Contact Improvisation: Biotensegrity and Group Consciousness with Matthew

Tensegrity, short for tensional integrity, is a structure first described by architect Buckminster Fuller in the 1960’s. The principle was discovered by his student, sculptor Kenneth Snelson, and built upon Fuller’s work with geodesic domes. Biotensegrity is a more recent idea described by connective tissue researcher Stephen Levin, MD. Applying the principles of tensegrity to how we perceive the biomechanics of living organisms. Biotensegrity explains why we can do things like balance on one foot, or even one hand, without muscles the size of tree trunks. Biotensegrity is our nature as living organisms, so you’re already embodying it. Yet, with some conscious understanding of biotensegrity you can learn to support yourself better in your movement to be both stronger and more at ease. Tensegrity structures exhibit a unique balance between tension and compression. To simplify a bit, we can think of tension as pull, and compression as push. The pulling in a tensegrity structure is connected as a network. The tensional force can be distributed in many directions at once. To better understand the nature of networks, consider the internet. There are many different pathways from any one computer to another through which information is transmitted, and often many are used at the same time. Networks are contiguous by definition: Any computer not connected to the internet isn’t part of the network. In tensegrity structures every part of the structure is pulling on every other part in a network of connection, and change in any part of that tension can affect the whole. For this to work, however, there does need to be one exception to the rule: Something must be compressed. An inflated balloon is an example of this constant connected tension in relation to compression. The outside of a balloon is held in constant tension because the balloon is compressing the air at contains. If there is a hole in the balloon—a place where the tension disconnects, the air will escape and the structure will collapse. If we think about our organs, the bladder and uterus are good examples of this kind of tensional network. Our connective tissue, or fascia, is the tissue of tension in our bodies. Fascia connects all of our parts as a network. Biotensegrity researchers Stephen Levin, MD and Danièle-Claude Martin wrote “Fascia is the fabric of the body; not the vestments covering the corpus, but the warp and weft of the material.” (Levin and Martin, 2012, p. 137) Fascia wraps everything from organs and arteries to bones and muscles. Muscles are the control mechanisms of the fascia. They are woven into the fabric of the fascia and make it possible to change shape quickly. Muscle tissue can actually be torn relatively easily, especially once it runs out of energy for contraction. Collagen, however—a key part of connective tissue, can withstand tensile force of up to 1000 kg/cm2. That’s a lot of force! The ropes of a sailboat are a good analogy © 2017 Matthew Nelson 1 for connective tissue in relation to muscle. A sailor’s muscles can be used to wind the ropes through their pulleys, but it would be impractical if not impossible for a sailor to actually hold the sails tight—nobody is strong enough to do that. The forces on the sails and ropes are manipulated with muscle, but they’re held in tension by the strong constancy of the ropes. Tendons and ligaments, two versions of fascia, are literally woven the same way ropes are woven in some parts of our bodies. A sailboat offers some pretty good lessons in tensegrity. The mast of a sailing vessel is a great example of a compression element being compressed by the tension in the ropes. The mast serves the same function as air in a balloon, but is solid—it is a strut compressed within a network of tension. If the forces of the ropes get too out of balance with each other, such as when the wind is too strong in one direction, the mast can break. A sailboat is only one step away from the particular genius of tensegrity. In tensegrity structures there are multiple compression elements, and they are separated from each other. Rather than compressing air, or compressing hardened struts against another hard surface such as the hull of a ship, the struts of tensegrity structures don’t touch. In tensegrity the struts appear to float within the volume of the structure. They are suspended in a tensional network. Classic biomechanics has treated the human body like a construction crane on its tower. This model worked from an assumption that the bones are stacked, compressing each other, and that the soft tissues drape off of the bone structure (Levin, 2011 in Scarr, p.61). Levers, pulleys, and counterweight have been the primary explanation for how we move in this model. There is some usefulness to this way of perceiving. Alignment of our bones can make our posture or movements more efficient. Yet, stacking is not the whole story. A brick building is a stack. If a brick building is shaken, or turned on edge, it’ll fall apart faster than you can huff, puff, and try to blow it down. If you, a living system, are shaken a bit or turned on edge, you’ll be fine. Meanwhile, we are all huffing and puffing, constantly changing shape by breathing. We adjust constantly in our movements. We balance over little tiny feet, run, jump, sometimes roll, and get up again. With training we can support ourselves on just about any surface of our body, including a few fingers. We do things that would be impossible to the stacks of brick buildings, even if the bricks had wheels, levers, motors, and ropes. We do these things because we are self- contained networks of tension. Our fascia provides the tensional network, our bones provide the compressive struts, and on a good day our bones do not touch. Levin and Martin describe that “Biotensegrity reverses the centuries-old concept that the skeleton is the frame upon which the soft tissue is draped, and replaces it with an integrated fascial fabric with “floating” compression elements (bones in vertebrates)” (Levin and Martin). Among many examples, research on the menisci of the knee have disproved the old assumptions: Long considered padding to ease the compression of the leg bones on each other, recent studies have shown that the menisci maintain space between the bones of the knee even when weight is applied! (Scarr, 64) The tensional geometry of tensegrity even causes the bones to pull apart © 2017 Matthew Nelson 2 under load instead of compressing. I often hear people talk about how their knees are bone-on-bone because they’ve worn the cartilage away through overuse. While this damage may exist, it is not inevitable that we find ourselves in this condition. If we’re using our knees correctly; in relationship with the rest of our tensional network, then we aren’t wearing the cartilage away. I also believe that it’s never too late to re-pattern this tensional action if your knees are worn. The menisci of the knee are not the only structure responsible for creating space between the bones— they act in collaboration with the structures that tension them, so with training to use the hip joints, torso, and feet in their proper relationship, there could be more good days than bad days for your knees. So what does this kind of tensioning feel like? How do we practice moving with biotensegrity? The most important thing we can do is to create space inside of our volume. “Expansion (or space) creates tension. An increase of tension in a tensegrity structure lets it resist and become stronger” (Levin and Martin, p.140). This doesn’t meet that we should grip everything and make ourselves tense. Quite the opposite in terms of sensation: Our connective tissues are activated in relationship to each other when we find easeful expansion in our bodies. We activate our musculature because we’re using intention to create space between our bones rather than to squeeze or grip the tissues themselves. We expand by using our reach into the space around us. Imagery can assist us to do this, particularly because we’re investing in relationship rather than any one specific muscle or joint. Images can help us coordinate actions that are systemic, and more than the individual actions of the muscles. An excellent way to begin practicing expansive movement is by inhaling as we initiate movement. Inhalation is an expansion of the body. We actually take up more volume in space when we inhale. You can prove this to yourself by getting in the bath, immersing yourself mostly under the water, and then watching the water level go up and down in the tub as you breathe. When you inhale you expand, and you displace more water. When you breathe out you condense, and the water level goes down. If there’s a part of you that feels constricted, see if you can direct the expansion of your inhale there. Remember that because of biotensegrity there is a tensional relationship between all parts your organism. While you can’t literally breathe air into your arms, legs, or head, you may be able to affect the tensional structure of these places through the expansion and shape change that your breath creates in your torso. There is great power in imagery to direct this expansion. On your exhale, imagine some part of you resisting condensation so that another part of you condenses instead. Then practice expanding and condensing different parts of yourself evenly so that you can exercise the ability to change shape. Both resistance and yielding are useful skills! Lets return to our knee example. To find proper tensioning of the bones meeting at our knees away from each other we might imagine how the front of the knee travels forward when we bend it while the heels move backward and the femur heads slide up and back into the hip joints. Note that multiple directions of intention are activated at the same time. There is dynamism—tension and relationship— inherent in this kind of activation. Now practice bending your knees while imagining your ribs as a hot air balloon; keep a sense of buoyant lift there. Feel the difference if you shift your image to a lead weight in your ribs. We are not machines, nor are we tensegrity models. We are alive, and we function and express our vitality through our biotensegrity. It is a key element of how we are organized. The tensioned network of our tissues defines us as whole beings who can change shape at will, finding support for our motions in diverse ways. Moving in wholeness, we interact with our environment. The practice of building space inside of our selves to spread the force of our actions is a methodology for movement that we can draw into all of our actions. Biotensegrity is a principle we already embody: When we practice perceiving the dynamic pulls of our connected parts, then the support for our movement expands off the floor. With greater support, comes greater ease and possibility. Watch someone walking well: They may appear to hover and float as they travel through space.