Full Description
'Covert' responds to three converging afflictions in society:
our growing fixation with spending time looking at a screen
the proportion of our lives we spend sitting/lying down, as a result
the invasion of our privacy in the digital age
To address these challenges (amplified in the Covid-19 pandemic) this handbook compiles 30 'movement meditations' that encourage readers to put down their phones and tablets to reclaim both an active and contemplative lifestyle, one that is highly integrated with, and inspired by, our surroundings.
'Covert' joins-up inner reflection, subtle physical play and public space to suggest ways of resisting invasion and activating the self in an era of sedentary screen time and surveillance.
Using 30 carefully crafted 'movement meditations' - each with an accompanying photo to explain it - Covert outlines a straightforward, embodied practice that we can use to defend and preserve ourselves in the everyday world against the intrusion of digital media and the surveillance state.
The 'Covert' practice is a way to diminish the lure of the screens, sidestep invasive scrutiny, and nurture the dialogue between our conscious and unconscious selves.
By prioritizing introspective interactions with the quirky and complex world around us, 'Covert' shows that we have the means to cultivate our interior and imaginative selves through a dynamic, physical engagement with the wider world.
Contents
Introduction
Invasion and the Self
Welcoming Spaces
The Process
The Meditations
1. Score for a strong leaning tree
2. Score for a place with near and far vistas
3. Score for an embedded circular feature
4. Score for a missing object
5. Score for a small 'crossroads'
6. Score for a grove of trees
7. Score for a wall with horizontal layers
8. Score for an abandoned playground
9. Score for a shallow hollow
10. Score for a blocked doorway
11. Score for a busy gridded space
12. Score for distinct side-by-side objects
13. Score for a tunnel
14. Score for a tall fence
15. Score for a dejected tree
16. Score for a public monument
17. Score for a two-toned ground surface
18. Score for the sentinels
19. Score for a standalone portal
20. Score for an ornate leaf
21. Score for an object that is stable but askew
22. Score for a small overgrown space
23. Score for a slope with a disappearing view
24. Score for a pseudo-stage
25. Score for a long high wall
26. Score for a bifurcated tree
27. Score for a neglected sculpture garden
28. Score for an isolated bench
29. Score for a pathway or line of planters
30. Score for a series of lampposts
What Bubbles Up
The Inner Dance
Making Your Own
Re-engaging with Place
References
About the Authors
