Search Results (87)

Since the turn of the 21st century, urban studies and planning research has examined the strategic role of artists, arts organizations, and cultural activity as local and regional economic development catalysts. This article shifts the spotlight from the “creative class” and “creative industries” as drivers of a “creative city” to study the role of art, culture, and creative practices in community-led, place-based efforts to stabilize neighborhoods and advance more hopeful, healthy, and equitable urban futures. It explores Boston’s Chinatown, where community-based art activism has a long history of addressing critical issues such as reclaiming land taken by interstate highway and urban renewal projects, as well as combating gentrification and displacement through site activation. The case study focuses on Residence Lab, a community-based arts residency program initiated by the Pao Arts Center and the Asian Community Development Corporation that brought together multimedia artists with residents to collectively preserve Boston’s Chinatown through creative and artistic activation of underutilized sites in the neighborhood from 2019 to 2022. We examine a selection of ResLab projects, which give form and meaning to the struggles and aspirations of being at home in Chinatown and embody the art activism of partner organizations and program participants, along with the ResLab’s impacts on participating residents and artists. The concluding discussion considers ResLab’s contributions and implications for the shifting ways in which urban, political, and artistic cultures have intersected and impacted one another in Chinatown along with the relationship between collective action and the preservation and transformation of culture in the urban frame. Full article

Dance encompasses physical, emotional, and social elements, creating a dynamic platform for the exploration of well-being. As a therapeutic approach, dance movement further applies these dimensions to enhance emotional resilience, foster mindfulness, and improve overall mental health. This study examined the relationship between self-compassion and life satisfaction among 912 recreational dancers (80% female and 20% male) in Greece. Participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Confirmatory Factor Analysis validated the five-factor self-compassion model, and regression analysis identified predictors of life satisfaction. Self-kindness emerged as a strong positive predictor (β = 0.258, p < 0.001), while isolation (β = −0.307, p < 0.001) and self-judgment (β = −0.083, p = 0.029) negatively predicted life satisfaction. Common humanity (β = 0.064, p = 0.066) and mindfulness (β = 0.004, p = 0.907) showed no significant predictive effect. The model explained 21.7% of the variance in life satisfaction (R² = 0.217). Small but statistically significant differences in self-compassion dimensions were observed across dance styles. Partner-oriented dancers such as those practicing tango reported slightly higher self-kindness and mindfulness, while ballet dancers showed a small increase in self-judgment and isolation. Life satisfaction remained consistent across styles, highlighting dance’s overall contribution to well-being. These findings suggest that integrating self-compassion training into dance education and psychotherapy, particularly within a Therapeutic-Based Art Pedagogy framework, may contribute to emotional resilience, foster social connection, and promote mental health, positioning dance as a potentially transformative tool for holistic development. Full article

In response to the increasing politicization and polarization of discourses around gender, sexuality, and the body, feminist theorists like Judith Butler call for feminism to strive toward flexibility and responsivity. This essay lays out some of the theoretical considerations that inform studies of graphic embodiment—or studies of embodiment in graphic narratives—both generally and within feminist studies, then examines several graphic texts by Tillie Walden and Élodie Durand that exemplify feminist theories of embodiment, with particular attention to the creative co-construction of embodied narratives. Full article

A significant development in pedagogical strategies which make use of the principles of embodied cognition can be found within the implementation of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) into art and design education. This theoretical study investigates how IVR-mediated embodiment enhances spatial thinking and creative problem-solving in art and design education by examining the taxonomy of embodied learning and principles of embodied cognition. The pedagogical affordances and limitations of IVR for creative learning are analyzed through a combination of empirical research and case studies, such as the Tangible and Embodied Spatial Cognition (TASC) system and Tilt Brush studies. Through gesture, spatial navigation, and environmental manipulation, IVR provides numerous possibilities for externalizing creative ideation; however, its implementation requires negotiating contradictions between virtual and physical materiality. IVR-based educational technologies have the potential to revolutionize teaching and learning. The goal of this paper is to provide educators with a theoretically grounded framework for applying embodied practices in IVR-based learning environments, while also acknowledging the current limitations of this technology. Full article

Blending child-led exploration with purposeful teacher guidance and clearly defined learning goals, playful learning has been promoted as a promising approach for introducing computational thinking (CT) in early childhood education (ECE). However, there is a lack of practical guidance for teachers on how to design and implement playful CT learning effectively. To address this gap, we conducted a collaborative action research project and asked these two questions: (1) How can teachers effectively prepare and design a playful learning CT program using tangible CT toys? (2) How do teachers facilitate playful learning in the CT program? Through iterative cycles of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting, the first and second authors (teacher-researchers) designed and implemented their CT programs in a preschool classroom and an afterschool program respectively, and collected data including video recordings of sessions, participant-generated artifacts, program documentation, and anecdotal reflection notes. Based on our thematic analysis of the data, we identified practical principles for selecting CT toys, three key themes for CT program design and preparation—interest, ownership, and application, and two forms of teacher scaffolding during implementation: embodied approach and storytelling as scaffolding and assessment. The findings highlight practical ways that teachers can enhance children’s engagement, problem-solving skills, and conceptual understanding of CT, while also promoting autonomy and creativity through coding and storytelling. Full article

This study presents a novel pedagogical model for architectural education that integrates an extended-reality (XR) enhanced learning environment with embodied cognitive approaches. Addressing the limited application of technology-driven embodied experiences in architectural education and the lack of empirical studies assessing their effectiveness, this research examines how an XR-integrated design studio model facilitates ideation, design development, and reflective practice. Using an action-research methodology over 15 weeks, the study involved 12 third-year architecture students divided into experimental and control groups. The first two stages assessed the model’s impact on time management, decision-making, and students’ sense of ownership in the design process, while the third and fourth stages evaluated the quality of design outcomes, creativity, presentation skills, and overall student satisfaction. The findings demonstrate that an embodied cognition-based XR learning environment significantly enhances students’ experiential understanding of design proposals, encourages active exploration of design alternatives, and supports problem-solving within the architectural design process. The model also improved decision-making and time management by enabling students to comprehensively experience and evaluate their proposals. This study highlights the pedagogical value of integrating embodied cognition principles with immersive digital environments in architectural education and provides a structured framework for leveraging emerging technologies to enhance creativity and innovation in design studios. Full article

Physical inactivity is a pervasive global public health concern, yet there is limited qualitative research exploring the psychosocial dimensions of physical activity (PA) among undergraduate students at a South African university. Therefore, this study aimed to explore students’ PA participation, by providing insights into the psychosocial factors that shape their experiences. Interviews were conducted with 18 undergraduate university students between July and August 2023. I-poems, a creative qualitative method, were created from interview transcripts by isolating sentences featuring the pronoun “I” and arranging them into poetic stanzas without altering their sequence. This approach amplifies the participants’ voices, offering an authentic window into their lived experiences. Data was coded using the Atlas Ti v.8 software and thematically analysed to generate common themes. The I-poems revealed rich, layered insights from students regarding the psychosocial aspects of PA, highlighting themes such as mental health, motivation and social support. By centring the participants’ “I” narratives, the method foregrounded their voices, enabling a deeper exploration of their embodied PA experiences. This study highlights the potential of I-poems as a creative qualitative method to explore the intricacies of students’ PA journeys. The findings highlight the importance of considering psychosocial factors in understanding PA engagement, offering valuable subjective perspectives for designing contextually relevant and university student-tailored interventions that are suitable. Full article

V. S. Naipaul’s 1975 novel Guerrillas is the earliest example of Caribbean fiction that purports to provide a realistic depiction of Trinidad’s brief but historically significant Black Power movement. Naipaul was an Indo-Trinidadian expatriate who immigrated to the U.K. in 1950 and remained there until his death in 2018. He was famously Anglophilic; and given his notorious insistence that culturally the West Indies are derivative, not creative, it is unsurprising that Naipaul depicts Black Power as an empty form that Trinidad and Great Britain import to their detriment from the U.S. In its fictionalization of the story of a real-life figure on the periphery of Black Power, Guerrillas presents Black Power’s presence in Trinidad and the UK as a failure and a sham. My article traces Naipaul’s transformation of what was originally a journalistic account into his novel Guerrillas in order to highlight the tendentiousness of his representation of Trinidadian Black Power. The plot of the novel repurposes the crux of Naipaul’s essay “The Killings in Trinidad” in which he reports how a Trinidadian Black Power poseur known as “Michael X” conspired in the January 1972 murder of a white woman named Gale Ann Benson. Crucial to Naipaul’s dismissal of Black Power as a derivative fiction, this article argues, is the fraudulent Michael X, himself a mimic man par excellence in his embodiment of Black Power as an empty and parodic form devoid of original content. I demonstrate how Naipaul’s marginalization of Caribbean Black Power depends on formal mimicry and on his selection of this marginal player/mimic man as representative of the movement in Trinidad. Full article

Modern society, dominated by rationalism, has led to the hollowing out of life’s meaning. In response to this predicament, the question of how to transcend instrumental rationality and reconstruct an understanding of human conditions becomes crucial. Among pre-Qin thinkers, Zhuangzi offers the most profound exploration of life-related issues. His “death-life” thought embodies unique philosophical implications, revealing the fluidity, wholeness, and infinity of life. The word order of “death-life” underscores the idea of the transformation of things (wuhua, 物化), illuminating two practical pathways toward the infinite circulation of life. This understanding of life resonates with Henri Bergson’s life philosophy in their shared reverence for life’s infinite flow through intuition. However, they diverge in their views on time and subjectivity. Despite their differences, their ideas can complement each other. Integrating Bergson’s spirit of creative evolution with Zhuangzi’s carefree and detached mindset may help dissolve modern society’s obsession with utilitarian goals, allowing individuals to engage in active creation while simultaneously embracing the spontaneity and boundless possibilities of each present moment. This synthesis provides valuable insights for reconstructing life’s meaning in contemporary society. Full article

In the face of the growing challenges of the Anthropocene—marked by climate change, biodiversity loss, and increasing rates of disease and despair—this paper explores the need for holistic solutions that integrate cultural and spiritual transformation as essential dimensions of change. Recognizing that the interconnected challenges to planetary health stem from destructive socio-political agendas and unhealthy economic structures, we underscore the importance of worldviews and value systems as root causes of social and ecological injustices. Solutions require an understanding of the complex interdependence of systems, fostering mutualistic mindsets, and healing the ‘relationship crisis’ between humans and the natural world by cultivating a deeper level of consciousness. In response to these urgent needs, we describe Earthrise—a community of engaged contemplative practice led by the Nova Institute for Health in collaboration with the Planetary Health Alliance—dedicated to spiritual and cultural transformation in the face of today’s complex crises. Through intentional spiritual relationships—with ourselves, each other, and the natural world—our community emphasizes the power of narrative co-creation in building social cohesion and collective action for environmental stewardship. Our work is not solely contemplative, but also relational and integrative—embodying values through lived practice, community, and ecological engagement. Our activities focus on developing cultural capacities and self-awareness as essential foundations for fair and sustainable social transformation. By integrating diverse perspectives, including ancestral wisdom and Indigenous knowledge systems, we enrich worldviews and deepen our connection to the planet. The Earthrise community seeks to cultivate a sense of belonging, nurturing the meaningful relationships that foster compassion and care. Central to our approach is the use of creative emergence, leveraging the arts to inspire change and catalyze new paradigms. Through this exploration of interconnected themes, we contend that spiritual and cultural transformation is vital to advancing a thriving future, where human flourishing and planetary health are understood as inseparable and interconnected goals. Full article

Deep, potent silences sometimes underlie thoughts of suicide. This paper presents a personal reflection of silence as a form of expression, and examines how engaging in expressive arts activities may reveal and help in processing feelings of distress and thoughts of suicide. There is an additional layer of hegemony that the use of words adds to discussions of suicidality, which makes these discussions inaccessible to many of the disenfranchised, including people from a refugee background for whom English is not a first language. But, for those struggling with speaking the (English) language in the first place, at what level of language acquisition can they be deemed fit to express and accurately represent their thoughts and ideas about suicide? Does their silence count? And so, by tackling this dilemma, this paper seeks to examine alternative ways of expression that do not heavily rely on words. It explores how, in our undertaking of suicidality studies creatively, we may embody and dignify the ways of the marginalised that have been devalued by a colonialist or interventionist agenda. The paper is an exercise in re-writing their experiences from the critical consciousness of coloniality. It is a disassembling of the control, domination, and exploitation that words can have. It is an attempt to shift the source and profile of knowledge about suicide from those who wield the power and privilege of words to those who live in the margins, shielded by silence. Full article

Industry 5.0 is a developing phase in the evolution of industrialization that aims to reshape the production process by enhancing human creativity through the utilization of automation technologies and machine intelligence. Its central pillar is the collaboration between robots and humans. Path planning is a major challenge in robotics. An offline 4D path planning algorithm is proposed to find the optimal path in an environment with static and dynamic obstacles. The time variable was embodied in an enhanced artificial fish swarm algorithm (AFSA). The proposed methodology considers changes in robot speeds as well as the times at which they occur. This is in order to realistically simulate the conditions that prevail during cooperation between robots and humans in the Industry 5.0 environment. A method for calculating time, including changes in robot speed during path formation, is presented. The safety value of dynamic obstacles, the coefficients of the importance of the terms of the agent’s distance to the ending point, and the safety value of dynamic obstacles were introduced in the objective function. The coefficients of obstacle variation and speed variation are also proposed. The proposed methodology is applied to simulated real-world challenges in Industry 5.0 using an industrial robotic arm. Full article

The article engages in the undisciplining of the study of religion and proposes two central concepts/approaches for how to do so: the pluriverse and materiality. But what is undisciplining? And is it needed? To frame the undisciplining of the study of religion and render visible how I conceive of it as a needed practice, the article discusses the relationship between knowledge, materiality, power, and transformation. This relationship is concretized by prioritizing critical decolonial perspectives from the South African context. Here, I center materiality and the material effects of colonial discourse and epistemology as critical entry points. I also highlight the importance of embodied approaches to knowledge, illustrated through decolonial feminist engagements with post-qualitative methodologies. Informed by these critical insights, I unpack the concept of the pluriverse and highlight its epistemic and methodological relevance for the undisciplining of the study of religion. (Re-)turning to materiality, I foreground materiality as a creative and critical knowledge framework and argue for the varying ways it may function for rethinking and undisciplining the study of religion. Full article

This paper examines the practice of ‘Bible Noise’, a group which I led at a Church of England evangelical church that explored creative ways of reading aloud the Bible through sound art practice. Biblical engagement is central to evangelicals and I wanted to expand biblical engagement by using sonic performances through the use of our voices, thereby facilitating a more bodily encounter with scripture. ‘Noise’ in the group name alludes to the disruption that sound can generate and also alludes to the ‘noise’ of multivocality, since the Bible has many voices in it from authors, narrative characters, editors, compilers, translators, interpreters and so on. The ‘noise’ is also a disruption of the visual primacy of our current culture. Bible Noise explores ways in which different voices can be brought in to enrich our aural engagement with scripture by exploring five different ‘pieces’ or readings of scripture. In doing so it establishes a communal idea of scripture where the different voices within scripture can be heard, paying attention to their particularities. Listening to these voices and our own embodied enactment of them can enrich and deepen our perception and engagement of scripture by appreciating the chorus of voices that is the Bible, the collection of texts that forms a core of British evangelical practice and belief. Full article

This essay explores embodiment and its realization in spiritual and artistic practices. By analyzing the parallels between artists seeking to integrate their faith with their creative practice and the broader pursuit of an embodied spiritual life, this paper argues that both endeavors are ultimately concerned with the same essential question of how to fully show up as complete beings in the various aspects of life. Through examining the Kingdom Artist Institute’s process for mentoring artists in integrating faith and art, the author’s personal narrative, and practical examples of embodiment, this paper reframes embodiment as an inherent and accessible aspect of our spiritually human experience and explores how individuals can realize it in their own lives. Full article