Resonances: The sound of performance

It is a hot summer night in August 2013, as the audience gathers near the entrance of the large Gray Hall at the south side of the former coal mine Göttelborn (Germany). The sun has set, and there is only the gray light of dusk in the performance space inside, streaming through the large glass façade, falling onto a small array of stones laid out on the floor. Additional light from a video projector streams over the stones, and a tiny figure of a dancer is seen crawling over rocks, moving in the strange, a-syncopated rhythm of jump cuts. Slowly the sound of rocks scratching against a stone surface begins to be heard, it will remain the only sound for a while, then Japanese instrumentalist Emi Watanabe steps into the empty space with her flute

The image as an event : the lives of images in M.#10 Marseille and So Little Time

An image is commonly thought of as having a flat, two-dimensional surface. However, numerous historical and contemporary artworks have successfully challenged this misleading presumption by exploring alternative ways of creating spatial and temporal images, such as the tableau vivant, holographic imaging technology and, most recently, immersive virtual environments. In line with this tendency, contemporary theatre and performance artists also play a role in expanding the definition of the image. This article analyses two contemporary theatre performances that stage the image as an event, as they ‘expand’ the image by bestowing on it the specific spatial and temporal logic of a theatrical event. Specifically, we consider how Romeo Castellucci’s M.#10 Marseille (2004) and Rabih Mroué’s So Little Time (2016) each in theirown way bring images to life within the theatre, exploring the self-reflexive and magical aspects of images, both within and outside the theatre

Attempts to Change the World: Building Assemblies in Portuguese Contemporary Theatre. The Case of Gonçalo Amorim

What presides in the arguments presented in this essay is the idea that Portuguese contemporary theatre has been creating the space and developing practices that we can envisage in the creation of assemblies implicated and interested in changing the world, pre-enacting a sphere for social discussion and debate. Thus, we would look at these attempts to change the world through the constructions of theatre assemblies in Portuguese contemporary theatre accordingly to the case of Gonçalo Amorim's Experimental Theatre from Oporto. Thus, this essay aims to present and discuss some of the creative methodologies and processes undertook in this theatre collective, namely the "discussions on stage" strategy. This specific way of creating a text/performance can be related, I believe, with what can be understood as way to manifest their world vision and their political beliefs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

3D Information System of Historical Site – Proposal and Realisation of a Functional Prototype

The development of methods for 3D data acquisition, together with progress in information technologies raises the question of creating and using 3D models and 3D information systems (IS) of historical sites and buildings. This paper presents the current state of the “Live Theatre” project. The theme of the project is the proposal and realisation of a 3D IS of the baroque theatre at Eeský Krumlov castle (UNESCO site).The project is divided into three main stages – creation of a 3D model, proposal of a conception for a 3D IS, and realisation of a functional prototype. 3D data was acquired by means of photogrammetric and surveying methods. An accurate 3D model (photo-realistic, textured) was built up with MicroStation CAD system. The proposal of a conception of a 3D IS was the main outcome of the author’s dissertation. The essential feature of the proposed conception is the creation of subsystems targeted on three spheres – management, research and presentation of the site. The functionality of each subsystem is connected with its related sphere; however, each subsystem uses the same database. The present stage of the project involves making a functional prototype (with sample data). During this stage we are working on several basic technological topics. At present we are concerned with 3D data, its formats, format conversions (e.g. DGN _ VRML) and its connection to other types of data. After that, we will be seeking a convenient technical solution based on network technologies (Internet) and an appropriate layout for the data (database). The project is being carried out in close co-operation with the administration of the castle and some other partners. This stage of the project will be completed in December 2005.A functional prototype and the information acquired by testing it will form the basis for the final proposal of a complex IS of a historical site. The final proposal and appropriate technology will be the outcome of the project. The realisation of a complex 3D IS will then follow. The results will be exploitable both for site management and for organisations working in the area of presenting historical sites and creating multimedia shows.

The Digital Enchantment of Drottningholm

How can we relate to a historical playing culture? In this essay, a counter-factual visit to thepalaces and parks of Drottningholm outside Stockholm is presented. By means of digitaltechnologies, this World Heritage Site could be animated with historical figures from theeighteenth century, thus giving a living picture of past playing. Even though such an encounterwith the past is fully possible from a technical point of view, the realization of this projectposes a number of practical and theoretical questions: How can the picture ofeighteenth-century court life be broadened to include social perspectives of class, gender andethnicity? What artistic decisions have to be taken to visualize the activities around the parkand in the palace? What forms of interactions provided by the technology are suitable forvarious groups of visitors? Some answers to these questions are hinted at in this essay, but thegeneral question of a poetics of playing remains in the abyss between the historical period andthe contemporary access to it. Neither Friedrich von Schiller's treatise on the aestheticeducation of man nor Emanuel Kant's rational view of judgment bridge the gap of historicaldistance. Could Hans-Georg Gadamer's idea of the melting of historical horizons ever becomea reality in the experiences of future visitors? Eventually, this project might only provide somepleasures of a poetry of playing

A Brechtian perspective on London Road: Class representations, dialectics and the ‘gestic’ character of music from stage to screen

This article uses Brechtian philosophy to assess the role of music and song in the audience reception of the ‘verbatim musical’ London Road. The first section analyses class representations in London Road, with a particular focus on the dialectics and the ‘gestic’ role of the music and song. The second section explores how the adaptation from stage to screen further affects the dialectics of the musical and, paradoxically, serves key Brechtian aims. I focus on two dramaturgical changes in the adaptation from stage to screen: the chronological order of the narrative and the alternation of interview sections and dramatized sections, which resembles the structure of the popular drama-doc genre. Given that reordering and restaging the original verbatim numbers affected audience reception, I analyse the way the meaning is affected through the Brechtian notions of alienation and the gestic character of music. Throughout, I discuss class representations and relevant dialectical implications

Capital of Feedback

The body of work by British architect Cedric Price (1934–2003) is largely concerned with architecture’s relationship to technology and its impact on society. As contemporary architecture finds itself confronted with similar issues today, Price’s designs are being revisited and hailed for their prospective and inventive visions. As such, it seems timely to ask if Price’s designs can be regarded as precedents for future projects that aim to couple participation and technology through architectural design. In this article, I depart from the economic logic of today’s digital platforms to analyse the participatory elements Cedric Price designed for Oxford Corner House (1965–66) to be ‘self-participatory entertainment’. As user participation has gradually been capitalised on through the evolution of digital technologies, I argue that the conditions for what participatory architecture entails have changed in turn. Whereas Price regarded the transfer of information as an activity for users of the Oxford Corner House to engage with freely, the operation of today’s digital platforms instead suggests that such activities are entirely facilitated in order to retrieve information from its users. In order to make this argument, I look at how Cedric Price envisioned digital technologies to sustain participation and in turn how he understood the concept of user participation and its relation to the architectural programme