Unwilling body: testimony of a movement between forgetfulness

• Grant number: 15/04448-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: August 10, 2015
• End date: February 09, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Arts - Dance
• Principal Investigator: Maria Helena Franco de Araujo Bastos
• Grantee: Maria Helena Franco de Araujo Bastos
• Host Investigator: Ileana Maria Dieguez Caballero
• Host Institution: Escola de Comunicações e Artes (ECA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Cuajimalpa (UAM Cuajimalpa), Mexico

Abstract

This project continues my theoretical and practical research, directed at scenic processes, particularly at those focused on the different artistic languages and genres that are part of the Body Arts (dance, theatre and performance), betting on contamination between these fields. This choice exposes the recognition of a destabilization of the fragmentation of knowledge, from the observation of own experiences that stand out in the contemporary art scene, points to the emergence of liminal thoughts as a critical reflection on the production of artistic knowledge in Latin America and has elected Mexico City, DF, Mexico, as the headquarters for this project which is carried out under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ileana Dièguez Caballero. The proposal is to study the relationship between body and city as a collective phenomenon that implies sharing spaces through constant adjustments and agreements. This topic is also crossed by memory and forgetfulness. Memory, in this case, strengthens a key aspect of our time: the testimony. We are what we are according to who we remember we are. Yet, on the memory issue there is a confrontation with forgetfulness as a disassociation strategy with identity. In turbulent times like our present, it is urgent to study the bonds between the phenomena of memory and identity speech in Latin America.The object of this research is to discuss the critical dimension of moving which is the result of the friction between those two instances (memory and forgetfulness). The hypothesis is that it has created an unwilling body: a body born in a crisis environment that perforates the cognitive habits of those who circulate in public spaces of the cities.Authors such as Taylor (2012) and Dieguez (2014) will be convoked to support this research in the panorama of performance studies. The studies about the body will be approached from Greiner & Katz (2005), Damásio (2000) and Lakoff & Johnson (2002). In the context of Latin American social and cultural thinking it is intended to research from authors like Pinheiro (2012), Báez (2010) and Mignolo (2003). Finally, the philosophical thoughts will be based on studies by Foucault (1985, 1987 and 2005) that emphasize the games of power in the evolution of speech in society. (AU)