‘Power Across Platforms’: New media, old spaces and performance of strength

Michel Foucault’s reading of bodies in space as the “distribution of individuals in relation to one another, of hierarchical organization, of disposition of centres and channels of power, of definition of the instruments and modes of intervention of power” is as relevant to the spaces of physical culture as the prison. In this seminar, Dr Conor Heffernan and Professor Claire Warden will be considering the complex history of strong bodies in spaces: what difference does the strong body make to the space and, conversely, how is the strong body manufactured or enabled by the space? Critically this will be focused on both online and ‘offline’ spaces. Claire will consider the growth of gym culture in the early twentieth century, paying particular attention to the way modernist artists and writers interacted with these spaces of modernity. Following this, Conor explores online spaces in health and fitness, specifically studying the short career of Aziz 'Zyzz’ Shavershian, often credited as the first mainstream, and male, fitness influencer. Studying online bodybuilding forums and social media platforms, Conor echoes Claire in using the space (virtual or otherwise) of fitness as a site for broader discussions about modernity, gender and embodied selves.

About the speakers

Claire Warden is Professor of Performance and Physical Culture at Loughborough University. Her work focuses on modernist art and cultures, interdisciplinary methods, and the intersection of sport and performance. She was PI for the British Academy-funded Health and Wellbeing in Professional Wrestling project (2020/1) and has written widely on such varied topics as avant-garde theatre, bodybuilding, concussion, and circuses. She is currently the Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the School of Design and Creative Arts.

Conor Heffernan is Lecturer in the Sociology of Sport at Ulster University. His work focuses on the history and sociology of health and fitness spaces, specifically Western gym cultures from the nineteenth century to the present day. Conor has previously published The History of Physical Culture in Ireland (2021), The History of Physical Culture (2022) and Indian Club Swinging and the Birth of Global Fitness (2023). Conor is currently working on a book about the globalization of fitness in the nineteenth century.

This seminar is brought to you by The Moving Bodies Lab of the Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities.

This event is free to attend. Zoom details will be circulated closer to the event.