In January, the Moving Bodies Lab hosted visitors Professor Claire Warden and Dr Conor Heffernan to continue the development of a research collaboration around strength. As part of their visit, Claire and Conor delivered a hybrid seminar for the Lab, titled ‘Power Across Platforms: New Media, Old Spaces and Performance of Strength’. First, Claire – a Professor of Performance and Physical Culture, and Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the School of Design and Creative Design at Loughborough University – considered the growth of gym culture in the early twentieth century, paying particular attention to the way modernist artists and writers interacted with these spaces of modernity. This was followed by Conor – a Lecturer in the Sociology of Sport at Ulster University – explored the online spaces in health and fitness, specifically studying the short career of Aziz ‘Zyzz’ Shavershian, often credited as the first mainstream, and male, fitness influencer. The seminar concluded with a rich discussion with our in-person and online audiences. It was a pleasure to host our guests.
Reflecting on the visit, Claire expressed her gratefulness for the support of the Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities stating “I feel entirely inspired by the conversation, the environment, the generosity of colleagues, and the laughter over dinner. Here’s to collaboration, co-creation, intellectual endeavour and contributing to making things better.”
You can watch a recording of the seminar below.
Content note: discussion of suicide, racism, misogyny, body image issues, mass shootings.
