Enhancing Empathy Through the Body
Exploring the Intersection of Cinema and Performance
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Abstract
In recent years, many scholars of performing arts, cinema, and mass media have been focusing their studies on the body, examining the perception of the physical experience of projection and connecting bodily states with spiritual and ethical constructs. The purpose of this article is to present how cinema and performance can utilize the body in ways that enhance the audience's empathy. The role of cinema is to enable the viewer to liberate their body from its “individual ownership” and to rediscover its potential. Similarly, performances challenge the audience to respond with their bodies to the stimulation of certain emotions, experiencing a pure sensation through participation. However, experiencing empathy, a viewer can impose their ideas or reactions onto the experiences or emotions of others, believing that what they are experiencing is what others experienced.
Contributor Notes
Polychronis Giannikopoulos is a versatile graphic designer with a rich academic and professional journey. He graduated in graphic design from the Technological Educational Institute of Athens before completing his postgraduate studies, “MA Design: Critical Practice,” at Goldsmith's College, London, with a prestigious scholarship. Holding a PhD from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki's Department of Theatre, he's also a recipient of a master's in information and communication technologies for education. As an art director, freelancer, and educator, he's garnered national awards, while his multidisciplinary teaching approach intertwines design education with film. His research interests include film history, performance studies, history of art, education and applied arts.