body:language returns with a new series of talks in the Lilian Baylis Studio about the body in dance and live performance, philosophy, science, medicine, anthropology and the arts, curated by dramaturg and writer Guy Cools. 

In the beginning of the 21st century, the body reclaims its central position as a memory bank of human knowledge in a lot of philosophical and scientific discourse. Dance and the performing arts in general always had this body knowledge at the core of their practice and as such are a happy hunting ground to apply - and better understand - these old and new somatic insights from ancient healing practices to present day bioenergetics. British and international artists are interviewed about the central place of the body in their work and how their reflection and understanding of it relates to other fields and disciplines. “The body never lies.” (Martha Graham)

Tim Etchells (1962) is an artist and a writer based in the UK. He has worked in a wide variety of contexts, notably as the leader of the world renowned performance group Forced Entertainment and in collaboration with  a range of visual artists, choreographers, and photographers. His work spans performance, video, photography, text projects, installation and fiction. His first novel The Broken World was published by Heinemann in 2008 and his monograph on contemporary performance and Forced Entertainment, Certain Fragments (Routledge 1999) is widely acclaimed. In recent years Etchells has exhibited widely in the context of visual arts, showing work at Gasworks and Sketch (London), Netherlands Media Art Institute (Amsterdam), Sparwasser HQ (Berlin), Art Sheffield (2008), MACBA (2009), The Centre for Book Arts, Canada and Exit Art (all New York), Kunsthaus Graz and Manifesta 7 (2008) in Rovereto, Italy and Goteborg Bienale (2009). He is currently Legacy: Thinker in Residence (2009-2010) at Tate Research and LADA in London.

For more information see:
www.timetchells.com
www.forcedentertainment.com

This is the first of three body:language talks taking place in the Lilian Baylis Studio this autumn:
Dana Caspersen - body:language
Alain Platel - body:language

Transcripts
PDF transcripts and podcasts of past body:language talks are available here

Part of the Jerwood Studio at Sadler’s Wells, supported by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.