GIRIC - Growing Intercultural Roots in Communities

Module: Practice - Embodied Research & Ideas Inspiration

“Move, Explore & Ignite Creative Sparks.” “From body wisdom to creative outputs.”

Hosted by Intercultural Roots, this 90-minute online peer-to-peer session ‘Embodied Research & Ideas Inspiration’ brings together arts, creative, cultural, and eco-arts practitioners and scholars to explore embodied (and emplaced) research and somatic inquiry, sparking fresh ideas through movement-based and arts-based exploration. Participants will consider practical approaches to documenting these explorations and discover ways to channel their creative inspiration into tangible outputs – from community encounters, to performances and exhibitions and publications. Embracing a practice-as-research approach, the session welcomes community-based artists who may not identify as traditional “researchers”, encouraging critical reflection and offering alternative lenses for evaluating their work. It highlights first-person perspectives (autoethnographic and phenomenological) and collaborative methodologies, as powerful tools for insight, recognising that embodied inquiry can yield life-changing insights. The dialogue also draws connections to decolonial, anti-racist, equitable, and socio-environmentally engaged practices, inviting participants to consider how their eco-somatic creativity can contribute to social and ecological justice. This inclusive ethos echoes the IFTR Embodied Research Working Group’s mission to legitimise embodied practice as research and nurture interdisciplinary, intercultural exchange​. In this spirit – echoing Ben Spatz’s call to integrate embodied knowledge within and beyond academia​– participants are encouraged to experiment with alternative ways of sharing their findings, from multimedia documentation to live performance, beyond traditional publications​.

Key Takeaways:

• Fresh Perspectives: Participants will gain new ideas and methods for reflecting on their embodied practice and creative work, opening up innovative ways to explore and communicate their artistic processes.
• Practical Skills: Through hands-on, movement-based or arts-based inquiry, attendees will learn how to document and channel their embodied research into tangible outputs, such as community projects, performances, exhibitions, impact evaluations and publications.
• Transformative Insight: By embracing auto-ethnographic and phenomenological (first-person) approaches, participants will deepen their understanding of their own experiences, potentially catalysing personal growth, while also contributing to broader decolonial, anti-racist, and socially engaged artistic endeavours.

GIRIC Peer-to-Peer Support 2025 Programme - Term 2:

28 May: Embodied Research & Ideas Inspiration (Theme: Practice) - Focus: Embodied research, somatic inquiry, and sparking fresh ideas. Practice documenting movement-based or arts-based explorations, and discover how to channel creative inspiration into concrete outputs (performance, exhibitions, or publications).

11 June: Planning & Preparation for Workshops (Theme: Pedagogy) - Focus: Step-by-step guidance on planning and preparing courses, residencies, or community events. Explore scheduling, resource allocation, trauma-informed facilitation, and methods for welcoming diverse participants safely and meaningfully.

25 June: Assessment & Evaluation Approaches (Theme: Pedagogy) - Focus: Techniques for assessing and evaluating learning in embodied arts. Learn to measure impact, gather evidence for funders, and capture the qualitative dimensions of creative processes while retaining a participant-centered ethos.

9 July: Digital Promotion & Community Building (Theme: Projects) - Focus: How to engage groups and build communities through digital promotion. Covering social media, email outreach, website presence, and online events—plus strategies for building long-term connections and increasing reach.

For more info and how to join Intercultural Roots' GIRIC community please go to: https://www.interculturalroots.org/project/growing-intercultural-roots-in-communities

Language: English

Duration of Each Session: 90 minutes

Technical Platform for the Course: Zoom Pro

Please ensure that you book at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the course, excluding Drop-In tickets where available, to allow time for you to receive confirmation emails and your entry link to Zoom. This is because we rely on third parties for confirmation etc. Please ensure you have read the Legal notices on our website before booking, in particular our notices regarding Privacy (including Privacy Considerations When Using Zoom), Refund & Cancellation, Disclaimers (including Medical) and Terms.‍