Understanding the Environment through Performance

The increasing presence of digital devices in our daily lives seems to be causing us to disconnect from our environment. It appears that the real world is no longer attractive enough to capture our attention. This is due to a basic cognitive function present in all species, whereby attention is directed towards the most intense stimuli in the environment. This function has been fundamental to the development of our cognition, societies, and the construction of our environment. However, the stimuli produced in the real environment can hardly compete with the intense, brilliant visuals and sounds of digital devices. This physical and mental disconnection from our environment is causing disturbances to our cognition, particularly among the younger generations who have grown up immersed in digital media. Furthermore, the process of environment construction has changed, producing spaces that increasingly resemble video games and dehumanising our habitat. To regain our connection with the real environment without abandoning the advantages offered by digital devices, we propose using performance as a tool for understanding the environment, based on a special form of conscious action. Applying performance to teaching, research, our professions and even our daily lives can help us reorient our attention towards our real environment. It can also broaden our understanding of human relationships with the environment. For the past 15 years, we have been exploring the use of performance as a tool for analysing and understanding our environment in various contexts. In this presentation, we will share some of our experiences in the fields of university teaching and academic research at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the University of the Peloponnese. From these experiences, we saw the need to create a broader project that would encompass all disciplines studying the relationship between human activity and the environment, which was the origin of Performing Space.