The Whitman identity that has most impressed and influenced me during our readings this semester is the Whitman of non-binary soul and body. Whitman has expressed in numerous different ways the relationship between the body and the soul; though they are represented as two separate entities, their relationship interacts as though they are one. Feed the body and feed the soul, purge the body to purge the soul, so on. I too believe wholeheartedly that in order to foster a satiated soul, we must at some level indulge our gross bodies and their worldly pleasure. Walt recognizes the imperfections of humanity, that we can not fully exist in the higher plan of consciousness and Cosmos while still in our gross bodies. Humans are ultra sentient beings, and when we feed our bodies in the right way, we are able to taste a piece of this higher consciousness while still in our gross bodies. I picture this similarly to how yoga is taught: feeding the mind, body and soul equally makes us well rounded individuals. A yogi opens the 7 various chakras in the body, starting from the sacral chakra all the way up to the crown chakra. By opening up these channels of energy from base pleasure all the way up to higher consciousness, a human can dance the line between the cosmos and the material world. Still grounded and apart of the earth, but also receptive to messages deemed higher than ourselves. In a less complicated way, we simply must treat our bodies as we would like our soul to be treated.
The project I have chosen to do will revolve around creating a video project that explores the way that humans communicate with their bodies. I am in a Contact Improvisation dance class this semester, and I have been very inspired by what I have learned in it in conjunction with being in this class. I find myself becoming more receptive to body communication and realizing the importance of being in our bodies. I am not quite sure what exactly will be in the video, but I would like to create a sort of multi-medium storyline using dance, the spoken word, and the digital medium. I have chosen to do this project because I am an aspiring film actor and I am also drawn to video media more than any other (I’ve been thinking about the Levi’s commercials all semester). Using film and digital media will be a great way for me to synthesize a group of skill sets that I have fostered at the college such as acting, writing, directing, and source analysis. I think it would be interesting to explore how we treat our bodies affects how we interact with one another; what sort of habits create more open body communication vs. not. What effect do these habits ultimately have on our soul? I think it might also be interesting to explore if addictions have an affect on this as well, but I’m not entirely sure what I want to do content-wise yet.
In terms of research for this project, I will have to find further information on body language and the human body in general. It will be important to understand the benefits of being kind to our bodies in a more metaphysical sense.
Thomas,
This project sounds so creative and interesting! It will be like the Lana Del Rey video, but better! The concept of the interconnectedness of our bodies and souls that leads to a higher Cosmic understanding of ourselves is still a relevant and compelling idea that we all still grapple with today on some level. It is not just simply another one of Whitman’s ideologies, but it is one that many still ponder. As I have begun light research for my Twitter and Walt project, the connection between the body and soul comes up frequently in Tweets. I think putting it into some sort of video representation will be an excellent way to show what Whitman wanted us to understand about ourselves, and ultimately about the universe. Good luck, I can’t wait to see the finished result!
This seems like a really cool idea, I like that you are doing something that extends Whitman’s beliefs as opposed to simply reflecting on them. Will it be largely a dance-based project? I’d imagine dance works very well, I’d be interested see if there are any other actions to show this sort of ecstatic union of body and spirit. Have you considered which texts specifically you’ll pull from? My one concern would be how to make this inextricably Whitmanesque. The only two ways I can think of; inserting text (think “Hannah and Her Sisters”), or in voice over by reading the poem or poems that relate to the action on screen. I look forward to seeing the video.
This sounds really interesting! I’ve been working on a bachelor’s essay dealing with Flannery O’Connor’s treatment of the body in a non-binary relationship with the “soul.” And so I’ve also been struck by the way Whitman (ahead of his time?) structured his poetry and poetic principles against the seemingly inescapable ideological framework of binary opposition. I think your ideas seem to cohere nicely with ideas about the body in the act of dance, especially dancing in contact with others. I’m really excited to see how this turns out!
We had a great conversation about this project, focusing on the improv details: how Whitman’s poetry would be incorporated, the degree of planned choreography vs. open movement, the scholarly background you can include that meshes dance and poetics. Could be a great project.