At the time of approaching them, I was planning and preparing for the OCAD U presentation, with the subject of this presentation The Body as Landscape being the entry point and framing of this discussion. I reached out to them via email to ask the following questions,  

 

- What are some of the best drills to get you ‘in your body?'

Would you be able to give me any examples of accessible and easily doable exercises, like the example of a body scan?

 

I was hopeful that Adell or Celest might be able to offer some simple ‘drills’ that I could use towards audience participation within my presentation that might be new to me or ones I had not considered.

 

Body scans are regularly used in yoga and meditation practices to sync up body and mind. Adell and Celest use neurology drills, exploring how the brain and body interact to add another layer to these drills with incredible effects. These practices come from their training in Z Health, an education provider that delivers ‘movement…governed not by biomechanics, but by neurology’. Funnily enough, if I had not done this Masters, this was going to be my next training. 

 

- I am aware of body maps like the homunculus. Do you have any other suggestions for body maps that you find helpful to represent a different understanding of your body?
 

Through CPD training with Celest in the past, I learned about the homunculus. Given that I was looking at ways of mapping the body as landscape in my presentation, I was interested to find out about other alternative body maps. 

- Thinking of landscape in its broadest sense, what is your take on thinking of the body as a landscape? Do you think it can be thought of and seen in that way? 

 

And lastly, I wanted to ask for their take on this subject. To hear what their views might be from their position specialising in movement and the body in a very different context to the arts. I was curious to find out what they thought about the body as landscape and whether they agreed or disagreed, extending the observations and opinions of my subject based within an external context. 

 

While Adell did get back to me, this was after the OCAD U presentation had happened, so I was unable to frame any answers in relation to that event. She also emailed to say that she had not understood my questions and offered a call to talk this through. I have not, as yet, had this conversation. If in the future, she is able to spare the time to talk this through with me I would love to know where her answers might direct my research and how they might influence my thinking. I may even be able to use any references I am given in future research conferences to hone my research paper ‘I know it like the back of my hand: inside out, the body as landscape’ as this is something I would like to do again. 

 

Any responses I might receive will be valuable towards my research into embodiment and thinking about alternative ways to map the body, I feel I will be working on this subject for a long time to come!

 

What I have learnt most from this experience is how you frame your questions with an awareness of your audience. Each profession has its own way of talking, its own language. I learned that I need to be more aware of the language bias of art and my assumptions that this will make sense to others outside of the field of art. I want my language to be inclusive. Especially when it comes to explaining and defining definitions/terminology.