Embodied Language Learning through the Arts

This multidisciplinary, four-year research project focuses on how embodiment, artistic activity and language are intertwined. It develops artistic and pedagogical practices that seek to engage human beings holistically, within their social and material environments. The project maps the impacts of these practices especially within culturally diverse settings.

It investigates how embodied language learning through the arts may generate substantial change within communities. More broadly, it aims to articulate and communicate the societal significance of holistic, arts-based practices to wider audiences. ELLA is a spin-off from the research initiative ArtsEqual. The idea about a new research project was born in casual meetings participated by both ArtsEqual researchers and others.

ELLA boldly bridges art and academic research, and reaches beyond boundaries of art and scholarship in a performative manner. The research project explores new ways of fostering language learning through the arts with an equal focus on embodiment, art and language. In doing so, it renews conceptualizations of language and language learning. Embodiment and art bring new opportunities for language learning especially in culturally diverse contexts.

The research team includes doctoral researchers, post doc researchers at different stages of their academic career, and dance artists/pedagogues.

In addition to project leader Eeva Anttila (Uniarts Helsinki), project members also include Kaisa Korpinen (University of Turku), Sofia Jusslin (Åbo Akademi University), Johanna Lehtinen-Schnabel (Uniarts Helsinki), Mariana Siljamäki (University of Jyväskylä) and Niina Lilja (University of Tampere). Riina Hannuksela and Angela Al-Debs as dance artists.

International partners include Charlotte Svendler Nielsen (University of Copenhagen), Rose Martin and Tone Pernille Østern (NTNU, Trondheim, Norway).