Society. Spaces. Screens

Abstract

At a time when AI is replacing many human roles, the human body remains, I suggest (to paraphrase Donald Norman, Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Science, University of California) our analogue anchor in an increasingly technology-driven world. The body is fundamental to what cities are. It has been a reference and inspiration in the design and construction of buildings and settlements since time immemorial, epitomised, amongst others, by Corbusier and his modular theory. Every city holds the particular body imprint of its inhabitants and their unique cultural and social profile. In my research at UCL, the wider themes of embodiment and abstraction provide a frame for my project as a whole. Usually understood as standing in contrast, in my project these are understood as forming a dialectical pairing. Both are intrinsic aspects of our experience of the world, including cities. Part of my research is an embodied enquiry into the geometry of 5 Action Spaces proposed by neuroscientist Alain Berthoz, which suggests the brain has different networks for different action spaces. Since 2021 Berthoz has run the Brain Culture and Society Program at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Paris. The project seeks to know if the principles of functioning of the brain can be useful to inspire a renewal of modern approaches and methods of the city. In this paper, I will introduce Berthoz’s geometry and, from the perspective of physical practitioner /researcher, suggest how it serves as a pertinent example of the deeply interconnected nature of the analogue and technological; how advanced technology-led enquiry in neuroscience has led us back to the pivotal role of the ‘analogue’ function of brain/ body in our perception and construction of our environment. Alongside technology-led neuroscience research methods, the Program has employed analogue ones, working since its launch with movement artist/director Jos Houben, with whom I collaborated in developing this paper.