This summer, I am working on completing my Still Standing book. One of the concepts I use is kinesphere. As far as I know, this term was coined by dancer–choreographer–researcher Rudolf Laban, and refers to the personal space surrounding an individual. It is an imaginary sphere that extends as far as a person can reach with their limbs, encompassing the area they can move in while remaining stationary. The kinesphere is central to Laban Movement Analysis, where it helps dancers understand spatial possibilities, boundaries, and the relationship between the body and its environment. Also, for stillstanders, the kinesphere is relevant because it defines the personal space around one’s body.

Ever since I first came across the concept of kinesphere, I have been thinking about the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci. This famous drawing depicts a male figure in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart, inscribed in both a circle and a square. It illustrates the ideal human body proportions as described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius, and visually explores the relationship between the human form and geometry. I find the Vitruvian Man a beautiful blend of art and science, and it resonates with the concept of the kinesphere, as it highlights the spatial reach and boundaries of the human body.

Vitruvian Man Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.

Visualizing my kinesphere

For my book, I wanted to create a visualization of my kinesphere, so I made a short video recording of myself standing on the floor and moving my arms and legs to the sides (watch on YouTube). Then I created a motion video in the Musical Gestures Toolbox for Python. This effectively subtracts consecutive video frames so that only changes are visible (watch on YouTube).

a man in a black shirt and tie standing in front of a wall a small white object is in the middle of a room

Regular video of my arm and leg motion (left) and motion video (right).

From these two videos, I could then generate various visualizations:

a man in a black shirt and tie standing in front of a wall Average image of my kinesphere.

a person wearing a mask with a red head Dark average image of my kinesphere.

a man in a suit and tie holding a red and white umbrella Light average image of my kinesphere.

a bird with a face painted on it Motion average image of my kinesphere.

I think they all look nice, although my proportions are not aligned with Vitruvius’ ideals. I have ended up using the last one (the motion average image) in my book to illustrate my point.