Touching Sleep

On a black wall is a 9 x 4 grid of black tiles with white spiral engravings on them. In front of this is an open wooden box, housing a small stylus, hand print, and space to fix sample tile for engraving.

Feature image: Sleep Engraver Exhibition, credit Benedict Phillips Touching Sleep is an exploration of technology, art and cultural theory, focused on sleep, which emerged from early conversations during the first months of LivingBodiesObjects. It was inspired by discussions of how the body can be understood as a living object and how it might be recorded … Read more

What are we doing? | April 2024

A 1970s SciFi Iron Lung featuring a mustard-coloured plush chair inside a glass dome

Feature image: A 1970s SciFi Iron Lung (Image created by MidJourney) The fourth and final residency period of the LBO project began in January 2024. We’ve been working closely with the Thackray Museum of Medicine, based in Leeds, developing ideas for a six-month exhibition which is going to launch in July 2024. The initial phase … Read more

What are we doing? | Oct 2023

The logo for the Research Culture Uncovered podcast series

Clare Barker and Amelia DeFalco recently recorded a podcast with Emma Spary, Head of Researcher Development and Culture, as part of the University of Leeds’ Research Culture Uncovered series. The episode is entitled ‘Rethinking Research Spaces: Developing a Medical Humanities Lab and Redefining Research Practices‘. The project introduces us to a non-hierarchical leadership model and … Read more

Podcast with Stuart Murray and David Tabron | July 2023

A room where 3 men are using VR headsets whilst other people assist or look on from seats

In this episode, Brandy speaks to Stuart Murray and David Tabron. David works for Blueberry Academy, a business that operates in special educational needs. “We’re a training provider, a post-16 training provider. And we also operate in health and social care,” David explains. Blueberry Academy was set up in 2007 and is localized to York … Read more

What are we doing? | August 2023

Decorative image of Jungle Landscape, by Alex McKenna

Feature image: Jungle Landscape, by Alex McKenna – made using Tilt Brush. In July, LBO finished its second residency, working with Blueberry Academy in York on a project that introduced immersive technologies to two groups of the Academy’s trainees. Blueberry provides training that supports young people to develop education and independence skills and at the … Read more

Living Bodies Objects Launch | May 2022

A dancer dressed entirely in black is sat on the floor in the middle of an exhibition being held in a dimly lit workshop. The dancer is wearing headphones and is sat on a giant abstract artwork of a human body that has been painted onto the flooring.

On 16 May, 80 people gathered on campus at the University of Leeds for the launch of LivingBodiesObjects. The project was introduced in a series of speeches, followed by a dance performance. The guests were then invited to experience a series of artworks, including interactive displays, installed around the venue.  Immersive documentation was used to … Read more

What are we doing? | Feb 2023

Two people are sitting on classroom chairs facing each other. An actor in a costume of a black boiler suit, a blonde wig and heavy make up is sitting opposite a young white male dressed in a hoodie and jeans.

With our first residential partner, Interplay Theatre, the UK’s National Sensory Theatre, LBO has developed a performance that explores the relationships between bodies, technologies and audiences. This interactive, improvisational theatre piece engages with ideas about robots and the human body inspired by Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Klara and the Sun. It imagines how technology might enable … Read more