Exploring the act of laughter

Developing a shared interest in laughter, humour and the functioning of the brain, this project will take place in collaboration with Dr Harry Witchel, physiologist and Research Fellow at the University of Bristol.

My work will take shape from a fusion of our individual bodies of knowledge and interests in exploring laughter in its varying guises. Funding is being sought primarily for the development stages of this work.

The project will initially explore the following ideas:

• The physical and chemical effects of laughter
• The social role of laughter as realised in humorous and non humorous laughter
• The interpretation of the ambiguities in the visual and aural aspects of laughter
• The visualisation of laughter and its repertoire of body language

My own work has been looking at the ambiguity of extreme facial expressions. Thinking about this led me to consider the wide scope of reasons for, and occasions when, we laugh. I then pondered the scale of physical reactions, from the visual to the chemical. This consideration of laughter and its implications then led to my interest in working on a collaborative project. Working with a partner who has a special interest in physiology I can set my observed material within a scientific context.
Through shared responses to laughter-related images and texts, connections have been established as starting points for the project.

An initial idea for development might be Charles Douglass’ Laugh Box (1953) and the ‘canning’ of laughter of varying intensities and length. An interactive ‘box’ is a format for numerable possibilities for our material, format which suits the manipulation of layers of images and prompts for the activation of sound.

Layers will include ideas on the incongruity, superiority and relief theories from Bergson to Darwin, from the psychology of laughter to muscular action. The sounds of laughter may be adapted from live recordings or taken from music. The Okeh Laughing Song and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Le Coq D’Or use laughter in music. Music itself can stimulate laughter.

Images and sound will be incorporated in the final installation in a public space. One likely venue is The Medical School at the University of Bristol and a further possibility is Brighton’s Phoenix Gallery. The Salisbury Festival has also expressed an interest in the project.

Our seemingly contrasted methodologies are of particular interest to Dr Witchel. His work seeks the conclusion, with the process working towards the validation of this goal. My own work focuses on the process with no defined final work until the project's completion. Unlike Harry’s procedures there is a constant opportunity to shift the emphasis in the work.

An interactive website will consolidate our findings. A diary, a record of discussions, visual and textual anthologies of laughter will alsoencourage public feedback.

Dr Witchel’s research on laughter began with the writing of his book on Pleasure. He has discussed the subject widely on BBC Radio 4, in The Royal Institute Lectures and among other publications, The Times Higher Educational Supplement. His Charles Darwin Award Lectures for the public understanding of science emphasizes his interest in the role of education. We propose an accompanying educational programme of workshops and study groups at varying educational levels.

LINK TO HARRY WITCHEL

Laughter has a basic role related to making and strengthening human connections. In the final piece, ‘Laughing Matters’ will increase awareness of the roles and physiology of laughter in an informative, exciting and funnily contagious project.