Dance, Technology and Spiritism in the early 20th century
Via Liguria, 20
20 Via Liguria 00187 Roma ItalyBeyond Mechanization
Dance, Technology and Spiritism in the early 20th century
The conference will be held in English at Istituto Svizzero H16:30-19:00, Via Liguria 20, Roma.
Curated by Alexander Kamber (Fellow Roma Calling, Cultural Studies).
‘I Pomeriggi’ series
In the early 20th century, avant-garde movements explored radical new connections between technology, spirituality, and bodily performance. Through a fusion of scientific and occult practices, they challenged traditional boundaries between mechanical and spiritual spheres. This conference examines how avant-garde artists created new relationships between body, technology, and spirit – from esoteric body practices seeking cosmic harmonies to Italian Futurists exploring energies within their technological performances. Occult and theosophical theories met medical and psychological research, while performing arts intersected with new scientific concepts of the nervous system. These connections reveal how modernist dance and performance shaped new – and often politically charged – conceptualizations that challenged conventional limits of human embodiment.