Viewing

Please watch these videos. Watch all of them. Watch all the glorious minutes and seconds of all of them. What do you think about what you watch? Tell us in two paragraphs what you think.

Maybe you’ve heard of “Performance Studies”? This might be described as a lens used to see the world. So, if you go to see a play, the people on the stage are the actors. They are performing as actors. The people watching the play is the audience. Some might say that they are performing the role of “audience member.” Same as going to see a baseball game: the outfielders are performing the role of “athlete.” The fans in the stands are performing the role of “fan.” When you all come to class with me (most of the time), I’ll play the role of “teacher” and you all play the role of “student.” All the different roles have different rituals, routines – different expectations. There’s a lot packed into that word expectations. A lot of artists see their job as going in and questioning expectations, questioning what’s assumed to be “normal.” Using ritual and routine as a way to structure these questions can be powerful.

Again – this is work based in time, so think about pace and rhythm. Think about range and dynamics – high and low, loud and soft, funny and sad, frenetic and calm, large and small, intimate and public, the absurd and the mundane. Think about juxtaposition. And think about the production of meaning and sharing meaning with an audience.

https://art21.org/watch/extended-play/laylah-ali-choreographer-dean-moss-short/

https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_tcp5tkgh

https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_yc74xrrv

https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_p7wsuz6n

https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_p7wsuz6n

https://art21.org/watch/new-york-close-up/shaun-leonardo-the-freedom-to-move/