welch, Miriam Giguere, Barbara Bashaw, Charlotte Hathaway, Barbara Montero, Mingxi Xu, Adesola Akinleye, Lars Dahl Pedersen, and Robin Conrad.
The week's theme was Dance and Embodied Cognition - Embodiment and Sensemaking in Dance, with a specific focus on kinetic research methods. The week consisted of movement and dance through a variety of workshops in the mornings, round table discussions, presentations in the group, as well as a zoom conference in the early evenings. I presented my ongoing work on the zoom conference: Giving it all! Or....? Researching affectivity in performing dancers.
I feel inspired, grateful, and honored to have been invited, and to have been in such excellent company!
AUGUST
In a couple of weeks I'm going to Columbia University, New York, to participate in the workshop and conference "Dance and Embodied Cognition: Focus on Kinetic Research methods".
There's a link to our daily, open zoom lectures in the link below!
There's a link to our daily, open zoom lectures in the link below!
JUNE
There's an ongoing exhibition at the Red Cross house in Oslo, around one of the authentic white busses that brought Scandinavian camp prisoners back from nazi captivation during the last months of the second world war.
As a voice actor I'm part of this exhibition.
It's effectually and aesthetically created by Kvorning Design, and consists of old pictures and film-material, related to our "radio theatre" on the audio side. We - Harald Stoltenberg, Josephine Raahauge, Jonas Kriegbaum, Helene Egelund, Mikael Roupé and myself - played the roles of different characters who could've been on this bus: Weak, starving Norwegian and Danish resistance movement members, and others, who'd been imprisoned for years, as well as courageous Swedish Red Cross nurses and drivers.
The story takes the exhibition guests through the prisoners' release from captivity, their drive though a war-torn Germany, via a cheering Copenhagen, to care and medical treatment in Sweden.
We were given an amazing tour on the premisses by Anne Mette Fladen Lid, a group leader at Red Cross, Oslo. Thank you for your warmth and insight!
As a voice actor I'm part of this exhibition.
It's effectually and aesthetically created by Kvorning Design, and consists of old pictures and film-material, related to our "radio theatre" on the audio side. We - Harald Stoltenberg, Josephine Raahauge, Jonas Kriegbaum, Helene Egelund, Mikael Roupé and myself - played the roles of different characters who could've been on this bus: Weak, starving Norwegian and Danish resistance movement members, and others, who'd been imprisoned for years, as well as courageous Swedish Red Cross nurses and drivers.
The story takes the exhibition guests through the prisoners' release from captivity, their drive though a war-torn Germany, via a cheering Copenhagen, to care and medical treatment in Sweden.
We were given an amazing tour on the premisses by Anne Mette Fladen Lid, a group leader at Red Cross, Oslo. Thank you for your warmth and insight!
JUNE
At the graduation party for my beloved students of University College of Dance Art in Oslo. What a blessing it has been to teach you - best of luck as professional dancers and choreographers!
APRIL
Last month I participated in a short made for The National Board of Social Services in Denmark, hired as a physical actor. The film, which is produced as part of educational material for social workers, describes the lingering effects of sexual violence and abuse. It felt very meaningful to be part of this project.
Holy Ravioli TV made sure we had a lovely day shooting. The location was a beautiful, old villa in the north of Zealand, and the people on the set were exceptionally caring and dedicated. All participants are actors, and the director is Caroline Sascha Cogez. The Danish voice over is a conversation between Helle Cleo Borrowman, the leader of Landsforeningen Spor (in English: Tracks – The National Association for adults with chronic affects from sexual assault) and Gry Sara Windelev, sexologist, body therapist and volunteer at Landsforeningen Spor. |
April
So proud and happy to be part of the Micro-Phenomenology web community!
Micro-phenomenology is a scientific discipline, an interview method that enables us to explore and describe lived experiences very finely, and thus use these experiences in academic and artistic research. I am so grateful for my time with one if its founders, Claire Petitmengin, who, with Pierre Vermersch et al., has developed this interview method based on the neurophenomenological heritage of neurobiologist Francisco Varela.
Take a look at the website!
It includes descriptions of work by the artist Olafur Eliasson, and scholars like Natalie Depraz and Michel Bitbol, amongst many.
Micro-phenomenology is a scientific discipline, an interview method that enables us to explore and describe lived experiences very finely, and thus use these experiences in academic and artistic research. I am so grateful for my time with one if its founders, Claire Petitmengin, who, with Pierre Vermersch et al., has developed this interview method based on the neurophenomenological heritage of neurobiologist Francisco Varela.
Take a look at the website!
It includes descriptions of work by the artist Olafur Eliasson, and scholars like Natalie Depraz and Michel Bitbol, amongst many.
MARCH
My super students at Høyskolen For Dansekunst in Oslo; University College of Dance Art. With these and two more who participated online, I had a blast three days in March, jamming academic texts, artistic ideas, and philosophical thoughts. Soon we'll see the results - BA performances as well as written exams are on their way in May!
March
On the 10th of March I presented my work at The Commedia School in Copenhagen. Performers from the school and elsewhere, former students, and scholars from the Copenhagen area had gathered, and we had a wonderful evening sharing our experiences of flow and the absorption through bodily and affective activity.
The Commedia School has educated actors within physical theatre since 1978, and Ole Brekke has been its leader all these years. Founded on the methods of Carlo Mazzone-Clementi, Jacques Lecoq, and Moshe Feldenkrais, the school has trained actors in stage work, street theater, circus, puppet theater, magic, children’s theater, performance, cabaret, and film acting.
It was such a pleasure and honor to be embraced by the school. Ole wrapped the evening up in a nice way linking my lecture and our fine discussions to the theories of his own late teacher, who merely called the absorbed state "the damn thing"!
The Commedia School has educated actors within physical theatre since 1978, and Ole Brekke has been its leader all these years. Founded on the methods of Carlo Mazzone-Clementi, Jacques Lecoq, and Moshe Feldenkrais, the school has trained actors in stage work, street theater, circus, puppet theater, magic, children’s theater, performance, cabaret, and film acting.
It was such a pleasure and honor to be embraced by the school. Ole wrapped the evening up in a nice way linking my lecture and our fine discussions to the theories of his own late teacher, who merely called the absorbed state "the damn thing"!
MARCH
As one of my lectures for young adults preparing for their confirmations in churches around in Denmark, I was invited to Dybbøl Kirke in early March. This church had requested a longer workshop, and I made a theme day for the kids about the body: self and the body, movement, emotions, imagination, and consciousness.
With their kind and caring parish priest Merete Lei, I spent a wonderful day with the young ones. We talked about the phenomenology of the body, self awareness, SoMe, and absorption in handball, drumming, and soccer playing. We did drama exercises, danced, and I left them happy and relaxed after a meditativ phantasy travel.
Again, the young adult's reflections and stories impressed me. This rewarding work with non-academics has a great impact on my academic research on bodily consciousness.
The picture below is not of them, but from an online free images service. The photo of the church is from Dybbøl Kirke's facebook site, and the picture of Sønderborg, which is the closest city to Dybbøl and where I spent the day with friends after the workshop, is presented in courtesy of Robert Harding Picture Library Ltd.
With their kind and caring parish priest Merete Lei, I spent a wonderful day with the young ones. We talked about the phenomenology of the body, self awareness, SoMe, and absorption in handball, drumming, and soccer playing. We did drama exercises, danced, and I left them happy and relaxed after a meditativ phantasy travel.
Again, the young adult's reflections and stories impressed me. This rewarding work with non-academics has a great impact on my academic research on bodily consciousness.
The picture below is not of them, but from an online free images service. The photo of the church is from Dybbøl Kirke's facebook site, and the picture of Sønderborg, which is the closest city to Dybbøl and where I spent the day with friends after the workshop, is presented in courtesy of Robert Harding Picture Library Ltd.
FEBRUARy
The Commedia School in Copenhagen invites students and friends - and anyone who'd be interested - to come to our philosophical evening in March!
I'll present my work and talk about the states of consciousness we have during different activities, according to the good old phenomenological theories and more current ideas.
I hope people will be interested in chatting with each other about their own encounters with the various states of foci, as well - there'll be small tables with chairs to facilitate smaller groups for discussion. We will especially look at states we could call flow, or being in the groove, or in the zone.
I'll present my work and talk about the states of consciousness we have during different activities, according to the good old phenomenological theories and more current ideas.
I hope people will be interested in chatting with each other about their own encounters with the various states of foci, as well - there'll be small tables with chairs to facilitate smaller groups for discussion. We will especially look at states we could call flow, or being in the groove, or in the zone.
JANUARY
January starts with a visit to Oslo, to my lovely students at Høyskolen for Dansekunst, HFDK - a university college of dance art.
We are working on unearthing ideas for their mandatory written BA projects, which constitutes one part of the four-legged exams they are undergoing this spring. At the moment they are creating solo performances. Later they'll work on larger graduation performances, described and theoretically motivated in a written thesis. They are also examined in the practical skills of orchestrating a stage production.
I'm thrilled by the veritable fountain of passions and ideas in the students, ranging from dance technical issues, geometry, and styles, to societal questions about feminism, disability, anarchy, and more. This will be an exciting spring!
Here's a link to their plans this semester:
We are working on unearthing ideas for their mandatory written BA projects, which constitutes one part of the four-legged exams they are undergoing this spring. At the moment they are creating solo performances. Later they'll work on larger graduation performances, described and theoretically motivated in a written thesis. They are also examined in the practical skills of orchestrating a stage production.
I'm thrilled by the veritable fountain of passions and ideas in the students, ranging from dance technical issues, geometry, and styles, to societal questions about feminism, disability, anarchy, and more. This will be an exciting spring!
Here's a link to their plans this semester:
2022
DEcember
The Danish WW2 movie Hvidstengruppen 2, De Efterladte - produced by Regner Graasten, directed by Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis and with Marie Bach Hansen, Laura Winther Møller og Bodil Jørgensen in the main roles - premiered this month.
The two Hvidstengruppen movies are based on the true story of a Danish family and their neighbours in the village Hvidsten, who organized a resistance group during the war. The tragic execution of the group’s male members ended the first Hvidstengruppen film from 2012, and the second film is dedicated to the fate of the women.
The main character Tulle and her sister Gerda are taken to German prisons, where they suffer atrocious treatment by their Nazi enemies. But they also meet other imprisoned, European women, and at one point a group of Norwegians. This is where we, the characters pictured above, enter the story. At home, the surviving mother of the family goes out of her way to get her daughters back safe and sound.
The gala premiere at Imperial was such a beautiful event. Seeing the finished movie after having been involved in it’s background story and making was extraordinary. After the screening, elderly members of the resistance group family, as well as the main actors, the director, and the producer gathered on stage. A girls' choir fulfilled the evening with their almost celestial singing. How very touching it has been to experience the unfolding of this important story.
The two Hvidstengruppen movies are based on the true story of a Danish family and their neighbours in the village Hvidsten, who organized a resistance group during the war. The tragic execution of the group’s male members ended the first Hvidstengruppen film from 2012, and the second film is dedicated to the fate of the women.
The main character Tulle and her sister Gerda are taken to German prisons, where they suffer atrocious treatment by their Nazi enemies. But they also meet other imprisoned, European women, and at one point a group of Norwegians. This is where we, the characters pictured above, enter the story. At home, the surviving mother of the family goes out of her way to get her daughters back safe and sound.
The gala premiere at Imperial was such a beautiful event. Seeing the finished movie after having been involved in it’s background story and making was extraordinary. After the screening, elderly members of the resistance group family, as well as the main actors, the director, and the producer gathered on stage. A girls' choir fulfilled the evening with their almost celestial singing. How very touching it has been to experience the unfolding of this important story.
The crew behind the camera had done an incredible job researching and made sure the scenes were authentic and vibrant. Here some makeup- and costume pics from the shooting.
OCTober
Høyskolen for Dansekunst is a lovely dance college in Oslo, Norway, where I on a freelance basis give lectures and workshops on dance philosophy. The current class at the school consists of nine openminded, creative, and very generous students. The coming spring they'll be ready to create and write their BA projects and graduate as dancers and choreographers.
This time we had two inspiring autumn days together, working on political and societal topics such as freedom of speech, post colonialism, racism, feminism, disability rights, body positivity, queer rights, and more - aspects concerning societal reflections on differences and equality, they as artists are likely to meet when they finish school.
The dean Caroline Wahlstrøm Nesse and headmaster Camilla Myhre had additionally asked me to work on the students' individual competences, as well as dancers' professional competences in general, to support the students' on their path to become confident artists.
In January and March we'll work on their individual BA projects.
Hopefully this gives them tools to speak up for themselves, articulate their ideas, and to engage in the current debates in the art fields they're about to be part of!
This time we had two inspiring autumn days together, working on political and societal topics such as freedom of speech, post colonialism, racism, feminism, disability rights, body positivity, queer rights, and more - aspects concerning societal reflections on differences and equality, they as artists are likely to meet when they finish school.
The dean Caroline Wahlstrøm Nesse and headmaster Camilla Myhre had additionally asked me to work on the students' individual competences, as well as dancers' professional competences in general, to support the students' on their path to become confident artists.
In January and March we'll work on their individual BA projects.
Hopefully this gives them tools to speak up for themselves, articulate their ideas, and to engage in the current debates in the art fields they're about to be part of!
OCTOBER
Back in early 2020 I was invited to present at a workshop at the University of Jyväskylä. It was such a treat, my first proper invitation to present as an academic speaker, and hotel and plane rides were booked. Then covid 19 happened and everything was cancelled.
But earlier this year the organizers at Jyväskylä, the Experiential Demarcation Research Project philosophers Joona Taipale, Jussi Saarinen and Tiia-Mari Hovila decided to make an online version of the workshop.
I was in extremely good company! My talk was one of seven sessions, and the others were scholars I hold in very high esteem. The topic Body Memory and the Unconscious was approached through phenomenological, psychoanalytic, psychological and artistic research.
My presentation was on dance, more specifically on experiences of remembering movement material pre-reflectively during learning processes and early rehearsals, and then - during the interpretation of this movement material and the creation of the performance - the bodily reflective experiences of using one's affective and bodily memories - as content or "the flesh on the bones", as my informant Antoinette puts it.
The presentation sparked my interest in the variety of bodily forms of memory in dance, and initiated my work on an article on the same theme.
But earlier this year the organizers at Jyväskylä, the Experiential Demarcation Research Project philosophers Joona Taipale, Jussi Saarinen and Tiia-Mari Hovila decided to make an online version of the workshop.
I was in extremely good company! My talk was one of seven sessions, and the others were scholars I hold in very high esteem. The topic Body Memory and the Unconscious was approached through phenomenological, psychoanalytic, psychological and artistic research.
My presentation was on dance, more specifically on experiences of remembering movement material pre-reflectively during learning processes and early rehearsals, and then - during the interpretation of this movement material and the creation of the performance - the bodily reflective experiences of using one's affective and bodily memories - as content or "the flesh on the bones", as my informant Antoinette puts it.
The presentation sparked my interest in the variety of bodily forms of memory in dance, and initiated my work on an article on the same theme.
september
An article I've written for the Danish dance journal Dansemagasinet - Terpsichore, dans som scenekunst, was published this month! It's on the philosophical notion of bodily reflection, the idea that the body has a specific way of reflecting and making sense through movement.
If you read Danish and want a copy, do send me your mailadresse!
If you read Danish and want a copy, do send me your mailadresse!
JUNE
In late June dancer Esther Wrobel, MA student at the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen, passed her final exams with flying colors. I'm so proud of her great achievements!
I'd been her supervisor - as well as a guinea pig at her experiments (see my news from April 2021 and December 2019 for details!) - and now had the pleasure of examining her empirical as well as written research. It was on how to share the experience of moving within an altered gravity, an experience that is part of her own everyday life, with people with no previous experience of aerial dance.
Esther's MA project is called Tiny Astronauts: Looking for Awe and Wonder, Finding Curiosity.
Esther Wrobel is a vertical, aerial dancer, and in her company Sparrow Dance she works on cross disciplinary performing arts, create productions, events, and workshops. Take a look at her breathtaking dance work at her website:
I'd been her supervisor - as well as a guinea pig at her experiments (see my news from April 2021 and December 2019 for details!) - and now had the pleasure of examining her empirical as well as written research. It was on how to share the experience of moving within an altered gravity, an experience that is part of her own everyday life, with people with no previous experience of aerial dance.
Esther's MA project is called Tiny Astronauts: Looking for Awe and Wonder, Finding Curiosity.
Esther Wrobel is a vertical, aerial dancer, and in her company Sparrow Dance she works on cross disciplinary performing arts, create productions, events, and workshops. Take a look at her breathtaking dance work at her website:
Photos from Esther's examination at Brønshøj Water Tower in Copenhagen.
With censor, associate professor Helle Winther and head of MFA Dance and Participation, associate professor Laura Navndrup Black.
With censor, associate professor Helle Winther and head of MFA Dance and Participation, associate professor Laura Navndrup Black.
JUNE
In the national park Mols Bjerge in Denmark, in the middle of moraine hills and ancient forrests, you find the sustainably run residency Earthwise, funded by artistic director and performer Christine Fentz.
In the beginning of June I spent three days there, in the company of a group of anthropologists, many of them from Interacting Minds Centre at Århus University. We all made workshops for each other, with the theme "bodily understanding". The investigation - which included singing, being in nature, painting and creating art in other ways, dancing, moving, sensing and being - was a way to gather methods and understandings about embodied learning, and to discus how our findings might be incorporated into academic contexts. A brave endeavour!
I am super happy to have been invited by the organizers of this pilot project - one of them, by the way, being a former friend and collegue at the first theatre I worked at here in Denmark, when I moved from Norway in 1987. We hadn't worked together for over thirty years, but it felt like yesterday, like it is with people close to one's heart.
Take a look at the residency's website, it is a uniquely beautiful place!
In the beginning of June I spent three days there, in the company of a group of anthropologists, many of them from Interacting Minds Centre at Århus University. We all made workshops for each other, with the theme "bodily understanding". The investigation - which included singing, being in nature, painting and creating art in other ways, dancing, moving, sensing and being - was a way to gather methods and understandings about embodied learning, and to discus how our findings might be incorporated into academic contexts. A brave endeavour!
I am super happy to have been invited by the organizers of this pilot project - one of them, by the way, being a former friend and collegue at the first theatre I worked at here in Denmark, when I moved from Norway in 1987. We hadn't worked together for over thirty years, but it felt like yesterday, like it is with people close to one's heart.
Take a look at the residency's website, it is a uniquely beautiful place!
MAY
(X)sites is a biennal land art exhibition, where international artists create temporarily, contemporary land art works in the landscapes along bike routes by the western coast of Sweden. The art works are site specific and integrate into the nature and architecture of the area where they are made.
Since 2017 I have been invited to be part of the artists' initial seminars, where they all get together and start planning their art work. There are social arrangements as well as lectures and debates, and as part of this I have presented my philosophical work on embodiment and artistic consciousness.
Just like the three previous seminars, this year consisted of a number of interesting and inspirational presenters and participants, but due to the covid 19 situation, we had to meet online.
I am very grateful towards the organizers at Konstnärscentrum Väst for this ongoing opportunity to share my theories on art with the distinguished, international artists who participate in (X)sites - many of which I have subsequently kept a passionate correspondence with and done philosophical work for.
Since 2017 I have been invited to be part of the artists' initial seminars, where they all get together and start planning their art work. There are social arrangements as well as lectures and debates, and as part of this I have presented my philosophical work on embodiment and artistic consciousness.
Just like the three previous seminars, this year consisted of a number of interesting and inspirational presenters and participants, but due to the covid 19 situation, we had to meet online.
I am very grateful towards the organizers at Konstnärscentrum Väst for this ongoing opportunity to share my theories on art with the distinguished, international artists who participate in (X)sites - many of which I have subsequently kept a passionate correspondence with and done philosophical work for.
APRIL
Once again I was lucky enough to take part in my student Esther Wrobel's experiment on aerial, vertical dance. This time we entered an ice cave on the tiny planet Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, through the background story and an absolutely amazing VR world created by Esther.
Floating in space - or, as it were, hanging in the air by means of a counterweight system - visiting Enceladus was mind blowing, both movement wise and visually. The ice cave was filled with crystals and rocks, and looking upwards there were distant starlit heavens and black endlessness. The kinesthetic experience of gravity altered movements encouraged playfulness, experimentation, curiosity, joy ... I could've stayed there forever!
Yet, there were other astronauts queuing up behind me. And I had to fill in the questionnaire - this was after all conducted as part of Esther's research at the Danish National School of Performing Arts. I supervise her written master's thesis - and as here, volunteer as an astronaut whenever she needs one.
Most of these pictures are shot by Esther and her co-researcher Tanja Montan Rydell, in the impressive water tower of Copenhagen suburb Brønshøj, where the research took place.
Floating in space - or, as it were, hanging in the air by means of a counterweight system - visiting Enceladus was mind blowing, both movement wise and visually. The ice cave was filled with crystals and rocks, and looking upwards there were distant starlit heavens and black endlessness. The kinesthetic experience of gravity altered movements encouraged playfulness, experimentation, curiosity, joy ... I could've stayed there forever!
Yet, there were other astronauts queuing up behind me. And I had to fill in the questionnaire - this was after all conducted as part of Esther's research at the Danish National School of Performing Arts. I supervise her written master's thesis - and as here, volunteer as an astronaut whenever she needs one.
Most of these pictures are shot by Esther and her co-researcher Tanja Montan Rydell, in the impressive water tower of Copenhagen suburb Brønshøj, where the research took place.
APRIL
After months of everyday work, finally some exciting news to share!
My latest research article on bodily consciousness in dancers was published with SpringerNature on the 1st of April, as part of the philosophical journal Synthese's topical collection "Minds in Skilled Performance". It is such an honor - Synthese is, according to Google Scholar, the highest ranking journal in the category philosophy. The paper version of the journal will come later this year. For now, you can have a look at Synthese's presentation of the article here: |
As a part of their generous "Springer Nature SharedIt" initiative, the full length article can be read through this link:
I hope you'll enjoy reading my research. Any comments are welcome - don't hesitate to get in touch!
2021
NOVEMBER
This year I celebrate my 25th anniversary as a Norwegian voice-over artist! And whom better to share that with than my friend and employer Jens Albrectsen at Speakerbureauet, who was the first producer to record my voice, back in 1995. Colleges at the Copenhagen theatre where I worked at the time, had told me a studio was looking for Norwegian speaking actors, and I'd arranged with Speakerbureauet to give it a go.
Little did I know that this nice niche job - being a Norwegian speaker in Denmark - should finance a lot of my theatre-, documentary film-, and philosophy work during the decades to come. Many of my creative projects, and later philosophical endeavors, would never have seen the light of day without being backed up by the surplus of my well paid speak jobs.
My voice over services have been used for documentaries, commercials, information material, manuals, load speakers in ferries, hospitals, and shops, e-learning, telephone answering systems, children's books, and more. I've had numerous parts in computer games and animated movies - singing and dubbing the dialogue.
Little did I know that this nice niche job - being a Norwegian speaker in Denmark - should finance a lot of my theatre-, documentary film-, and philosophy work during the decades to come. Many of my creative projects, and later philosophical endeavors, would never have seen the light of day without being backed up by the surplus of my well paid speak jobs.
My voice over services have been used for documentaries, commercials, information material, manuals, load speakers in ferries, hospitals, and shops, e-learning, telephone answering systems, children's books, and more. I've had numerous parts in computer games and animated movies - singing and dubbing the dialogue.
Here are my sites as a voice artist:
October
With dancer and yoga teacher Henriette Slorer at Østfold University College!
For two autumn days we conducted a movement-philosophy workshop for the MA students of psychosocial work. Three of their teachers came to the workshop, as well, and we all had a great time together - breathing, playing, doing relaxation exercises, dancing, sharing, and discussing.
This was the practical part of our theory-practice workshop, that started on zoom in May. The exercises were skillfully lead by Henriette, who intuitively reads the needs of any group, and who more or less composed the program on the spot - based on our careful preparation and her immense dance and teaching experience.
I filled in with repetitions of the philosophical work we did in May, and linked the work on the dance floor with theories and concepts.
These students are working full time beside their part time study. They are employed as nurses, social workers, probation officers, teachers, school leaders, and addiction counselors, and are interested in including bodily aspects into their work practices. Experiencing their sudden realizations, understandings, hearing about their dreams, struggles, and the various ways they plan to incorporate the embodied and affective in their everyday work lives, has been truly touching and inspiring.
Thank you SO much to associate professors Guro Øyen Huby and Espen Marius Foss for making this possible!
Here is a Norwegian description of the MA study:
For two autumn days we conducted a movement-philosophy workshop for the MA students of psychosocial work. Three of their teachers came to the workshop, as well, and we all had a great time together - breathing, playing, doing relaxation exercises, dancing, sharing, and discussing.
This was the practical part of our theory-practice workshop, that started on zoom in May. The exercises were skillfully lead by Henriette, who intuitively reads the needs of any group, and who more or less composed the program on the spot - based on our careful preparation and her immense dance and teaching experience.
I filled in with repetitions of the philosophical work we did in May, and linked the work on the dance floor with theories and concepts.
These students are working full time beside their part time study. They are employed as nurses, social workers, probation officers, teachers, school leaders, and addiction counselors, and are interested in including bodily aspects into their work practices. Experiencing their sudden realizations, understandings, hearing about their dreams, struggles, and the various ways they plan to incorporate the embodied and affective in their everyday work lives, has been truly touching and inspiring.
Thank you SO much to associate professors Guro Øyen Huby and Espen Marius Foss for making this possible!
Here is a Norwegian description of the MA study:
This lovely trio - Marius Kjos, Caroline Wahlström Nesse and Camilla Myhre - constitute the leadership at Høyskolen for Dansekunst in Oslo - a bachelor's degree in dance art and choreographic thinking.
The "choreographic thinking" part of the school's title immediately made my curious when I came across it online some time back. Through corresponding and meeting up last year, I learned how profoundly philosophically they work at this dance institution. Their philosophy is inspired by the phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty's theories on the embodied subject. They even hand out a book on phenomenology to the students when they start their dance studies! I really value this form of hybrid education, and admire how they make it work dance wise.
We quickly decided to collaborate. Due to the corona shut down earlier this year, we had to postpone the planned start in April. But this semester I began with a small philosophy workshop/lecture with following debates and exercises. We had a thrill! The students openly discussed their dance practices' different experiences of consciousness, foci and work modes, and were willing to try out anything I presented to them, with great enthusiasm.
I look forward to the continuation!
Here's a Norwegian description of their schedule this term:
The "choreographic thinking" part of the school's title immediately made my curious when I came across it online some time back. Through corresponding and meeting up last year, I learned how profoundly philosophically they work at this dance institution. Their philosophy is inspired by the phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty's theories on the embodied subject. They even hand out a book on phenomenology to the students when they start their dance studies! I really value this form of hybrid education, and admire how they make it work dance wise.
We quickly decided to collaborate. Due to the corona shut down earlier this year, we had to postpone the planned start in April. But this semester I began with a small philosophy workshop/lecture with following debates and exercises. We had a thrill! The students openly discussed their dance practices' different experiences of consciousness, foci and work modes, and were willing to try out anything I presented to them, with great enthusiasm.
I look forward to the continuation!
Here's a Norwegian description of their schedule this term:
AUGUST
Helmi Järvensivu started dancing Finnish folk dance at the age of two and a half. Even if her career today includes contemporary dance as well, the folk dance will always be part of her moves and being, she told us yesterday - at her master defense at the Danish National School of Performing Arts. I feel I'm entitled to be a little proud of her, having been her supervisor for the last half year or so.
Helmi's research unveils how the canon of folk dance in Finland was established about a hundred and fifty years ago, within a political frame that encouraged a specific objectification of the Finnish culture; an expedient, nationalist romanticizing of the "ancient customs of the Finnish folk", where the ideal was "the humble and spunky Finn", "serious and shy".
As a Norwegian I recognize these endeavors in the folk arts, I see the urge one must've had in those days to form a base of belonging to a certain people, culture, and heritage. But, as Helmi discovered it about the Finnish folk dance, these endeavors were conducted more by the upper classes as a political project, than by the common people as a living heritage - as we like to believe it was. The canons of songs and dances, poems and costumes were filtered through the political needs and religious views of the time. A lot could be said about where that has brought us today.
I find it immensely brave to dig so deep into the matter one's life is built upon, as Helmi did with her master work. She also bravely took upon her to study philosophical texts, and made use of phenomenological material concerning the "we" and the "I" in her descriptions of the group feeling, connection, and we-ness experienced in folk dancing.
Here you can see the full program of the Danish National School of Performing Arts' MA dancers' final projects. The program was called "Body of Knowledge" and included a wealth of inspiring presentations:
Helmi's research unveils how the canon of folk dance in Finland was established about a hundred and fifty years ago, within a political frame that encouraged a specific objectification of the Finnish culture; an expedient, nationalist romanticizing of the "ancient customs of the Finnish folk", where the ideal was "the humble and spunky Finn", "serious and shy".
As a Norwegian I recognize these endeavors in the folk arts, I see the urge one must've had in those days to form a base of belonging to a certain people, culture, and heritage. But, as Helmi discovered it about the Finnish folk dance, these endeavors were conducted more by the upper classes as a political project, than by the common people as a living heritage - as we like to believe it was. The canons of songs and dances, poems and costumes were filtered through the political needs and religious views of the time. A lot could be said about where that has brought us today.
I find it immensely brave to dig so deep into the matter one's life is built upon, as Helmi did with her master work. She also bravely took upon her to study philosophical texts, and made use of phenomenological material concerning the "we" and the "I" in her descriptions of the group feeling, connection, and we-ness experienced in folk dancing.
Here you can see the full program of the Danish National School of Performing Arts' MA dancers' final projects. The program was called "Body of Knowledge" and included a wealth of inspiring presentations:
May
On the 12th and 13th of May I was a guest lecturer at a seminar at Østfold University College. As part of a Master course at the Faculty of Health and Welfare - “Psychosocial Work - Professional Health and Welfare Practices” – the seminar was focusing on materiality, technology, and embodiment in psychosocial work with children and young adults, as well as on mental health, and substance abuse issues.
My part of the program for this seminar, “Philosophy and Embodiment in Practice”, was prepared in cooperation with my dear co-lecturer Henriette Slorer, who’s a professional dancer and teacher at the Norwegian Theatre Academy. The corona situation had forced the organizers to conduct the seminar online, and so it turned out quite differently from what we had initially planned! Different, but so moving, and very enlightening to me. Whenever my philosophical work meets “the real world”, I feel my heart beats a little faster...
Instead of learning through moving, dancing, and being bodies together, which was originally an important part of our seminar lecture, the students sat at home in front of their individual screens. Happily Henriette has turned into a masterly zoom dance teacher this spring, and she made sure we all got some wonderful deep breath exercises and got up and shook our limbs thoroughly between the theoretical sections.
Following the lectures of associate professors Guro Øyen Huby, Espen Marius Foss, and Christian Sørhaug from the faculty, as well as participating in the final panel debate, was captivating and inspiring. It cemented my interest in bringing the philosophical work to more practical use.
Henriette and I look forward to continue these lectures in October, where we will be able to use the dance floor and meet and move with the students in person.
My part of the program for this seminar, “Philosophy and Embodiment in Practice”, was prepared in cooperation with my dear co-lecturer Henriette Slorer, who’s a professional dancer and teacher at the Norwegian Theatre Academy. The corona situation had forced the organizers to conduct the seminar online, and so it turned out quite differently from what we had initially planned! Different, but so moving, and very enlightening to me. Whenever my philosophical work meets “the real world”, I feel my heart beats a little faster...
Instead of learning through moving, dancing, and being bodies together, which was originally an important part of our seminar lecture, the students sat at home in front of their individual screens. Happily Henriette has turned into a masterly zoom dance teacher this spring, and she made sure we all got some wonderful deep breath exercises and got up and shook our limbs thoroughly between the theoretical sections.
Following the lectures of associate professors Guro Øyen Huby, Espen Marius Foss, and Christian Sørhaug from the faculty, as well as participating in the final panel debate, was captivating and inspiring. It cemented my interest in bringing the philosophical work to more practical use.
Henriette and I look forward to continue these lectures in October, where we will be able to use the dance floor and meet and move with the students in person.
MARCH - APRIL
Due to the covid-19 situation, the workshop "Body Memory and the Unconscious" at the University of Jyväskylä was cancelled, and I felt really sad to miss the opportunity to meet up with those excellent scholars. It was the first time I was invited to give a key note presentation, and just seeing the stellar line-up of colleges had made me super excited about the discussions we would have. But new times will come! And the material I gathered for my presentation has inspired me to write more on the topic of body memory - the preparations are by no means wasted.
My first lecture at The school for Dance Art and Choreographic Thinking in Oslo, which should've taken place on the 20th of April, is in a similar way postponed till the autumn. I can't wait to meet their dance students, and the inspiring and lovely group of teachers there, whom I feel so warmly connected to.
The covid-19 situation has all in all given me a break from many of my ordinary activities, as not everything can be done from a home office. I filled the break with writing and reading philosophy. More on that later!
One of the things that has been running as usual, is my supervision of the dance Master student Helmi Järvensivu at The Danish National School of Performing Arts. I will get back to her super interesting thesis on Finnish folk dance later, it deserves an elaboration when she's done! The submission of the students' written theses and the presentations of the performance part of the exams have been postponed till later this summer.
My first lecture at The school for Dance Art and Choreographic Thinking in Oslo, which should've taken place on the 20th of April, is in a similar way postponed till the autumn. I can't wait to meet their dance students, and the inspiring and lovely group of teachers there, whom I feel so warmly connected to.
The covid-19 situation has all in all given me a break from many of my ordinary activities, as not everything can be done from a home office. I filled the break with writing and reading philosophy. More on that later!
One of the things that has been running as usual, is my supervision of the dance Master student Helmi Järvensivu at The Danish National School of Performing Arts. I will get back to her super interesting thesis on Finnish folk dance later, it deserves an elaboration when she's done! The submission of the students' written theses and the presentations of the performance part of the exams have been postponed till later this summer.
FEBRUARY
One of my tasks as a freelance philosopher is to visit different churches – mostly in Denmark – to talk with groups of young adults who are in the process of confirmation. I present them with the phenomenology of the body through philosophers like Husserl, Sartre and Merleau-Ponty, as well as modern ideas on embodied cognition. All in their own language, of course! My main aim for this audience is to emphasize the difference between having a body and being a body - guiding them to see other possible experiences of themselves than the often distressful experience of being objectified and looked upon as a measurable "thing".
My latest talk, in the beautiful church pictured below - the Hellig Kors church in Jyllinge - was a bit out of the ordinary. I normally meet up with groups of 15-20 teenagers, and the atmosphere is cosy and intimate. But this time about 80-90 teenagers, as well as their parents, attended my talk. Presenting through a wireless headset, I paced up and down the aisles as if it was an awards ceremony, and three technical assistants helped me out during the "show"!
We had a great time! We danced funk, wrote secret notes ("who am I?") and talked about things like the body, emotions, self esteem and self confidence, the gaze of others, the process of acquiring a skill, and the importance of fun and movement.
I'm grateful to the parish priest Mogens Damm and his two lovely colleagues in Jyllinge parish, for giving me this opportunity. And to all the young ones, who, as always, shared their life reflections in such generous and touching ways.
My latest talk, in the beautiful church pictured below - the Hellig Kors church in Jyllinge - was a bit out of the ordinary. I normally meet up with groups of 15-20 teenagers, and the atmosphere is cosy and intimate. But this time about 80-90 teenagers, as well as their parents, attended my talk. Presenting through a wireless headset, I paced up and down the aisles as if it was an awards ceremony, and three technical assistants helped me out during the "show"!
We had a great time! We danced funk, wrote secret notes ("who am I?") and talked about things like the body, emotions, self esteem and self confidence, the gaze of others, the process of acquiring a skill, and the importance of fun and movement.
I'm grateful to the parish priest Mogens Damm and his two lovely colleagues in Jyllinge parish, for giving me this opportunity. And to all the young ones, who, as always, shared their life reflections in such generous and touching ways.
FEBRUARY
It's official! I'm invited as a speaker at this exciting academic workshop in March -
"Body Memory and the Unconscious" at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland.
Here's the workshop website:
"Body Memory and the Unconscious" at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland.
Here's the workshop website:
2020
DECEMBER
As part of her artistic research, Esther Wrobel, who is an aerial dancer and master student at the Danish National School of Performing Arts, is conducting a micro gravity test at the school these days.
Participating in the test I had the exceptional experience of moving in somewhat similar ways to an astronaut in space. Esther had constructed a counter weight system that enabled us who did the test to jump, fly, fall, float – to extendedly explore the room horizontally and vertically. The stunning projection of a moon landscape on the wall gave it all a sense of being in that weightless atmosphere. It was rather magical.
I had to get used to being such a body, though, which implied feeling both heavier and lighter than I am normally. Initially I had difficulties reaching the floor with the tip of my toes and had to focus hard through my hip, belly and bottom to get down to a regular standing position. At another point I seemed to keep on falling heavily to the ground, hardly being able to get off the floorboards. But then the literally awesome moment occurred, when I felt I could play with these new bodily forces. What followed was a joyful and intense exploration of moving as a new body in a new space, enabled to create what felt like enormously expanded moves, finding myself upside-down or flat in the air as part of the session. The bodily sensations lingered for the rest of the day, and returned instantly as I saw Esther’s beautiful pictures.
Participating in the test I had the exceptional experience of moving in somewhat similar ways to an astronaut in space. Esther had constructed a counter weight system that enabled us who did the test to jump, fly, fall, float – to extendedly explore the room horizontally and vertically. The stunning projection of a moon landscape on the wall gave it all a sense of being in that weightless atmosphere. It was rather magical.
I had to get used to being such a body, though, which implied feeling both heavier and lighter than I am normally. Initially I had difficulties reaching the floor with the tip of my toes and had to focus hard through my hip, belly and bottom to get down to a regular standing position. At another point I seemed to keep on falling heavily to the ground, hardly being able to get off the floorboards. But then the literally awesome moment occurred, when I felt I could play with these new bodily forces. What followed was a joyful and intense exploration of moving as a new body in a new space, enabled to create what felt like enormously expanded moves, finding myself upside-down or flat in the air as part of the session. The bodily sensations lingered for the rest of the day, and returned instantly as I saw Esther’s beautiful pictures.
Esther’s
micro gravity test is inspired by the work professor Shaun Gallagher (et al.)
presents in the book “A Neurophenomenology of Awe and Wonder. Towards a Non-Reductionist
Cognitive Science” (2015). Here we learn how “astronauts have reported
experiences that are deeply aesthetic, spiritual, or sometimes religious as
they have orbited the Earth in the Space Shuttle or on the International Space Station" (p.2).
Being Esther’s supervisor on her upcoming master thesis on gravity, I look forward to partake in this intriguing research and learn more about her experiences as an aerial dance performer.
Being Esther’s supervisor on her upcoming master thesis on gravity, I look forward to partake in this intriguing research and learn more about her experiences as an aerial dance performer.
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER
My autumn this year does not consists of any breaking news, I’m afraid, but rather of silent, on-going research, work with regular clients, gatherings in my phenomenological reading group, and of the planning of future projects.
And what projects! The coming spring will be quite exciting. The school for Dance Art and Choreographic Thinking in Oslo is interested in a series of lectures on dance philosophy for their BA students, and we are soon meeting up to make arrangements. In March I’ll give my very first academic keynote presentation, a talk on body memory, at the University of Jyväskylä. During the coming semester I'll supervise two master students at The Danish National School of Performing Arts through the writing of their master theses. And in May my college, professional dancer Henriette Slorer and I will start our workshop activities, as mentioned in the August news. There'll be more on these projects in the months to come.
I really look forward to these new challenges. And at the moment I enjoy living a slow-motion everyday life, embracing the cosy Scandinavian winter darkness.
Take care out there!
And what projects! The coming spring will be quite exciting. The school for Dance Art and Choreographic Thinking in Oslo is interested in a series of lectures on dance philosophy for their BA students, and we are soon meeting up to make arrangements. In March I’ll give my very first academic keynote presentation, a talk on body memory, at the University of Jyväskylä. During the coming semester I'll supervise two master students at The Danish National School of Performing Arts through the writing of their master theses. And in May my college, professional dancer Henriette Slorer and I will start our workshop activities, as mentioned in the August news. There'll be more on these projects in the months to come.
I really look forward to these new challenges. And at the moment I enjoy living a slow-motion everyday life, embracing the cosy Scandinavian winter darkness.
Take care out there!
SEPTEMBER
Nadia Zarling is a Copenhagen based psychosomatic therapist. I've been a fan of hers for a long time, and was really happy when she invited me for an interview for her podcast.
Through her META-Health practice, Nadia guides her clients in finding the bodily signification behind a symptom or a disease. According to her, there's always an emotional root cause behind a disease or a symptom. Nadia's work is rather groundbreaking, presenting us with a practical, down-to-earth, anti dualistic understanding of illness and bodily communication.
Here's our conversation (in Danish) on embodied consciousness:
Through her META-Health practice, Nadia guides her clients in finding the bodily signification behind a symptom or a disease. According to her, there's always an emotional root cause behind a disease or a symptom. Nadia's work is rather groundbreaking, presenting us with a practical, down-to-earth, anti dualistic understanding of illness and bodily communication.
Here's our conversation (in Danish) on embodied consciousness:
AUGUST
In May Henriette Slorer contacted me with a great idea. She’s a dancer and lecturer at the Norwegian Theatre Academy in Fredrikstad, Norway, and some time back we worked together at Østfold University College (HiØ).
Her idea was to create a movement & reflection workshop with physical training and philosophy for BA and MA students, and to pitch the idea to leaders at the faculties of Health & Welfare, and Education at HiØ. And so we did! We’ve just had a great week working together, creating workshop content in the dance studio, gone for walks in the woods, and thoroughly discussed our thoughts. As it turned out, by the end of the week the members of staff we presented our ideas to were rather enthusiastic! The background motive is that individuals studying social work, child welfare, nursing, and teaching could benefit from our knowledge of the embodied self. Henriette has extensive practical material as well as lived experiences and thoughts on bodily awareness and bodily knowledge. I contribute with my drama teacher background, and first and foremost with philosophical theories of embodiment and art. This is super exciting, and I look forward to share more news on these workshops as they develop. |
JUNE - AUGUST
This summer I’ve been working with a group of wonderful women - the crew behind the performance Capital WOMEN. We were five performers. Léa Dant directed us, and Anne Journo-Moulin was our choreographer - both came from the French Théâtre de Voyage Intérieur. Together we produced a piece for PASSAGE street theatre festival, which we performed in Elsinore, Denmark.
The play was based on our experiences of being women, and included stories of violence and strength, ideas of femininity, and the intriguing lack of (what we traditionally call) femininity in public space.
Participating was both joyful and touching; during the process we shared experiences of anger, happiness, grief, sexuality, tragedy… life, in short. In Léa and Anne’s skilled hands it was crystalized into a story of womanhood recognizable to a general audience.
But the most touching part was the response from our audience. Tough-looking young men, playful children, elderly couples - basically men and women of all ages - cried, smiled, and hugged us after the performances. What an excellent feedback!
It was such an inspiring and rejuvenating process! I hadn’t been on stage for years, and going back was like coming home.
Participating was both joyful and touching; during the process we shared experiences of anger, happiness, grief, sexuality, tragedy… life, in short. In Léa and Anne’s skilled hands it was crystalized into a story of womanhood recognizable to a general audience.
But the most touching part was the response from our audience. Tough-looking young men, playful children, elderly couples - basically men and women of all ages - cried, smiled, and hugged us after the performances. What an excellent feedback!
It was such an inspiring and rejuvenating process! I hadn’t been on stage for years, and going back was like coming home.
JULY
What a treat! I just saw Antoinette Helbing and Cecilie Schyth Kjær’s performance The Mirror Project, based on their research during a residency at the theatre Åben Dans in Roskilde, Denmark.
Their physical exploration of what mirroring amounts to was filled with inspiring philosophical, bodily thinking. It was deeply touching to see the sincerity with which they investigate not only concepts, but also mere conditions of being.
Their physical exploration of what mirroring amounts to was filled with inspiring philosophical, bodily thinking. It was deeply touching to see the sincerity with which they investigate not only concepts, but also mere conditions of being.
In a following talk with Antoinette I learned more about their collaboration. During the performance they moved in synchronicity with a marvellous precision. Antoinette and Cecilie called the mode or attention they explored through this work listening-seeing. It seems to me to be a further development of the state of consciousness I describe as embodied reflection.
Thanks to the leaders of Åben Dans, Antoinette is one of the dancers I interview for my doctorate. She has told me our talks inspire her dance, and now her dance inspires my philosophical thinking.
Crossing my fingers for their funding process – I’d love to see this performance on the road.
Thanks to the leaders of Åben Dans, Antoinette is one of the dancers I interview for my doctorate. She has told me our talks inspire her dance, and now her dance inspires my philosophical thinking.
Crossing my fingers for their funding process – I’d love to see this performance on the road.
July
The Berlin based choreographer Edith Buttingsrud Pedersen has created a dance performance with the acting students at Athanor Akademie für Darstellende Kunst in Passau. The performance, Murky Blush, premiered on the 12th of July. It's a comic, thought-provoking, and poetic show about violence. Not necessarily the act of hurting someone else, but rather the violence we subtly carry in ourselves.
I've contributed to this project with parts of the manuscript, and it's been inspiring to see it realized with such success! Company HAA presents Murky Blush with some great stills and more details on the background idea.
I've contributed to this project with parts of the manuscript, and it's been inspiring to see it realized with such success! Company HAA presents Murky Blush with some great stills and more details on the background idea.
JUNE
My very first philosophical book review is published! It’s a discussion of Simon Høffding’s book A Phenomenology of Musical Absorption, and it's published in Phenomenological Reviews.
Høffding is making use of empirical research, and bases his theory on experiences undergone by the four classical musicians in the Danish String Quartet. The book brings a number of interesting quotes from the musicians.
When it comes to Høffding’s analysis of this empirical material and his theory of performative passivity, I’m having reservations. The review will disclose why. Don’t hesitate to send me your comments, if you’d like a discussion on the nature of artistic absorption! I’d love to hear what you think. |