Saturday, June 05, 2004
Space,Time,Weight and Flow
Laban’s classification of movement according to a Jungian tetradic system (thought,feeling,sensing,intuiting) offers a useful grid for basic rhythmanalysis in the swimming pool.
According to Laban’s system the body can be seen as being motivated by four ‘drives’: The Action Drive, The Passion Drive, The Vision Drive and The Spell Drive.
The operation of the Action Drive is visible in the calculated actions performed to utilize SPACE. The prime example of this is ‘length swimming’, in which the actor swims in a regular, methodical and metered way against an extrinsic goal. The Action Drive is equivalent to ‘Thinking’ in the Jungian tetrad (and by archetypal extension the colour white and the element of air.) The Polar opposite of the Action Drive is the Passion Drive.
The operation of the Passion Drive is visible in the powered and energetic actions performed to utilize TIME. The prime example of this is ‘racing’, in which the actor swims primarily against an intrinsic goal, the improvement of speed, technique and intensity. The Passion Drive is equivalent to ‘Intuiting’ in the Jungian tetrad (and by archetypal extension the colour red and the element of fire.)
The operation of the Vision Drive is visible in the expressive actions performed to maximise FLOW. The prime example of this is ‘ self-pedagogic water-play’, in which the actor swims in a playful but self aware fashion against an intrinsic, self expressive goal. The Vision Drive is equivalent to ‘Feeling’ in the Jungian tetrad (and by archetypal extension the colour yellow and the element of water.) The polar opposite of the Vision Drive is the ‘Spell Drive’.
The operation of the Spell Drive is visible in the exploratory actions performed to investigate WEIGHT. The prime example of this is ‘ anti-gravity water-play’, in which the actor swims in a playful but environmentally sensitive fashion against an extrinsic, exploratory goal. The Spell Drive is equivalent to ‘Sensing’ in the Jungian tetrad (and by archetypal extension the colour blue and the element of earth.)
The tetradic model can also be used to ground four historical inclinations in the pursuit of swimming: ‘Nature Worship’ (motivated by Vision Drive) as opposed to ‘Controlled Environment’ (Passion Drive), ‘Spartan’ (Action Drive) as opposed to ‘Hedonistic’ (Spell Drive).
Laban’s classification of movement according to a Jungian tetradic system (thought,feeling,sensing,intuiting) offers a useful grid for basic rhythmanalysis in the swimming pool.
According to Laban’s system the body can be seen as being motivated by four ‘drives’: The Action Drive, The Passion Drive, The Vision Drive and The Spell Drive.
The operation of the Action Drive is visible in the calculated actions performed to utilize SPACE. The prime example of this is ‘length swimming’, in which the actor swims in a regular, methodical and metered way against an extrinsic goal. The Action Drive is equivalent to ‘Thinking’ in the Jungian tetrad (and by archetypal extension the colour white and the element of air.) The Polar opposite of the Action Drive is the Passion Drive.
The operation of the Passion Drive is visible in the powered and energetic actions performed to utilize TIME. The prime example of this is ‘racing’, in which the actor swims primarily against an intrinsic goal, the improvement of speed, technique and intensity. The Passion Drive is equivalent to ‘Intuiting’ in the Jungian tetrad (and by archetypal extension the colour red and the element of fire.)
The operation of the Vision Drive is visible in the expressive actions performed to maximise FLOW. The prime example of this is ‘ self-pedagogic water-play’, in which the actor swims in a playful but self aware fashion against an intrinsic, self expressive goal. The Vision Drive is equivalent to ‘Feeling’ in the Jungian tetrad (and by archetypal extension the colour yellow and the element of water.) The polar opposite of the Vision Drive is the ‘Spell Drive’.
The operation of the Spell Drive is visible in the exploratory actions performed to investigate WEIGHT. The prime example of this is ‘ anti-gravity water-play’, in which the actor swims in a playful but environmentally sensitive fashion against an extrinsic, exploratory goal. The Spell Drive is equivalent to ‘Sensing’ in the Jungian tetrad (and by archetypal extension the colour blue and the element of earth.)
The tetradic model can also be used to ground four historical inclinations in the pursuit of swimming: ‘Nature Worship’ (motivated by Vision Drive) as opposed to ‘Controlled Environment’ (Passion Drive), ‘Spartan’ (Action Drive) as opposed to ‘Hedonistic’ (Spell Drive).
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Project Outline
This is an investigation of the swimming pool as a cultural space.The dissertation falls into three distinct but overlapping areas;
The Swimmer-
A summary of the cultural and social history of swimming and the bodily and sensory location of the act of swimming.
The Pool –
A consideration of the pool as a socially constructed architectural space. This includes a historical summary of the pool’s development and specific observation and survey of a range of different pool environments.
Swimming-
An observation and analysis of the social pleasures, ludic practices, normative behaviours, gesture sequences and rhythms of swimming.
This is an investigation of the swimming pool as a cultural space.The dissertation falls into three distinct but overlapping areas;
The Swimmer-
A summary of the cultural and social history of swimming and the bodily and sensory location of the act of swimming.
The Pool –
A consideration of the pool as a socially constructed architectural space. This includes a historical summary of the pool’s development and specific observation and survey of a range of different pool environments.
Swimming-
An observation and analysis of the social pleasures, ludic practices, normative behaviours, gesture sequences and rhythms of swimming.
Habitus & historico-spatial precession
“The habitus- embodied history, internalized as a second nature and so forgotten as history- is the active presence of the whole past of which it is a product….The habitus is a spontaneity without consciousness or will…” (Bourdieu 1990)
Bourdieu’s notion of habitus is a wonderfully productive one when applied to the world of the swimming pool which is both ‘a game’- an arbitary social construct and a site of apparent spontaneous and improvised behaviour.
The concept of habitus allows the past to exist within the present, or rather a precession of pasts nested like Russian dolls, one within another. Each past is more hidden and unconscious in its influence on the conscious novelty of the now, as each summer contains the ghosts of all summers.
Lefebvre developed the idea of the history of space, space being not an objective set of dimensions, but rather a socially constructed historical product. The Western ‘production of space’ models the progessive historical alienation of man from his natural environment.
First there was ‘absolute space’ – nature, nature in man, man in nature. (Water in and for itself)
Then there was the ‘sacred space’ of the Priest kings, revered nature but separated nonetheless. (The ‘sacred’ pools and springs)
Then the politicised ‘historical space’ of the Graeco-Roman city state. (The Bath-house, The Lido and the cistern, the sacred spring now culverted and marble lined.)
Then ownable, controllable ‘abstact space’. (The private pool & Jacuzzi)
Finally the contested ‘contradictory/differential space’ of modern urban life. (The modern multi-purpose leisure pool )
In the pool (and in other nature-mimicking inductive spaces) perhaps the swimmer could be said to progressively regress through these historical spatial constructs as they shed the conscious contestation of space and move deeper and deeper until the final unconscious connection to the ‘absolute space’ of water/air/earth and light.
“The habitus- embodied history, internalized as a second nature and so forgotten as history- is the active presence of the whole past of which it is a product….The habitus is a spontaneity without consciousness or will…” (Bourdieu 1990)
Bourdieu’s notion of habitus is a wonderfully productive one when applied to the world of the swimming pool which is both ‘a game’- an arbitary social construct and a site of apparent spontaneous and improvised behaviour.
The concept of habitus allows the past to exist within the present, or rather a precession of pasts nested like Russian dolls, one within another. Each past is more hidden and unconscious in its influence on the conscious novelty of the now, as each summer contains the ghosts of all summers.
Lefebvre developed the idea of the history of space, space being not an objective set of dimensions, but rather a socially constructed historical product. The Western ‘production of space’ models the progessive historical alienation of man from his natural environment.
First there was ‘absolute space’ – nature, nature in man, man in nature. (Water in and for itself)
Then there was the ‘sacred space’ of the Priest kings, revered nature but separated nonetheless. (The ‘sacred’ pools and springs)
Then the politicised ‘historical space’ of the Graeco-Roman city state. (The Bath-house, The Lido and the cistern, the sacred spring now culverted and marble lined.)
Then ownable, controllable ‘abstact space’. (The private pool & Jacuzzi)
Finally the contested ‘contradictory/differential space’ of modern urban life. (The modern multi-purpose leisure pool )
In the pool (and in other nature-mimicking inductive spaces) perhaps the swimmer could be said to progressively regress through these historical spatial constructs as they shed the conscious contestation of space and move deeper and deeper until the final unconscious connection to the ‘absolute space’ of water/air/earth and light.
