Personal Information
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Given name: Jessica









Surname: Thomas









Email: jessflowingstill@gmail.com









I understand that by submitting this form, I consent to the use of my data for the purposes of the 2026 Forum on Artistic Research'.: Tá









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Your contribution
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Title: Conscious Listening through the Lens of the Dancing Body









Format: Other format (7)









Main language: English









Abstract:
Conscious listening involves being intentionally present during intrapersonal and interpersonal communication. My practice-led research examines the body's role in this process, asking the following core artistic questions: In what ways can the embodiment of conscious listening serve as a catalyst for enhanced receptivity, empathy, communication, and connection with ourselves, others, and the variety of spaces we inhabit? Through the engagement of this process, what kinds of practical tools can we glean to then be embodied into our real-world, daily interactions and experiences? These inquiries are supported by relevant theories from notable somatically-sensitive artist scholars, as well as several subquestions throughout my creative process involving a series of live dancing dialogues in which I yield into a sensory and extrasensory conversation between my dancing body and four diverse surrounding spaces. This phase is followed by a series of residual variation dialogues, inducing an embodied conscious listening experience within the viewers via the screen in the form of a virtual gallery and projection/media installations. My creative process is contextualized and, thus, fortified in relation to my larger body of work and the broader artworld. A thorough analysis of my practice-led research implicates that the body is crucial amid conscious listening, consistently leading individuals into a state of inward repose and present-tense awareness. This implication initiates foresight into expanded creative manifestations, confirming our potential for embodied receptivity and empathy during communication and how this could pierce through the head-centric values of our society at large.










Image: https://test.sar2026.ie/system/files/webform/submit_contribution/112/IMG_5046%20%281%29.jpg









Short biographies of the presenter(s):
- Jessica Thomas currently serves as Assistant Professor of Dance at Stephen F. Austin State University. Jessica has premiered live and film-based interdisciplinary works nationally and internationally. Her practice-led research fuels her interdisciplinary dancemaking, research, and teaching practices, exploring the multifaceted realms of embodied knowledge through the lens of the dancing body, and has been presented internationally in Vancouver, Canada, and Exeter, England. Above all else, Jessica is enlivened by mentoring individuals in a way that experientially empowers and refines their autonomy as emerging dance artists while enriching their collaborative capacity as creative human beings.
  










Previous presentations or iterations of the research:
N/A














Requirements
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Additional information:
My practice-led research would be presented in one of my exploratory films (part of an evolving series; please refer to the abstract). Below is a link to the film:

https://vimeo.com/676096122?fl=pl&fe=sh










Spatial and technical requirements :
Given the work's immersive intent, using a large projection screen to present the film would be ideal. But, no necessary.










Potential risks or ethical concerns:
N/A










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