Espelhos enigmáticos: o sujeito, o Outro e o desejo em Double do COSmino Theatre (Through a Glass Darkly: the subject, the Other and desire in COSmino Theatre’s Double)

The aim of this article is to analyse COSmino Theatre's 2004 performance "Double" from a Lacanian perspective, focussing on the ways in which the work scenically articulates a complex play of subjectivity, alterity and desir

Subjetividade processual pós-colonial em Os Sertões do Oficina (Processual postcolonial subjectivity in the Oficina’s Os Sertões)

The aim of this article is to explore how Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s concept of the speechless subaltern challenges/is challenged by the Teat(r)o Oficina Uzyna Uzona’s performance Os Sertões (2002-2007). Whilst Spivak’s Marxist-inspired delineation of the subaltern locks her in a binary embrace with the privileged Subject of Europe, Os Sertões presents us with a tripartite, interrelated set of subject-effects in which the Trans-Man (the militant post-colonial artist) transcends his condition as Man (the castrated subject of neocolonialism), by fusing his discourse with the rhythmic ebullience of the Pre-Man (the subaltern substratum of Brazilian society). The Oficina articulate this conflictual, hybrid, processual subjectivity on stage by returning to the primal scene of Brazil’s violent conception, revealing a differant trope potentially articulating subjectivity and representability in Brazil; rape-as-grammè. It is this strand of textual DNA, this eternal return of sexual, disciplinary and epistemic violence, which is shown to shape Brazilian subjectivity to the present day. However, by anthropofagically co-opting this tragic heritage on stage by emphasising the différance of the subaltern cultural manifestations and praise practice always already spacing the (post) colonial text, the company subvert a historic narrative of loss and privation, transforming it into a rhythmic and libidinal rite of passage whose vitality transcends the limits of phallogocentrism

Traces of the (m)other: deconstructing hegemonic historical narrative in Teat(r)o Oficina Uzyna Uzona's Os Sertões

This article focuses on the way in which renowned São Paulo-based theatre company Teat(r)o Oficina Uzyna Uzona deconstructs hegemonic historical narrative in their 2000 - 2007 25 hour-long production of Euclides da Cunha’s seminal Brazilian novel Os sertões (“Rebellion in the Backlands”), an account of the War of Canudos (1896-1897), the first major act of State terrorism carried out by the nascent Brazilian Federal Government on the country’s subaltern population. The Teat(r)o Oficina’s epic adaptation fuses events from the colonial period, the military dictatorship and contemporary 21st Century São Paulo to relate the repetitive cycles of misappropriation, oppression and resistance that have characterized the history of Brazil and its people over the centuries. However, any fatalistic view of victimhood as an essential aspect of Brazilian subjectivity is radically challenged by the vibrant, rhythmic, material impact of the theatrical super-signs underpinning the performance text. Drawing on Julia Kristeva’s notion of the semiotic - the pre-linguistic, illogical, rhythmical materialism of language intimately related to a primordial relationship with the abject mother – I shall suggest that it is the rhythmic, libidinal force of the performance and its extensive use of the cultural manifestations of Brazil’s subaltern population that imbues Os Sertões with the silent presence-as-absence of the abject Brazilian (M)Other – the Black, Indigenous and Mestiza matriarchal line whose alternative discourse is often barred from hegemonic accounts of Brazilian historiography. Her silent heritage is embodied on stage by the members of the Oficina, who reclaim an alienating national heritage for themselves by transforming the often tragic tale of Brazil’s past into a joyous celebration of tenacious vitality

Fall and Redemption: The Essence of Country Music

My initial focus as a final project in the Creative Pulse was to begin to sing again. Singing fulfilled the three requirements of choice in a project: risk, rigor, and the requirement of ‘having to do it’. I had sung as a young man, and stopped as the result of listening to an adult tell me that I could not sing. During the following 23 years, I used percussion and became a dancer in order to express myself. The art forms of percussion and dance I was drawn to like a man is drawn to a woman that he must have. What about being drawn to an art form in order to continue existing? An artistic pursuit whose means of expression are a salvation? One can read about many artists who came into an art form out of necessity. Their life outside of expressing themselves was bleak and the art form became their cry. I by no means wish to place myself at the level of expertise of such artists that came to their art to survive, or to imply that I “paid my dues” to the extent that certain artists have (artists such as Hank Williams, or the Blues artist Robert Johnson, for example). I do mean to express through this paper my experience of the catharsis in singing country music and the Blues. My beginning singing came at a time when I really needed it; the music helped me through a difficult time. The title of the paper is Fall and Redemption: the Essence of Country Music for this reason. It is in Narrative form, foot printing my process and discovery of the music. I attempted to combine life’s experiences with the discovery of the music. The experiences were the inspiration behind playing the music. The essence of country music and the Blues is its’ sincerity, and I hope that I have combined my life’s narrative with the artistic process effectively, as the time period (December 2005 to June 2007) was a time in which art was defined by life, and life was defined by art

Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude: In Search of a Moral Approach to Immoral Crimes

(Excerpt) This Note seeks to demonstrate that the term moral turpitude is sufficiently ambiguous to warrant judicial deference to the Attorney General\u27s opinion in Silva-Trevino. Part I explains the origins of crimes involving moral turpitude as grounds for removal and inadmissibility, and how courts have historically defined which crimes fit within this category. Even though courts do not dispute the general definition of moral turpitude, this Note explains how legislation that centers on subjective issues like morality is inherently ambiguous. Part II explains the shortfalls of the approach derived from case law prior to Silva-Trevino, largely because of the variation observed between courts, and details the Attorney General\u27s solution described in Silva-Trevino. It also details the inconsistencies that resulted from not having a uniform approach. While some argue that the third step articulated in Silva-Trevino creates substantial problems by granting courts too much discretion, this Note aims to explain why the step is necessary and how it resolves problems with the approach the opinion seeks to replace. Part III details why the reviewing courts must find that the INA is ambiguous and argue for deference to the test adopted in Silva-Trevino. It also shows that the controversial third step proves essential in only a limited number of cases, thereby alleviating concerns that the approach opens the door to relitigating the facts of these cases

Threads in the labyrinth: perception/reception in the 'other' dramaturgies of Triangle Theatre, Odin Teatret and the Teat(r)o Oficina Uzyna Uzona

The aim of this paper was to critically articulate an embodied re-membering of three different performances - The Dig (1992) do Triangle Theatre; Kaosmos (1994) do Odin Teatret; e Os Sertões do Teat(r)o Oficina Uzyna Uzona (2007). It was an auto ethnographic account of how one spectator – myself – negotiated these three very different post dramatic performance fields. This subjective account of perception/reception was fundamentally informed by the field of phenomenology and led onto a more in-depth critical consideration of each production, focusing on the ways in which the aesthetic strategies employed by the three different companies contributed to my perception/reception

Perceptions Through Architecture-Its Role in Creating a Healthy, Socially Interactive, and Safe South Memphis

In today’s society, many urban communities continue to suffer from extreme disinvestment.It is primarily because of this lack of investment that many of our urban centers suffer from negative perceptions and lack the resources needed to live.These communities are often plagued with crime, social isolation, and lack healthy food resources. Also communities such as these are often deteriorated and aesthetically hindered. This trend can be reversed.This thesis will show that creating spaces that promote physical activity and social interaction can change the negative landscape of a community.It will also demonstrate how urban design principles as well as a farmer’s market community district implemented can change the social, mental, and physical state of residents residing in South Memphis. This thesis will reveal that careful planning and architecture can serve as the catalyst for bringing together people and communities

Using ChatGPT in your Teaching

A presentation to during Faculty Workshops (2023) outlining ways to use AI in one\u27s teaching

Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude: In Search of a Moral Approach to Immoral Crimes

(Excerpt) This Note seeks to demonstrate that the term moral turpitude is sufficiently ambiguous to warrant judicial deference to the Attorney General\u27s opinion in Silva-Trevino. Part I explains the origins of crimes involving moral turpitude as grounds for removal and inadmissibility, and how courts have historically defined which crimes fit within this category. Even though courts do not dispute the general definition of moral turpitude, this Note explains how legislation that centers on subjective issues like morality is inherently ambiguous. Part II explains the shortfalls of the approach derived from case law prior to Silva-Trevino, largely because of the variation observed between courts, and details the Attorney General\u27s solution described in Silva-Trevino. It also details the inconsistencies that resulted from not having a uniform approach. While some argue that the third step articulated in Silva-Trevino creates substantial problems by granting courts too much discretion, this Note aims to explain why the step is necessary and how it resolves problems with the approach the opinion seeks to replace. Part III details why the reviewing courts must find that the INA is ambiguous and argue for deference to the test adopted in Silva-Trevino. It also shows that the controversial third step proves essential in only a limited number of cases, thereby alleviating concerns that the approach opens the door to relitigating the facts of these cases