© Federica Manfredi
© Federica Manfredi
Being suspended can be described as a sensory turmoil based on the voluntary alteration of ordinary perceptive abilities of the body. Through hooks and a controlled amount of pain, people feel extraordinary sensations, which change how they perceive and approach themselves, the others and the natural environment. Being suspended outdoors is a way to create a more intense contact with the natural environment. The seaside (or the woods, or other bucolic outdoor locations), and the incredible possibility to walk on its surface, shape the suspension becoming part of the sensory experience. The sound of the waves drives the protagonists into an altered state of mind that produces a deep regeneration, a ritual empowerment.
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Body suspension is the elevation of human body through hooks temporarily inserted into the skin as piercings, which are then linked with ropes to an above scaffolding. By pulling the main rope, the elevation of the protagonist is achieved. This practice takes place during annual international festivals in Europe (gathering up to 100 practitioners for 4-5 days), or at little private events with 5-8 attendees. People travel around Europe to practice together and stay in touch online between events. They self-define as members of a hook-family, or a body suspension community. Suspensions were not explored by academics much, except for some authors who question the mental health of suspendees. Academic suspicions mirrored the stigmatization of the practice that creates misunderstandings and divisions between the insiders and the outsiders of the body suspension community.
© Federica Manfredi
© Federica Manfredi
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Federica Manfredi is a Doctoral Candidate in Medical Anthropology at the Institute of Social Sciences University of Lisbon. Federica conducted anthropological fieldwork on body suspensions. This series, ‘Walking on the Mediterranean Sea’, explores the sensorial connections between the suspendee and the environment.