Technosomatics
at Nonagon Festival
Date & Time: Friday 21st July, 15.30
Stage: Nona
Workshop leader: Elise Brewer
Picture by: Begoña Solís / La Casa Encendida, 2021 Technosomatics
Technosomatics is a movement practice developed by Frédéric Gies who shares it in various workshop formats. It consists of a collective and individual exploration of the endocrine glands (the major chemical system of our body) and the chakras (energy centres) through club dancing to techno music and vice versa: an exploration of club dancing while embodying the endocrine glands and the chakras. It is practised mostly with closed eyes, in a pitch-dark room. It emphasises the experiential body and explores alternative maps, which both match and deviate from the mainstream scientific map of the body. The practice connects to both the field of somatics (movement education practices) and to techno club/rave dance cultures. It originates in Frédéric Gies’ encounters with diverse somatic practices, and in their dance floor experiences. As a form of meditation in movement, it explores trancelike states of consciousness and acknowledges the healing potential of the act of dancing. It also approaches club dance as a tool for self-discovery and for expanding the range of our perceptions. The practice doesn’t require any specific background in dance.
Nonagon Festival
Nonagon is an art and music festival focused on experimental and audiovisual expressions. The festival takes place on July 21-22 in two decommissioned oil cisterns on Svanö Island, in Ådalen, Sweden. The cisterns have a unique reverberation time of up to 25 seconds, and inside visitors are met with echoing and spherical sounds. Artists collaborate in new constellations to create audiovisual pieces specifically designed for this unique space and time. The festival features a diverse program of audiovisual performances, art exhibition, DJs, workshops, and artist talks, presented on two stages and an art gallery.
The festival is funded by the Swedish Arts Council, Nordic Culture Point, Region Västernorrland, Kramfors Municipality, and the Ideell Kulturallians.