Abstract
October 27, 2009
Here is my abstract. It is really a draft that needs a lot of work but I wanted to post it and ‘own’ the essay.
Walking.
Abstract:
How may the act of walking be seen to reflect the position of the lived body in post human culture?
My current practice centres on examining the link between our identities and our unconsidered daily physical movements such as walking, an activity most of us take for granted.
The act of walking and its constant importance to us can be found built into our consciousness, in everyday phrases such as ‘walk like a man’, ‘walking to hell and back’; in folklore and fairy stories, e.g.: the Little Mermaid and Cinderella.
Historically cultural practices and ideologies surrounding walking have been used as a tool to reinforce gender, social roles, stereotypes; the rights and what it has meant for a man to walk freely have not been matched by those surrounding a woman’s to walk freely.
Projects are currently being undertaken that enable us to become cyborgs and walk in virtual realities. The sociological, political and psychological context of walking is constantly being redrawn in the face of our rapidly developing technological society. Walking is an activity that can be seen to reflect the predicament of the human body in a society that frequently seeks to renounce the unpredictable biological nature of the lived body in post human society.
Through this essay I will attempt to:
1. Outline a brief historical and sociological context of walking.
2. Examine the role of walking as understood in the context of embodiment theories.
3. Consider the role walking may posses in the post human cyber age.
5 key words:
Lived Body
Walking
Embodiment
Cyber
Post human
