We are excited to share a new project, Visceral Histories, Visual Arguments: Dance-Based Approaches to Data which builds on the work we have been developing with Dunham’s Data. Kate has been awarded a Research Development and Engagement Fellowship from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/W005034/1, 2022-2025), and Harmony has been awarded an OSU Global Arts and Humanities fellowship (2022-2023), which will enable them to continue their collaboration.
Whereas Dunham’s Data pioneered the application of scalable digital methods to the field of dance history, Visceral Histories, Visual Arguments will focus on the adaptation of data-driven research to the medium of dance that serves to enable this broader paradigm shift. Grounded in the specific needs of dance scholarship, this next phase of research engages with emerging digital techniques and technologies from the perspective of dance-based knowledge practices to further investigate how a data-driven approach that is tailored to the medium of dance can transform the use of digital tools to evidence and elaborate the historical study of embodied knowledge more broadly.
We are particularly excited that some of the initial work on Visceral Histories, Visual Arguments will build on connections with the Institute for Dunham Technique Certification. In addition, other Collaborating Organizations and Project Partners include museums and archives exploring digital innovation (the San-Francisco-based Museum of Dance; the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas; the National Archive of Data on Arts and Culture; The National Archives), emerging technology and design centres at two US universities (Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design at The Ohio State University and Augmented Environments Lab at Georgia Institute of Technology).
Visceral Histories, Visual Arguments will curate historical data that centres dance-based knowledge practices and to create palpable visual arguments in the form of digital visualizations and immersive experiences, guided by choreographic principles.