Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges

Conduits of the Hydrosphere is an ongoing project using the artist’s body as conduit of the hydrosphere, as well a conduit for communication between digital technologies and bodies of water. Having studied intensively in somatic modalities such as Body Weather Laboratory and Noguchi gymnastics, seah has trained to experience her body as a bag of water. Dragging her bag of water to other bodies of water, seah wears body cameras and contact mic’s to record intra-actions from below the surface. These fluid field recordings have recently been culled into a solo album and artist book which will be available for purchase/acquisition by the time of this conference.

In this paper, I will describe the theory and praxis of my current trajectory. Conduits of the Hydrosphere is both an artistic and philosophical investigation into intra-being storytelling through bodies of water. My praxis concerns de-objectifying the subject of my own body in this interaction, considering it a conduit for movement and intra-action. The philosophical writing is aligned with the Posthumanist writings of Rosi Braidotti and Karen Barad, Benjamin Bratton’s writing about geologic intelligence in The Stack, as well as earlier philosophers such as Deleuze and Nietzche. In my paper presentation, I will align my practice with these theories and open up discussion about the notions of intra-being collaboration in art (particularly new media).

This paper, which will also be given at MoxSonic Experimental Sound Festival in March and at RE:Sound at Aalborg University in August, describes both the methodologies and philosophy behind seah’s work. As both an artist and burgeoning philosophical writer, seah questions what are posthuman methods for art making (if there is such a thing) and problematizes outdated strategies of art practices.

WORKSHOP PROPOSAL

I will conduct a workshop that introduces any body to movement vocabularies and imagery that allows one to begin experiencing human body as other-than-human, as substance (such as “bag of water” in Noguchi gymnastics). We will move from there to thinking of body as conduit.