Body Space Image

When it was first published in 1990, ‘Body Space Image’ was acclaimed as the first book of its kind – a remarkable guide to improvisation, using a narrative of discovery that “set the mind loose from the rut of everyday perception”.

It was groundbreaking in the way it addressed improvised movement, experimental performance and how to create performance settings.

Thirty years later, ‘Body, Space, Image’ still stands out from anything published in the interim – largely because of the way it combines a unique collection of images (from dance, theatre and painting) and statements by working artists.

The authors start with the individual’s movement itself as the basis of improvisation, then broaden their perspective to include groups working together and the physical setting of performance – space, light, sound and objects.

‘Body Space Image’ explores ways of working and ways of thinking about performance that have inspired beginners and experienced artists alike. It is a manual intended to stimulate rather than a comprehensive system of working and, in it, word and image combine to celebrate and record one of the most exacting art forms.

Author Biography

Miranda Tufnell is a dancer, Alexander teacher and craniosacral therapist. She has been showing performance work in galleries and theatres since 1976, often making site-specific events and collaborating with visual artists. She has taught widely, including at Dartington College of Arts and at Fellside Alexander School. Her work both as a dancer/choreographer and body therapist has been to make visible the invisible world of the sensing body.

Chris Crickmay trained as an architect, but has worked mainly in visual art with a strong interest in the links between art, dance and creativity. In his teaching career, he was one of the initiators of the Open University’s course, ‘Art and Environment’. As head of Art and Design at Dartington College of Arts, he helped create and run the ‘Art and Social Context’ course. He now works as an independent writer and artist, continuing to participate in collaborations across the arts.