Der Kolk states: “We now know that trauma compromises the brain area that communicates the physical, embodied feeling of being alive.” Just as the brain is able to create physiological changes and new neurological pathways in the body from trauma, artists/dancers are able to manifest new work or choreographic material from their lived experiences. On the topic of artificial intelligence and the art being produced by machines~ I question where our value is being placed. For me, I do not believe in art. Instead, I believe in artists, as Marcel Duchamp once eloquently put it. For example, the agentive lived experience of the body in dance, the human element in art making and craftsmanship raises some deeply philosophical questions and ontological perspectives on the state of art, culture and authenticity in our world today.
After a morning of discussing topics surrounding machine generated art we perhaps somewhat ironically ventured out on a nature walk through fields and groves of trees, finally ending up at the edge of a lake where we all shared a meal together in the grass. Food for thought!