1.3
Zepp (Wrap) 2017
HD video without sound
Noticeable physiological changes also take place. Their shoulders and torso rise and expand over a few seconds and it becomes apparent a deep breath is drawn, then exhaled, signalled by a drop of the shoulders. This effect is known as a dive reflex or ‘diving bradycardia’ and involves a breath-holding reflex and slowing of the heart rate. It is typical of all mammals and is said to be a reflex response believed to conserve oxygen during immersion in water. There were other movements, also physiological in nature. The wet fabric is wrapped around the body in order to preserve body temperature. Movement smooths wet hair away from the face - not as a preening gesture, but rather simply to enable one to see. There is something basic about these series of corporeal movements and their emergence signifies a modality of movement aligned with survival and changes to environmental conditions. In these movements the body emerges in terms of its vulnerability and relationship to the broader physical environment. These are movements stemming from environmental and noncultural anomalies and in in contrast to many of the culturally inscribed physical adaptions for public display that emerged in other sessions.