Stillness Workshop

Humans always move; our bodies breathe, sway, swallow, and our brains are constantly processing inputs from our senses. This becomes evident when trying to stand still, which is possible by definition. Still, trying to stand still raises many questions about bodily and mental presence, relationships with others, and the influence of the environment. 

This workshop brings together musicians and dancers who have explored human stillness for more than a decade. Kari Anne Bjerkestrand, Victoria Johnson, and Alexander Refsum Jensenius explored human stillness in the artistic research project Sverm, culminating in a series of performances in 2012. Since then, Alexander Refsum Jensenius has explored human standstill from a scientific perspective, with a particular focus on how music influences standstill. Shabari Rao entered into stillness performances from the point of dance and meditation.

During the workshop, we will present previous projects, explore human stillness together, and prepare a performance to be presented in a public space. 

Program (tentative)

Bios

Shabari Rao is an artist and educator from Bangalore, India. Her work engages with interdisciplinary research in embodiment. As an artist, she performs, directs, curates, teaches, and writes. Over the last 20 years, her work has been supported and presented at conferences, festivals, residencies, and in publications in cities as diverse as Shanghai, New York, Vienna, Cape Town, and Melbourne, among others. Shabari has held several academic positions. Currently, she designs and delivers interdisciplinary courses in higher education settings, most recently at BITS School of Law and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Preceding this, she was a founding faculty member at RV University, where she headed the Performing Arts program in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She is completing her PhD at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, where her work focuses on Embodied Pedagogy in Mathematics Teaching. She has presented her doctoral research at international STEM and Mathematics Education conferences, where her contributions have been well-received.

Victoria Johnson is a distinguished violinist recognized for integrating the acoustic and electric violin with electronics and video. She studied violin in Oslo, Vienna, and London and completed the artistic research project "Electric Violin in Digital Space" at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Her solo performances have been featured at notable festivals, including the Ultima Festival in Oslo, the London Ear Festival, and the Bergen International Festival. In 2012, she released her debut solo CD, "Suspended Beginnings," in collaboration with composer Diemo Schwarz. She teaches at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo and the Department of Musicology at the University of Oslo and is deeply engaged in contemporary and interdisciplinary music projects.

Kari Anne Bjerkestrand is a movement director, choreographer, director¡¯s assistant, and text consultant for stage productions. Her work is based on extended concepts of movement. The methods connect to broader themes, including creativity, artistry, self-awareness, leadership, and communication skills. They also encourage personal and spiritual growth. She has been passionate about movement since childhood, starting ballet at 8. She received her education at the Ballet Academy in Oslo and the School for New Dance Development in Amsterdam. She is also a qualified tai chi kineo-teacher who has been giving sessions for over 20 years. Her book Bedre flyt focuses on the principles of physical and emotional flow between body and mind.