From 30. of January till 3. of February we have been doing Research for our international, inter-transdisciplinary neuroscientific performance project together with the team of the University Miguel Hernandez in Elche, Alicante, Spain. We were observing the subtle entry into the Butoh-State various times. What we can say after the first observations: entering the Butoh State is visible as an increase in activity of the autonomic system! Entering and leaving the Butoh State can be observed! And what is really interesting : the reaction of the vegetative system is almost the same if you enter the Butoh State and move as when you enter the Butoh State and only imagine to move! This observations are extremely interesting, although of course they need to be investigated more to be scientifically approved... We can't wait to receive all the interpretations of our EEG scans and return to the University of Miguel Hernandez for further artistic-scientific research in the future!
You are curious about our work? Come and see the final result in September at TheaterArche: Bewusstsein in Beziehung: Homo Kemoni
#sciencemeetsart #consciousness #butoh #butohdance #homo_kemoni #performance #arts #research #neuroscience #subconsciousness #consciousnessinrelation #bewusstseininbeziehung #interdisziplinary #transdisziplinary
I have received this video recordings of the subtle awakening of the "dream body" [what means: Butoh-state of consciousness], you can see in the first video how I, after the preparation time, awaken as "Homo Kemoni" and in the second video how I imagine the same process without performing it. I wear a bracelet that measures parameters associated with the autonomic nervous system, the "emotional body". The data from this bracelet can be analyzed in real time, the data from the EEG scan still takes some time to be analyzed.
In both cases, the data from the bracelet shows a sudden increase in the activity of the autonomic nervous system (heart rate, blood flow, perspiration, etc.) when the dream body is subtly awakened. (This is induced by the music - the first music is used for preparation, the second for awakening). We also repeated this experimental setting on the other days before moving on to the more extensive scans in motion. We are still waiting for the videos of these performances and, above all, for the full analysis of the EEG data - full of curiosity and anticipation!
What has been found out after a first analysis of the data: during butoh-dance there can be observed increased brain activity in the occipital lobe.
⚡This knowledge stems from our research with @lintec.neuro at UMH MediaLab in Elche, Spain.
⚡The occipital lobe is the visual processing area of the brain. It is associated with visuospatial processing, distance and depth perception, color determination, object and face recognition, and memory formation.
⚡The primary visual cortex, also known as V1 or Brodmann area 17, surrounds the calcarine sulcus on the occipital lobe's medial aspect. It receives the visual information from the retina via the thalamus.
⚡The increased activity in the occipital lobe can be seen as a reaction of the brain to the rich inner imagenary occuring during Butoh-Dance, as the dancers dive deep into the so called "dream world", which is characterized by its focus on extreme bodily expression, exploration of the subconscious and surreal and its ability to convey deep emotions.
⚡Butoh Dance is a journey of psychosomatic exploration where processes of cognitive-motor integration, intercerebral synchronicity, interpersonal coordination, improved attention and memory recovery occur, which are currently being studied by modern Neuroscience for their therapeutic application, given their multiple health benefits.
⚡The occipital lobe is the smallest of the four lobes of the cerebral hemisphere. It is present posterior to the parietal and temporal lobes. Thus, it forms the caudal part of the brain. Relative to the skull, the lobe lies underneath the occipital bone. It rests on the tentorium cerebelli, which separates it from the cerebellum. The paired occipital lobes are separated from each other by a cerebral fissure.