Examining body memory: How a series of durational improvisations showcase the dynamic relationship between the experience of moving and the physical manifestations of movement / Brett Palaschuk (2022)

Body memory is a process that allows us to re-live experiences that we have previously undergone in the past when moving through our environment. Initially, this project sought to resolve the question of whether I (a movement practitioner and choreographer) had visually re-emerging body memory movements during my improvisation practice. To answer this question, I filmed my improvisation practice, which consisted of sessions that took place 4 days per week (on average) over the course of eight months. With this I drew the conclusion that there were some recurring body memories throughout my improvisation sessions. Yet, as body memory is both an implicit and explicit function, this singular external perspective was problematic and did not capture the entirety of what I was experiencing during my movement. I needed to evolve my research questions and consider the internal landscape of my experience to gain a full understanding of the movement patterns that were emerging. By utilising numerous forms of documentation, I was able to determine that the relationship between my experience of moving and the physical manifestations of movement is connected through a means that extends beyond the visual examination of movement. This led to the secondary conclusion that body memory is dualistic in nature and incorporates both the subjective internal experience and the objective enaction of the body. Therefore, this project examines the dynamic relationship between the physical manifestations of body memory and the experience of movement over a longitudinal improvisation practice.