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What do walking and moonwalking have in common? This animation is a critical investigation of the relationship between human movement and brain activity. I began exploring Edward Muybridge’s motion photography work by studying a variety of brief animated walk cycles ranging from walking forward/backward, running, and stomping. Each of these experiments was derived from everyday movements that humans perform without deep analysis. These brief experiments lead me to consider a new variable: brain activity. The human brain is the director of all human activity. Therefore whether we are walking or running, the brain is sending signals throughout the body and releasing different chemicals.
The specific movements analyzed in this video are: walking forward/backward and moonwalking forward/backward. Each movement is displayed by itself with close ups of the feet and head. The close ups allow viewers to study how the body reacts to forms of walking and dancing. The colors moving on screen serve as a metaphor, measuring the amount of brain activity occurring throughout each cycle (blue being the lowest, red being the highest). Before being able to run, dance, or stomp, you must walk. I decided if I were going to investigate a dance, I must begin with the starting point of all dances. In this final animation project you will hear recorded sounds of walking, sliding, bones popping, and the sound of a brain scan. These formal elements work together to display my academic research inspired by Muybridge with a twist of my own.