Choreography and Cognition: a joint research project

BRIEF SUMMARY/ BACKGROUND:

This is the second phase of a research project that began in November 2002 as a series of meetings organised by choreographer Wayne McGregor* and arts researcher Scott deLahunta** with scientists studying the relationship between movement and the brain/ mind [1]. The aim was to engage in an initial exchange of ideas on connections between choreography and cognition that would be scientifically and artistically interesting. From this successful initial exchange in November, there emerged a strong mutual commitment to the idea of more focussed meetings. This has been the inspiration for the development of this second phase, which is intended to provide a platform for some of the scientists to observe, intervene and formulate questions arising from their individual research interests in the context of the creative choreographic process. Phase Two is therefore scheduled to take place in the rehearsal studio during the artistic research for a new choreography. The overall aim is to seek a cross fertilisation of ideas within shared research processes that will enhance innovative thinking in both domains.

CHOROEGRAPHY AND COGNITION: PHASE TWO

Since all the meetings for the first phase were hosted at the site of work (i.e. offices, laboratories) of the scientists, all Phase Two sessions will take place in the dance studio/ rehearsal environment in the context of Wayne McGregor’s artistic research for a new choreography. The scientists who have been invited to participate in this second phase are: Philip Barnard and Anthony J. Marcel from the Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge; Alan F. Blackwell, University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory; and Alan M. Wing, SyMoN (Sensory Motor Neuroscience), The University of Birmingham. Rosaleen A. McCarthy of the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge has agreed to help manage and monitor the progress of the project. [2]

I. PLAN FOR PHASE TWO:

The basic plan is to schedule a small number of intensive focussed working sessions in the rehearsal studio. The first of these will be a two-day shared session for all participants to take place in the autumn 2003 probably towards the end of October. The plan is to spend mornings in the studio observing the choreographic research process and use afternoons for discussion to map out where scientific research objectives might converge with or diverge from this. Spending this time together also provides an opportunity to consider how the various scientific interests may be compatible or not.

Following this two-day shared session; each scientist is invited to return to the rehearsal studio for up to three days (negotiable) either together or separately in individual sessions, to work on a specific scientific research objective or interest in relation to the ongoing artistic research/ choreographic process. [3] These individual sessions may be scheduled at a time convenient for the scientists within a two-month period through the end of 2003.

Each of the scientists may invite one science colleague or research assistant to accompany them either to both the shared and individual sessions or only to the individual sessions. This is left up to the scientist. The location for all of these sessions will be the Lillian Baylis Studio at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London, UK.

Following these individual sessions, Wayne McGregor will work for a period of time integrating the contribution from the scientist into the choreographic research process. These may be co-observed sessions depending on the emerging relationships with the individual scientists. It would also be possible that Wayne may revisit the scientists in their own labs if such a follow up is considered important to the overall aims and objectives of the project. 

II. CORE RESEARCH QUESTIONS/ AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

There are two research questions at the core of this project:

The first is related to artistic research and asks; “what might be discovered by opening up the choreographic process to alternative modes of looking, analysis and questioning through the eyes of the invited scientists?”

The second is related to scientific research and asks; “how can useful scientific research information be obtained in the context of a choreographic process and what are some of the issues for research design, experimental control and data collection?”

The aims of this project are to:

1. engage in a process of interaction and collaboration between artists and scientists that emphasises shared research processes

2. explore effective means of communication across and between interdisciplinary boundaries that challenge modes of looking

3. seek a cross fertilisation of ideas within these shared research processes that will enhance innovative and creative thinking in both the arts and sciences

4. compare and contrast artistic and scientific research processes and to evaluate points of convergence and divergence between the two

5. look towards the development and design of new methodologies to include the possibility of shared notational systems

There are three main objectives:

The shared objective is to seek connections between choreographic processes and the study of movement and the brain/ mind that are scientifically and artistically interesting.

The artistic objective is to integrate the participation and contribution from the scientists into the fabric of the choreographic process while maintaining the integrity of the modes of looking and questioning pertaining to their respective research areas.

The scientific objective is to start to formulate specific questions and research methodologies that arise from the individual interests in this project in the context of the creative choreographic process; firstly in collaboration with the other scientists and then as individuals.

III. RELATED METHODOLOGIES:

In this phase of the project, specific and novel methodologies will emerge as greater insight is gained into areas of overlap between the research areas of the artists and each of the scientists. This will continue a process that was started in the first phase of this project. For example, one of the outcomes of the first phase was a much greater shared understanding of the extent to which useful measurement of brain activity can be carried out with participants in motion and this understanding has been factored into the creation of this second phase.

During the project we will primarily engage in qualitative research methods to include working in a natural setting (the rehearsal studio), formulating and revising research questions and data gathering techniques. Data will be collected and analysed simultaneously and collaboratively allowing theories to emerge from rather than be superimposed onto the collected data. There will also be consideration of the social processes and how the definitions of the research are collectively established.

Through this reflexive framework, the project proposes to create the conditions within which to consider the design of future research studies on the part of the invited scientists. This may, for instance, involve gathering field information to be taken back to the scientific laboratory to be explored in the context of more controlled conditions. This could possibly lead to return visits to the science labs by the proposed Fellow for quantitative data capture.

IV. OUTPUTS/ DOCUMENTATION AND DISSEMINATION

In general, the choreographer and the scientists are expected to pursue a research line of enquiry that is specific to their individual frameworks, but open to the exchange of ideas across disciplines so that new modes of looking and analysis might emerge with the overall result of enhancing innovative and creative thinking. They will each seek to achieve the aims and objectives of this proposal in their own terms with the understanding that these may be redefined in the context of the interaction/ collaboration.

By tailoring levels of involvement and approaches based on individual interest and current research areas, we hope to enable a variety of outcomes (as different from outputs) some of which may lead to further developments. These will be detailed in a final project report. The specific outputs of the project and their dissemination will take place primarily through the publishing of documentation and articles for audiences that are both discipline specific as well as cross-domain.

While the scientists may eventually publish research outcomes derived from this project in their own domains, the pressure will not be on them to do so. Where possible the co-authoring of texts that might be published in more interdisciplinary circumstances will be explored as an option.

However, there are two additional partnerships involved in the project from which it is anticipated specific published outputs will emerge as follows: 

1) James Leach is social anthropologist currently doing fieldwork in the UK on creativity, knowledge production, and ownership within the context of arts and science collaborations. He has recently been appointed to a new position as Research Fellow in Kings College Research Centre and has been invited to participate in this project as an opportunity to further his study and analysis of new forms of collaboration in the context of shared arts and science projects. It is anticipated that his observations will deepen the understanding of the project relationships, and that he will publish his observations in selected anthropological journals.

2) Scott deLahunta** was instrumental in the organisation of the first phase of this project and will continue his involvement with a specific focus on the documentation of the integration of the participation and contribution from the scientists into the choreographic process. For this part of the project, Scott will collaborate with 'Liquid Press', an electronic publishing initiative of i-DAT based at Plymouth University experienced in the production of a wide range of digital and multimedia publishing formats. The intention will be to publish a cd-rom or DVD and written article in an upcoming issue of Performance Research; a peer-reviewed journal of performance arts published quarterly by Taylor and Francis/ Routledge.

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NOTES:

* Wayne McGregor is a London based award winning choreographer and the director of Random Dance founded in 1992. Random Dance is currently Resident Company of Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. http://www.randomdance.org.

** Scott deLahunta is a performing arts researcher, lecturer and consultant based in the Netherlands who is currently an Associate Research Fellowship at Dartington College of Art and an affiliated researcher with Crucible (a Cambridge University based interdisciplinary research network). http://huizen.dds.nl/~sdela.

[1] Phase One meetings in November 2002 were organised with: Daniel Glaser, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London; Alan Wing, Director of SyMoN, University of Birmingham; Isabelle Viaud-Delmon, CNRS, UMR 7593, La Salpêtrière Hospital and Daniel Andler, Director, Department of Cognitive Studies, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris; Rosaleen McCarthy, Dept. of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK; Anthony Marcel and Phil Barnard; Cognition and Brain Science Unit, University of Cambridge; Alan Blackwell of Crucible/ Computer Lab, University of Cambridge; Guido Bugmann and Andrew Hennell, Centre for Neural and Adaptive Systems, University of Plymouth, UK

[2] Funding for Phase Two has been applied for through the pilot ACE/ AHRB Arts and Science Research Fellowships with the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge to act as host. The response to this application is anticipated in May/ June 2003.

[3] These are INDICATIVE research interests and subject to adaptation:

Philip Barnard, Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge:

Research Interests specific to this project: I am interested in developing integrated theories of how different facets of mental functions work together in cognitive-affective settings and putting theories of human ideation and emotion to good use in practical contexts such as clinical psychology, human-computer interaction, the development of artificial cognitive systems and artistic contexts such as cinematography and dance.

Alan F. Blackwell, University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory:

Research Interests specific to this project: I am interested in the nature of choreography as a skilled design practice, the cognitive components of design, the use of notational and representational systems as a design tool (especially with regard to provisional representations or "sketches"), the collaborative context of design in a dance company, and the extent to which notational tools can be exploited to support this collaboration.

Anthony J. Marcel, Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge:

Research Interests specific to this project: I have an interest in developing theories of the self in contextualised action and the different performance levels and intentions associated with actions that are either decontextualised or pragmatically and socially contextualised. Some of this may be relevant to the research project, but equally so could my work on space and action, in particular imagery of self and space, aspects of the spatiality of one's body and awareness (and ownership) of one's actions and movement. I also have an interest in immersed versus detached dance planning/ creation (i.e. in action vs. in thought).

Alan M. Wing, SyMoN (Sensory Motor Neuroscience), Department of Psychology BBS Centre (Hills), The University of Birmingham:

Research Interests specific to this project: When we imagine an action, there is a feeling of it taking place that has a distinct time course; indeed it has been shown that the duration of imagined action is very similar to the corresponding real movement. I am interested in looking at creating and performing choreography in relation to the timing of movement both imagined and real.