The comparative overview of the case studies from MIDAS examined three emergent cross cutting themes related to the synergies and tensions around the digital body when crossing the disciplinary boundaries of the Digital Arts and Social Sciences. This part of the study guide introduces each of these themes, and encourages reflection about the implications of this for guiding research around digital embodiment.

Learning objectives

• Engage with themes emerging around the ‘digital body’ in the MIDAS project
• Identify any other cross cutting themes
• Explore how these themes support (or not) methodological innovation
• Gain insight into notions of the digital body or digital embodiment

Overall study questions

Exercises

Exercise 1: Fragmenting the body

a) Read this overview of how MIDAS case study sites perceived ‘the body’.

b) Go back to the case studies and identify how the different sites ‘fragment’ the body. What are the research opportunities and limitations of this fragmentation?

c) Thinking of your own work on the body – how would fragmenting it in different ways impact on your research, theoretically, methodologically and practically?

Exercise 2: Engaging with the sensory

a) Read this overview of how MIDAS case study sites engages with sensory

b) Go back to the case studies and identify how the different sites ‘engage with the sensory’. What are the methodological implications of this?

c) Thinking of your own work on the body what aspects of the sensory are foregrounded, and what impact on your research question might this have?

Exercise 3: Digital-physical crossings

a) Read this overview of how digital-physical crossings were manifest in the different sites

b) Go back to the case studies and identify where you see digital-physical crossings in the different sites. What implications does this have for understanding the ‘digital body’?

c) Thinking of your own work on the body what physical-digital crossings might emerge, and how does this shape the nature of understanding the ‘body’ or embodiment?

Exercise 4: Materiality

Eva Hornecker talks about notions of materiality in relation to the body. Listen to this podcast and:

a) Go back to the case studies and identify whether and where the theme of materiality emerges in the work.

b) How do concepts of materiality differ across the sites?

c) Thinking about your own work, how does materiality become visible, and does a focus on this notion enable you to think differently about the body or the digital?

Further reading/exercises:

Watch these videos from researchers in Digital Fashion on ‘the body’, and think about the themes you’ve explored above in relation to these pieces of work.

The body in digital fashion videos

Watch these videos from researchers in Performance Arts around the body, and think about the themes you’ve explored above in relation to these pieces of work.

The body in performance Arts

PALGRAVE MACMILLAN BOOK TBA