PRAXIS=
practice-based research= theory & practice = the way I write.
I develop a dialogic relationship
between theory & practice, each informs the other throughout the research
process. “When we describe praxis, we’re
focusing on the process of creation as well as (or instead of) the end
product. We can think about, theorise
and discuss that process as well as(or instead of) the end product)” For me, the process, which I see as the
journey, and the end product, which I see as the arrival, are equally valid, I
made this point at the University of Roehampton, London conference: Practice,
Process & Paradox 11-12 April, 2013, in response to the conference notes
(above in quotes) when I delivered my Paper: Paths To Knowing & Knowledge:
Memory, Mindfulness, Neuroscience & The Stories We Tell Ourselves.
Some of the ideas explored at the
conference were: Boundaries between Critical & Creative Writing, Creative
Process, Creative Research & Reflection, Defining & Redefining
Creativity, Innovative Poetics and Cross-Genre & Interdisciplinary
Approaches.
At the conference, dance lecturer,
Rachel Rimmer and I, presented our ongoing praxis, interdisciplinary project: The
speaking body in space: in the moment.
How can one write the moment, after the
event, surely this is a memory?
This question became a topic of
discussion between the writer, me, and the dancer, Rachel when we met on 6/3/13
in the dance studio.
As a writer, I explore the notion of
creatively getting my consciousness on the page (as the beat would say). As a
dancer, Rachel works with improvisation, responding to the space and making
choices in the moment. This demands a heightened sense of presence from the
dancer as choreography and performance happen simultaneously.
Through our research into consciousness
and presence, Rachel and I recognise a shared line of enquiry between our individual
practices.
Attempting to articulate the present
moment of moving, Rachel has been researching a range of writing approaches,
attempting to document the thoughts and the sensations of the dancer as they
occur. However, through our experimentation and discussion in the studio, both of
us realised that in writing about the event after it has happened, surely this
is more of a response to the memory of the moment, and not an accurate
depiction of the event itself?
So the question is, how can the ‘live’
dancing moment be articulated through words?
Trying to address this question, we have
been carrying out a series of explorations, considering different writing,
speaking and dancing relationships. These explorations were presented at the
conference as a live sharing of process, accompanied by discussion of some of
the research ideas and questions that have emerged to this point in our collaborative
practice.
How
can the ‘live’ dancing moment be articulated through words?
I consider the Buddhist practice of
mindfulness, that is, existence is experienced fully only by paying full
attention to the moment, in the moment, as we live it. If we come into our present moment, when
thoughts, feeling, sensations unfold in the present moment, in observation,
there comes awareness.
The concept of emptiness or void is
central to the philosophy of Buddhism. Void is not nothing. Something can come out of nothing; it comes
into being as a construct, before it changes into something else.
As a writer, I document my stream of
consciousness in the moment, capturing the images, thoughts, impressions as I
experience them. I consider that writing is not something to be done rightly or
wrongly, it is a path of discovery in itself.
When writing, I do not restrict myself to a specific set of rules about
how I should write. I am more concerned with the ‘doing’ rather than the
‘crafting’. My writing process is a stream
of consciousness. It is the ideas, shapes, images that evolve which inspire me. Creativity is about being absorbed in the
moment, going with the flow, following the energy of the writing; it is about
making connections; firstly: mind, pencil, then allowing the writing to flow
and making connections with the words on the page, so that other words,
phrases, sentences and images follow.
And as I write, I am engaged with the spirituality of the process, one
which can be a form of transcendence, one which can lead to insights and wakefulness.
During our presentation, Rachel was still
and silent, waiting for the intuitive moment to move. I was present, in the moment, witnessing,
paying full attention. We were listening
to our ‘inner voices’ to direct us to begin, to create the ‘path’ of dance
improvisation and word/text score.
Rachel moved and her movement changed
into something else. Rachel continued improvising
and speaking how this felt as she actually danced in the moment: a stream of
consciousness. I acted as a witness to the improvisation. I was absorbed in the moment. I used the principles
of Rachel’s improvisation and employed a stream of consciousness. Going with the flow of Rachel’s movements, I
spoke words, phrases, in the moment Ray danced, inspired by the movements and
shapes as they happened, mirroring Rachel’s energy, stillness and shapes in the
air and on the studio floor. Everything was connected.
It was an inspiring conference. Many thanks to the organiser Dr Louise
Tondeur J
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