Gesture and embodied knowledge
This is a year-long project, funded by The Maudsley Charity.
This practice-led project aims to create a multi-layered portrait of the Bethlem site through recording the 'embodied knowledge', evidenced through gesture, of the people who work and reside there.
Our thesis is that the gestures artists use can be read as a specific way of 'being in the world'. In an environment where artists can often be judged by the objects they produce, this project will scrutinise process.
All of us perform gestures and interpret the gestures of others. Through documentation and display, we hope to draw parallels
between different ways of knowing and interacting with the site of the hospital. We view the hospital site as a stage, where gestures are performed and repeated, for different purposes by different people.
Drawing on the expert interpretation of clinicians, patients, artists, academics and other professionals, we hope to achieve a deeper understanding of the complex interrelation of emotional, cognitive and interactive processes.
