BOUND is a response to Europe: Under Protected and Over Restricted: The state of the right to protest in 21 European countriesthe. Focusing on the state of protest in the UK Bella and Stella examine the physical and emotional repercussions of the chilling effect and our own response to this reports through an emotional and somatic lens.
Taking inspiration from The Body Keeps The Score (van der Kolk, 2015), we explored how somatic and cognitive experiences are felt in the body. We particularly looking into how experiences of restriction, restraint, fear and frustration manifest. To do this, we used Bogart’s Viewpoints methodology as a tool to create movement and choreography. As well as influences from: Carolee Schneeman’s Water Light/ Water Needle’s. We referenced Pina Bausch’s performance Struggle, particularly how the use of a rope on the body can be utilised in movement choreography to physicalise restriction and containment. Inspired by Bausch’s methodology we came up with our own alphabet of gestured which helped us choreograph our movement sequence.
We believe that movement is an essential medium for exploring protest because the body holds this lived experience and tapping into instinctive and intutive movement allows us to process and explore own experiences with protest.
BOUND 