Invisible Theatre: militarized space and the staging of affective atmospheres // Théâtre invisible : espaces militarisés et mise en scène d’atmosphères affectives

This paper revisits the circumstances surrounding Brazilian theatre director, Augusto Boal’s first recorded experiment with Invisible Theatre in a restaurant in Buenos Aires (1972) in light of Anderson’s (2014) theory of affective atmospheres in their capacity to mediate structures of feeling. Drawing on original archival and performance-based research, I advance a critical account of Restaurant Theatre: The Law through a narrative reimagining of the performance and key evidence concerning the law in question that fundamentally challenges Boal’s claims for the technique as a means of social liberation from forces of oppression. The alternative possibility explored here is that Invisible Theatre developed in Boal’s practice as an atmospheric reaction to militaristic forms of urban encounter and a means with which to infiltrate structural feelings of fear. This idea is traced through Boal’s encounters with state apparatus of affective control as a political prisoner and marked dissident in exile, and with the performative concept of camouflage. Freed from the overdetermining binaries of oppressor and oppressed, I suggest Invisible Theatre can open up opportunities for practitioners seeking to stage affective atmospheres to produce transformative encounters and perceptions. // Cet article revisite les circonstances entourant le premier essai connu de Théâtre Invisible réalisé par le metteur en scène brésilien Augusto Boal (1972) dans un restaurant de Buenos Aires à la lumière de la théorie d’Anderson (2014) sur les atmosphères affectives et leur capacité à médiatiser les structures du sentiment. M’appuyant sur une recherche originale combinant consultation d’archives et recherche-création, je propose un compte-rendu critique de Restaurant Theatre: The Law à travers le récit ré-imaginé de la performance et des preuves essentielles au sujet de la loi en question et qui remettent fondamentalement en cause l’affirmation de Boal que la technique agit comme un outil de libération sociale face aux forces d’oppression. L’alternative explorée ici est que le Théâtre Invisible s’est développé dans la pratique de Boal comme une réaction atmosphérique contre les formes militarisées de rencontres urbaines, conçues de manière à infiltrer un sentiment structurel de peur. Cette idée se retrouve à travers les rencontres de Boal avec les appareils de contrôle affectifs de l’État lorsqu’il est fait prisonnier politique, puis dissident en exil, ainsi que dans le concept performatif de camouflage. Libéré des oppositions binaires surdéterminées de l’oppresseur et de l’oppressé, je propose que le Théâtre Invisible offre aux praticiens qui cherchent à mettre en scène des atmosphères affectives la possibilité de produire des rencontres et des perceptions transformatrices

The Practical Effect of New Ethics Rules: Responding to Subpoenas and Document Requests About Client Information

            This article is a comparative overview of the American Bar Association’s Model Rule 1.6(b) before and after the issuance of the ABA’s Formal Opinion 473, issued on February 17, 2016, which was an attempt to restate and revise the rule’s ethical expectations and to help settle several questions that had plagued the rule’s practical application. A lawyer’s duty of confidentiality to his or her client, and the public policy favoring judicial efficiency and fair disclosure during the discovery phase of litigation, often places lawyers in precarious ethical positions. This article attempts to provide guidance on this issue through an analysis of the rule and the context in which a lawyer’s overarching duty to keep his or her client’s information confidential can be precluded by the lawful compulsion to disclose such information without incurring malpractice liability. 

The Employee-Lawyer: A Candid Reflection on the True Roles and Responsibilities of in-House Counsel

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Population Genetic Structure And Parasite Communities In A Nomadic Songbird, The Red Crossbill (Loxia Curvirostra)

Although much speciation occurs in allopatry, populations with overlapping geographic ranges may also experience reduced gene flow due to ecological differences. Parasites are an important feature of the biotic environment, and place important selective pressures on their hosts, potentially reducing gene flow among geographically separated host populations. However, virtually nothing is known about host-parasite interactions in systems where hosts have nomadic distributions, and where ecologically distinct populations exist in sympatry. I examined population genetic structuring and characterized bloodborne parasite communities across four ecologically distinct, but partially sympatric, “vocal types” of nomadic red crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) sampled at multiple sites. I found evidence for isolation by distance in one vocal type, but vocal types were not genetically differentiated from one another, nor were they characterized by significantly different parasite communities. Despite differences in foraging ecology, crossbill vocal types do not appear to be incipient species or subject to different parasite communities

Global nonlinear optimization of spacecraft protective structures design

The global optimization of protective structural designs for spacecraft subject to hypervelocity meteoroid and space debris impacts is presented. This nonlinear problem is first formulated for weight minimization of the space station core module configuration using the Nysmith impact predictor. Next, the equivalence and uniqueness of local and global optima is shown using properties of convexity. This analysis results in a new feasibility condition for this problem. The solution existence is then shown, followed by a comparison of optimization techniques. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is presented to determine the effects of variations in the systemic parameters on optimal design. The results show that global optimization of this problem is unique and may be achieved by a number of methods, provided the feasibility condition is satisfied. Furthermore, module structural design thicknesses and weight increase with increasing projectile velocity and diameter and decrease with increasing separation between bumper and wall for the Nysmith predictor

Ensemble based quantum metrology

The field of quantum metrology promises measurement devices that are fundamentally superior to conventional technologies. Specifically, when quantum entanglement is harnessed the precision achieved is supposed to scale more favourably with the resources employed, such as system size and the time required. Here we consider measurement of magnetic field strength using an ensemble of spins, and we identify a third essential resource: the initial system polarisation, i.e. the low entropy of the original state. We find that performance depends crucially on the form of decoherence present; for a plausible dephasing model, we describe a quantum strategy which can indeed beat the standard quantum limit

Quantum metrology with molecular ensembles

This work was supported by the EPSRC through QIP IRC (Grants No. GR/S82176/01 and No. GR/S15808/01), the National Research Foundation and Ministry of Education, Singapore, the DAAD, and the Royal Society.The field of quantum metrology promisesmeasurement devices that are fundamentally superior to conventional technologies. Specifically, when quantum entanglement is harnessed, the precision achieved is supposed to scale more favorably with the resources employed, such as system size and time required. Here, we consider measurement of magnetic-field strength using an ensemble of spin-active molecules. We identify a third essential resource: the change in ensemble polarization (entropy increase) during the metrology experiment. We find that performance depends crucially on the form of decoherence present; for a plausible dephasing model, we describe a quantum strategy, which can indeed beat the standard strategy.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Creating excitonic entanglement in quantum dots through the optical Stark effect

We show that two initially non-resonant quantum dots may be brought into resonance by the application of a single detuned laser. This allows for control of the inter-dot interactions and the generation of highly entangled excitonic states on the picosecond timescale. Along with arbitrary single qubit manipulations, this system would be sufficient for the demonstration of a prototype excitonic quantum computer.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; published version, figure 3 improved, corrections to RWA derive