International Cultural Studies Program Speaker Series

“Embody: An Alternative Mode of Inquiry” – Associate Professor Mary Babcock (Department of Art and Art History) --

Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue describes us as presently living in an era in which we have abandoned our interiority - the space of hope and regeneration. In this talk, I present my research practice that lies at the intersection of performance art, contemplative practice and peace and justice studies. I draw attention to the body as a vehicle for illuminating tacit knowledge, that is knowledge that influences feeling, thinking and action but is not readily accessible to consciousness. Unceasing access to information can unwittingly act as an an-aesthetic; deadening our senses despite while feeding the discursive mind. Performance art and the practice of asking questions through the body, holds the potential to awaken the power of the aesthetic in its root meaning – breathing life back into the senses, points of connection between inner and outer worlds. This work is resonant with eastern philosophy and Buddhist thought and practice, and embodies a form of social activism that treats the inner landscape as inherently connected to its outer manifestation and therefore a necessary site for peacebuilding.

Event Sponsor
International Cultural Studies, Manoa Campus

More Information
944-7593, culture@hawaii.edu, http://manoa.hawaii.edu/internationalculture/

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