Body and the Arts: The Need for Somaesthetics

Abstract

IWe humanist intellectuals too often take the body for granted because we are so passionately interested in the life of the mind and the creative arts that express our humanity and spiritual longings. But the body is not only an essential dimension of our humanity (expressing all the ambiguities that humanity entails); it is also the basic medium through which we live and the fundamental instrument for all performance, our tool of tools, a necessity for all our perception, action, and even thought. My project of somaesthetics -aimed at improving the understanding and cultivation of the body as a central site of perception, performance, and creative self-expression -is based on that premise. Just as skilled builders need expert knowledge of their media and tools, so we need better somatic knowledge to enhance our understanding and performance in the arts and the humanities; and this includes the cultivation of what I consider (with the likes of Socrates, Confucius, and Montaigne), the highest art of all -that of perfecting our humanity and living better lives. We need to cultivate ourselves, because true humanity is not a mere biological given but an educational achievement in which the body, mind, and culture must be thoroughly involved.In this essay, I shall consider more specifically how somaesthetics is related to the field of fine arts, though the scope of somaesthetics is indeed wider, extending into all practices of life in which we can enhance our perception and performance through improved somatic self-use and self-knowledge. I shall begin by clarifying the idea of somaesthetics and how it is needed to counterbalance the strong tendencies in modern aesthetics, beginning with its founder Alexander Baumgarten, to neglect or reject the body's role in aesthetic experience. Hegel is a crucial figure in this tradition, so I will then critically examine his ranking of the arts in terms of their relation to material embodiment. Using his classificatory scheme heuristically to highlight the body's wide-ranging role in the different arts, we see how somaesthetics can improve our understanding and performance of that role. IIIn establishing the field of somaesthetics I introduced the term 'soma' (based on a Greek word for body) in order to underline that the project concerns not just a material body or mere physical

Towards making sense of self through emotional experiences in craft-art

“…The physical interaction between one's body and the material and tools, the somatic experience, is the essential basis of the craft experience, because by touching the material the maker also feels and becomes aware of being (Groth 2017;Shusterman 2013). The subcategory of maker`s presence refers to craft making as a holistic experience where the continuity of experience (Dewey 1895(Dewey -1898 includes bodily sensations as well as mental feeling.…”

“…The continuity of experience arises over a longer period by perceiving incidents and through action that directs new experiences (Dewey 1895(Dewey -1898. Further, craft making is a bodily process that has connections to Shusterman's (2013) definition of somatic experiences. People think and feel with their bodies, especially with the body parts that constitute the brain and nervous system (Shusterman 2013).…”

“…Further, craft making is a bodily process that has connections to Shusterman's (2013) definition of somatic experiences. People think and feel with their bodies, especially with the body parts that constitute the brain and nervous system (Shusterman 2013). Eisner (2002) sees that through education, especially art education, people can become architects of their experience and learn to create themselves.…”

“…Damasio (2000) describes the body as a central scene of emotions where feelings are reflections of changes in bodily conditions and emotional responses give signals to the body and brain (c.f. Shusterman 2013;Custodero 2002). Similarly, a craft maker is involved in a craft process with his or her whole essence and self: body and mind (see Groth 2017) and with varied emotions.…”

The Value of Art and Culture in Everyday Life: Towards an Expressive Cultural Democracy

“…He claims that: "Aesthetic experience gains intensity from a sense of sharing something meaningful and valuable together and this includes the feeling of shared pleasures"(Shustermann 2003, 304).In his latest works, Shusterman argues that we need to consider the body as an inseparable part of all human perception. The body is a central part of human perception and performance, and should be taken into consideration when we discuss art experience(Shusterman 2013). Shusterman has developed what he calls somaesthetics as an interdisciplinary field that unites the cognitive and sensuous perception: "Art enchants us through its richly sensuous dimensions, perceived through the bodily senses and enjoyed through embodied feelings.…”