While Laban was recuperating at Dartington Hall in 1939, he build a number of
small sculptures that exist now only as photographs. Among these are “tensegrity
structures” – geometrical forms that cantilever in space and achieve stability
through countertension.
Actually, Buckminister Fuller is credited with the discovery of tensegrity years after Laban created his forms. But I believe Laban intuitively grasped the concept and understood that the human body is a tensegrity, or rather, a biotensegrity structure.
Biotensegity has become a buzz word – but it is hard to find a really good explanation of how this mechanical concept is being applied to reshape our understanding of human anatomy.
That is why I was happy to discover my next recommendation — Biotensegrity: The
Structural Basis of Life by Graham Scarr. This lushly illustrated work takes the
reader through the origins of tensegrity, its geometrical bases, and the application of
these ideas to anatomy. The journey progresses from the cellular level to tissues,
bones, muscles, and ultimately to movement.
The book deserves close study. So order a copy now – and save it for a week of being snowbound!