Last year I was asked to teach a class to the master students in arts and crafts at HDK, Steneby, together with performing a solo of mine called I invite you in their gallery. It was a two day workshop in the body in relation to space through movement as part of a module they were doing about body and space. 

When I as asked to teach the workshop I was puzzled where to start as I did not feel that I had very much experience of working with the art of crafts. What could I give the students and where could we start of a dialogue? I decided I wanted to do a workshop which where both exploring ones own body in relation to space and other bodies, through movement tasks and improvisation. But I also wanted there to be time for dialogue and for me to talk about my own work and showing some visual material. 

Still, where was I going to start so that they could still feel comfortable in their own bodies? And what about touch and dialogue around the body when some of them might have never thought about the relation to their own body or giving it that very much attention? 

I came to a conclusion that I need to start from my own experience in relation to different spaces considering that I most of time work in alternative performance spaces. When I work I like to look at each component within the composition very carefully equally important for what I create. It is the creation itself that is my key focus, the means of expression completely dependent on what it needs and that audience crucial to its existence. 

Everything in space has a body of its own. No matter if its a human body, an object or a sound. They each have a body and there fore a relation to the space in which they exists. As does an object in an art gallery, for me. 

Thinking about the body of objects gave me a starting point for the workshop and for the dialogue. We were all working with bodies even though theirs were objects that are not alive and mine is the human body. So, I was thinking that for me to work with an outside object and understand its relation to the surrounding space, and by so the full composition, one needs to start with understanding ones own body in relation to space. I do believe the inner experience helps the outer to go deeper and further. 

I based the tasks that we did on my own experience from training at laban and working in alternative spaces. I think the tools around body in relation to space from Laban feeds the body with awareness in quite concrete ways even though the person does not work with the body as a primary material. I stripped down the layers to find the simplicity of a body just being in space so that it would also be applicable to an object.  

I also wanted to give knowledge about different spaces as it changes the relationship with the body as well as with the audience. I have an interest in changing proximity to the audience and how that changes the relationship. Changing the space naturally creates that shift of relationship. 

During the workshop I shared thoughts and theories mixed up with physical tasks and dialogue and we finished with them creating their own movement material based on a specific structure and in relation to a space of their own choice, which could be outdoors and indoors. The students showed great interest and very generously shared their thoughts and worked through the physical tasks. They shared their material with each other and we found that the relationship between body and space is very close. It was also clear that it was quite rare for them to be aware of their exhibition space and being present in their own body felt like a way into creating more clarity for composition. 

Day two I was mentoring them with their own projects and I noticed that the awareness on the body/space relationship was present in their way of presenting their work. 

https://vimeo.com/99047022