The Body Appropriate

Stephanie is an interdisciplinary artist integrating art with science. Interested in the reuse of museum space through the representation of the physical human body, she strives to make museums accessible to everyone by the means of artistic installations and reactionary interpretations of traditional spaces. The Body Appropriate performance and workshop series is an example of this method of representation. 

She holds a MSc in International Museum Studies from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in photography and performance art. She currently works at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California as an object preparator and curatorial assistant. She has worked at the California Academy of Science, Smithsonian and Göteborg Natural History Museums, and at the International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago.  

photo by yarden abukasis

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This workshop, from the Body Appropriate series, is based off the notion that we take our bodies and surroundings for granted on a daily basis. Participants learn alternative ways to use their bodies in the environment of the Museum. We explore how to ‘hack’ into pre existing spaces in order to reuse them & to see with new perspectives. 

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This workshop can be held with a small or large group of participants.

When we explore the floor exhibits of the Museum, each discussion is different, wholly dependent on the size of the group. 

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Sample exercise: 

Take two things in the natural world that do not obviously share a common history or ground, find their similarities, and describe them.

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The tasks within this workshop take participants through an artistic approach to scientific observations of similarities. There are tasks on how to turn these observations into ideas and stories. Next are further tasks on how to use these ideas as creative research to build art or further research. 

the body appropriate workshop series

Goteborg Naturhistoriska Museum May 2011

photos by stephanie stewart-bailey

Exercise sample:

take two seemingly different objects in the world, place them on the same locus, and let them tell you a story. 

The Body Appropriate Workshop Series - Stephanie Stewart-Bailey

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Two participants from the Comparative Anatomy Workshop at Goteborg’s Natural History Museum, demonstrating one of the many task-based exercises that deal with appropriating concepts from comparison and analogy methods.

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Participants are lead through task based exercises to creatively respond to exhibit cases. 

Later they are asked to creatively write on their ideas, for themselves, that wont be shared, but to source ideas for further use. 

Images from the workshop given to the artists to initiate their performance on April 30th. 

As an opening to The Body Appropriate Workshop Series at the Museum (May 2011), these artists were given a limit of 10 days to make a piece of work.  They did this through the use of tasks and themes of the workshops, interpretive comparative anatomy, and personal artistic interpretations of selected exhibit cases. 

Photographed: Stacey Marie Garcia, Anna Svennson, Anastasia Danter, Lindsey Hobbs, Lydelle Abbot

Through an artistic view of comparative anatomy, this workshop series assumes that it is possible for any-thing to relate to any other thing; that aspects in the natural world are different from each other only because we are aware of differences. By the means of comparison & analogy we should be able to use artistic appropriation as a license to research and make art. Participants will investigate the museum’s collection of taxidermy through task based exercises and adapt a personalized practice for initiating new views of creative research. 

Each workshop has a different theme and begins with a creative physical movement warm up. 

Workshops given by interdisciplinary artist Stephanie Stewart-Bailey

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Saturday May 7: 12:00 - 16:00 - Comparative Anatomy

Participants will explore the museum’s exhibitions of taxidermy with directive tasks. We will then draw out the possible ways to represent and compare this research with our own bodies and ideas. In the museum’s classroom, the process results in creative responses and physical sculptures with our body’s anatomy.

Sunday May 15: 12:00 - 16:00 - Vanitas and the Body

Participants will have the ability to have a hands-on approach using and researching taxidermy and anatomical material to create vanitas still lifes. From these sculptures we will make further creative responses with our bodies.


Saturday May 21: 12:00 - 16:00 - Comparative Anatomy II

Participants will explore the museum’s exhibitions of taxidermy with directive tasks. We will then draw out the possible ways to represent and compare this research with our own bodies and ideas. In the museum’s classroom, the process results in creative responses and physical sculptures with our body’s anatomy.

Friday May 27: 13:00–16:00 - Urban Anatomy 

The workshop is based off the notion that we take our bodies emerged in our surroundings for granted, on a daily basis. Participants will learn alternative ways to use their bodies in the environment of the Museum’s classroom, behind the scenes, exhibits and architecture. We will explore how to use our bodies to compliment the site-specific local in which we are emerging ourselves by sourcing collaborative improvisation in the museum environment.

Saturday April 30 at 1pm The Body Appropriate PERFORMANCE

On the day of Valborgsmässoafton, there will be a one hour durational performance by the artist and her collaborators which demonstrates creative responses to the themes of the workshops. The performance will take place in various locations in the mammal and bird halls, on the second floor of the Museum. 

http://www.gnm.se/kulturvast_templates/Kultur_ArticlePage.aspx?id=58577

TO REGISTER: please email theworkshoplibrary@gmail.com. Include your name and which workshop date you prefer. Space is limited to 15 participants per workshop. 80kr or 50kr/students
(if you are excited to participate but do not have the money, contact Stephanie personally)