What is space? Space ‘appears’ to be a strange sort of emptiness or nothingness through which we and objects move. But we know that space is far from empty, that the space which gives us the air we breathe and through which sound travels and the space which is full of stars, planets, gas and dust is a rich and complex universe of time and space, life and death. In the ancient world the movements of the planets and the stars gave rise to the idea of the Harmony of the Spheres which said that the position and motion of the planets corresponded to the ratios of a musical scale and that this harmony structured the soul of the world and us within it.
But how do we relate to this mysterious thing called space? Are space and time independent entities? What’s the relation between thought and space and time? Do our movements in space make a sound and if so, would it be a harmonious one?
In this workshop we begin by experiencing the space in and around us. We explore whether we experience or desire a personal, private space, whether we have a good sense of space when moving in relation to others or whether we easily bump into people, especially when speeding up. Why does slowing down shape a different awareness of space and time?
Through this we begin to ask whether we find ourselves creating space, whether we choose to give space to others or take it from them. We explore whether our movements in space and time involve asserting power over others or whether it necessitates being more powerless and how might this change the way we feel or communicate ourselves meaningfully?
Last of all, we try to discern the rhythms of space and time in our movements and bodies. Why do we dance? What sort of discipline of the body is involved when we dance? Does space carry sound or music and is it possible for spaces to have particular sounds – harmonious or dissonant – not always heard but felt?