A3: Keyword "Subverting Performance Space"

How is power performed in a certain space?
How can power structures be subverted with the help of performative acts?
How can the artist invade the space of legal institutions and possibly hack their discourses?

Examples from contemporary art demonstrate how the limits of performance space can be tested in a subversive way:

Tanja Ostojic and The Yes Men

Tanja Ostojic – Serbia

http://www.europe.culturebase.net/contribution.php?media=34

She subverts the performance space of the EU as an entity by becoming the legal (!) wife of a random partner and by presenting this as a piece of art.

The Yes Men – USA

http://theyesmen.org/hijinks/newyorktimes

In their innovative strategy called “identity correction”, The Yes Men offer examples of virtual realities that are “too good to be true, but not impossible” thus enhancing one's political awareness.

Glauber Rocha – Brazil

He approaches Brazilian cultural rituals in a creative form of subversion in his last picture, The Age of the Earth (A Idade da Terra, 1979)

W1: Keyword "Transgression"

"Transgression" came to us while discussing words such as limits, borders and restrictions.

Picture on the left illustrates the outcome of Srebrenica genocide, which could be one of the "results“ of transgression in the politics in life.

In terms of performance, exploring boundaries could trigger pushing limits and re-questioning one’s prejudices and presumptions.

For example the piece of Marina Abramovic "Rhythm 0" challenged the audience to participate and thus cross the limits of expected behaviour.(Picture on the right)

Hence, our questions being :do the dissolved boundaries between the performer and the audience still allow the piece to be seen as a performance? Must transgression always lead to violence?

How to Make Mind Maps

Each sub-group creates a mind-map to develop the keyword that they have received (e.g. Warwick Group 1 makes mind map for keyword proposed by Amsterdam Group 1). The mind map should demonstrate in a systematic manner the range of associations, questions and concepts that the keyword generates or can be related to.

Requirements:

A3 or A4 sheet of unruled paper.

Coloured pens/markers

Scanner to upload images as PDF/JPG to blog.

Mind Maps

The mind map is a tool that helps you chart out the scope of a topic and to organize ideas in a non-linear way.

• It contains a central image and/or key words that represents the topic you want to mind map.
• Connected to the central topic are organic branches that radiate out from the centre. The branches start out thick and end up thinner at the ends. These branches can be seen as headings for your topic.  Connected to these branches are thinner organic branches. These branches can be seen as sub headings. This is followed by thinner organic branches containing details.

Principles

1. Start in the centre of a blank page, using an image or keyword for your central idea.
2. Use colours throughout as well as synaesthetic effects (spacing, dynamic fonts, visual presentations that evoke all senses).
3. Connect main branches to the central image and secondary and tertiary branches to the main branches.
4. Different types of lines may mark different types of relationships (for e.g. red line for relationship of antagonism or green line for relationship of mutual exclusion)

(Adapted from: Buzan, Tony/Buzan, Barry: The mind map book. Harlow: Pearson Education, 2006)

Examples of Mind Maps: 

Source: http://www.mind-mapping.co.uk

 

W2: Keyword "Intercultural Theatre"

We discussed this term in the light of cultural borrowing, for example Peter Brook’s ‘borrowing’ of the Indian epic, the Mahabharata, which was done with an essentially ethnographic perspective on the narrative, thus, the play lost its ‘essence’ as the epic was diluted of its historical context.

The idea of intercultural theatre aims to source ‘material’ (this being used in a broad sense) from different locations to create work that is representative of these multi source cultures. This underscores a sense of collective identity in a syncretic expression where multiple histories are portrayed.

W3: Keyword "Ji"

Ji is a Chinese pictograph comprised of three symbols: the hand, the meat, and the spirit tablet denoting ceremony. Traditionally ceremony was undertaken in order to attain something; the hand of the priest presents the meat of a human sacrifice to the spirit tablet (a symbol of a god). We propose to use Ji as a metaphor to explore the relationship between interculturalism, the artist and the art.

If we consider ceremonies of interculturalism, we ask the following questions:
- - What is being sacrificed? What is being gained?
- - Are there ethics involved with partaking in ceremonies of interculturalism?

Amsterdam groups

Group 1: Amber, Ariadni, Catherine, Joseph
Group 2: Anne-Pauline, Maria, Sara, Juri
Group 3: Caroline, E-J, Maritta, Nina

Amsterdam keywords

Virtual Space (E.J.)
Performance Space  (Maritta)
Interculturalism (Ariadni)
Hybridity (Amber and Joseph)
Approaching Rituals (Caroline)
Remix (Maria)
Participation (Anne-Pauline)
Embarrassment (Juri)
Subversive Affirmation (Nina)
Translation (Catherine)
Body as Medium (Sara)

how to add youtube clips

If you've got your own videos on your computer that you want to share on your blog, Blogger now allows you to upload video directly! If you'd like to share a video from YouTube, you can do that, too.
Embedding a YouTube Video
To embed a video from YouTube, just copy the code from the "Embed" box on the video's YouTube page. You can find the "Embed" box in the "About This Video" box when you're watching the video. You can also get the code from the "Embed HTML" box on the "Edit Video" page if the video belongs to your YouTube account.
To embed a YouTube video within a blog post, first click "Edit HTML" from within the post editor. Next, paste the video's code into the body of your post. That's it!

Warwick keyword groups

Groups
Manuel, Aditee, Neda, Elia - Warwick 1
Tanya, Yan, Zindaba, Dzmitry - Warwick 2
Alexander, Lulu, Rebecca, Lester - Warwick 3

Warwick keywords

• identity/freedom - Rebecca
• cultural borrowing - Tanya
• integration - Aditee
• indigenous theatre/vimbuza - Zindaba
• ethics of representation - Alexander
• folklore theatre/copyright - Lester
• circle - Yan
• granice (trans. "borders/limits") - Neda
• protest - Evangelia
• "Ji" (trans. "ceremony") - Lulu
• restriction - Manuel