Physique of Consciousness

Xu Zhen presented the first mass performance of the ongoing project Physique of Consciousness, in the courtyard of Somerset House, presented in collaboration with hundreds of participants taking part from across London, produced by MadeIn Company. Described as the first “cultural fitness exercise” ever made, Physique of Consciousness takes the form of a performance comprising movements derived from dance, gymnastics and different forms of exercise, alongside spiritual and cultural rituals. Physique of Consciousness plays with the history and politics of mass exercise in China, alongside ideas of health, well-being and spirituality and the industries around them that we consume today.

The project was presented in collaboration with Somerset House and is part of UTOPIA 2016: A Year of Imagination and Possibility – Four seasons of events, exhibitions and new commissions celebrating the idea of utopia to mark the 500th anniversary of Thomas More’s influential text. The project was supported by Dslcollection, the Art of this Century and ARTtouch Consulting.