”Soft Lockdown” by Juliette Mapp

Soft Lockdown is a research project based on the embodiment of moral shock and fear. The term comes from the practice or drills preparing children ages 4-8 for mass-shootings in United States public schools.

Aim and research questions

The research focuses on the normalization of violence within childhood educational environments in the United States. The research looks at the impact of drills or ”soft lockdowns"” within the bodies of the children, teachers, and parents who embody, facilitate and witness such practices. The research looks at the larger societal impact of anticipating violence within individual children and the culture in which they live. The embodiment of fear and shock that shapes the experience of ”soft lockdowns” is part of the compositional, conceptual and choreographic concerns of the research.

Research implementation and anticipated impact

The research will be done at Uniarts and in the United States as a part of Professor Mapp’s ongoing work in the field of embodiment and culture. The research began in summer 2018 at a residency at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation in Captiva, FL.

Collaboration

The research has and will be performed in a variety of research contexts at Uniarts and will have a premiere date of 2021 in NYC.

Schedule

2018–2021

Photo: David Gonsier