Performing Mountains Conference
Leeds University
22nd – 24th March 2018
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Title of Paper: Performing gender through the mountains: women’s experience of mountaineering through site-specific dance making.
According to Pomfret and Doran (2015), mountain tourism has developed in such a way because the history and development of mountaineering was born out of asserting masculine traits of heroisim, escaping domestic life and the pioneering attitudes of the colonial era. Women’s experience of mountaineering therefore begins with the male gaze that has constructed (and therefore instructed) our interpretation of landscapes. Simones presentation began with considering the implications of this idea in relation to her dance and mountaineering practices.
Performing Mountains Symposium was a two-day event providing a space for climbers, artists, festival programmers, outdoor enthusiasts and academics to join together in exploring the rich terrain of mountain culture. This event examined the role that mountain culture plays in our understanding through our varied translations of mountain environments.
Curated by Professor Jonathan Pitches and Dr David Shearing