Standing still in silence is, by definition, impossible. The starting point for the discussion is that humans are always in motion: our bodies breathe, sway, and swallow, and our brains are constantly processing sensory input. This becomes evident when trying to stand still, which also raises many questions about bodily and mental presence, relationships with others, and the influence of the environment.
This research forum will be organised as a panel discussion that brings together musicians and dancers who have explored human stillness for more than a decade. Kari Anne Bjerkestrand, Victoria Johnson, and Alexander Refsum Jensenius explored human stillness in the artistic research project Sverm, culminating in a series of performances in 2012. Since then, Alexander Refsum Jensenius has explored human standstill from a scientific perspective in the MICRO and AMBIENT projects, with a particular focus on how music influences standstill. Shabari Rao entered into stillness through performances that combined dance and meditation.
Bios
Shabari Rao is an artist and educator from Bangalore, India. Her work engages with interdisciplinary research in embodiment. As an artist, she performs, directs, curates, teaches, and writes. Over the last 20 years, her work has been supported and presented at conferences, festivals, and residencies, and published in cities as diverse as Shanghai, New York, Vienna, Cape Town, and Melbourne, among others. Shabari has held several academic positions. Currently, she designs and delivers interdisciplinary courses in higher education settings, most recently at BITS School of Law and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Prior to this, she was a founding faculty member at RV University, where she led the Performing Arts program in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She recently completed a PhD at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, where her research focused on Embodied Pedagogy in Mathematics Teaching.
Victoria Johnson is a distinguished violinist recognised for integrating the acoustic and electric violin with electronics and video. She studied violin in Oslo, Vienna, and London and completed the artistic research project "Electric Violin in Digital Space" at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Her solo performances have been featured at notable festivals, including the Ultima Festival in Oslo, the London Ear Festival, and the Bergen International Festival. In 2012, she released her debut solo CD, "Suspended Beginnings," in collaboration with composer Diemo Schwarz. She teaches at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo and the Department of Musicology at the University of Oslo and is deeply engaged in contemporary and interdisciplinary music projects.
Kari Anne Bjerkestrand is a movement director, choreographer, director’s assistant, and text consultant for stage productions. Her work is based on extended concepts of movement. The methods connect to broader themes, including creativity, artistry, self-awareness, leadership, and communication skills. They also encourage personal and spiritual growth. She has been passionate about movement since childhood, starting ballet at the age of 8. She received her education at the Ballet Academy in Oslo and the School for New Dance Development in Amsterdam. She is also a qualified tai chi kineo teacher who has been giving sessions for over 20 years. Her book Bedre flyt focuses on the principles of physical and emotional flow between body and mind.
Alexander Refsum Jensenius is a music researcher and a research musician who has recently been named Professor Standstill due to his interest in human micromotion and his year-long project of standing still every day. Now, he explores the musical properties of indoor environments and how it is possible to improve ventilation systems. This approach is based on triangulating theories and methods from musicology, psychology, and technology, ensuring that all his projects yield both scientific and artistic outcomes.