Introduction: In the Black Piece the choreographer Ann van den Broek takes the audience into the realm of Black to explore the conflict between reality and psychosis. By using dance, the choreographer explores emotions’ ability to shape and deform the body. The focus on the body is at the centre of the performance; the physicality of its movements and the expressivity of its gestures, in fact, make up the “performance text.” The body, however, is only visible by the audience when illuminated by either Ann van den Broek, or the cameraman. When not illuminated, the performers keep their stage presence, as the audience can hear their breath, pounding and grinding of clothes. However, because the audience is not able to locate these sounds, it …show more content…
Whereas in dramatic theatre the performance evolved around the text, in postdramatic theatre all theatrical signs have equal roles in the performance and, therefore, the text looses its position of hierarchy. This rupture with the text challenges postdramatic theatre to move away from truthful representation, allowing it to explore new possibilities, among which, the the equivalence of theatrical signs (these being word, image and sound). Hence, by distancing itself from the text, postdramatic theatre comes with the loss of both narration and alit, leading away from theatrical illusion. This change allows the body and its physicality to gain more freedom as its movements and gesture are not in service of mimesis, and therefore they become “pure forms” that “have to be considered as an absolute construction of formal elements as they do not represent mimesis of reality”. The theatre of “pure forms” is called “concrete theatre” and allows performances to “adhere solely to their low of internal composition”. This feature embodies the new aesthetic of postdramatic theatre where theatre “exposes itself as an art in space, in time, with human bodies with all the means included in the entire art work”. Postdramatic theatre, therefore, concentrates on formalization and presentation rather than on content. This shift causes a “phenomenology of perception” where the audience, left without elements of mimesis and fiction, becomes active and creates similarities, correlations and correspondences between elements of the performance through the process of
People usually expect to see paintings and sculptures in Art Galleries. Imagine the surprise one finds when they are presented with a man stitching his face into a bizarre caricature, or connected to a machine which controls the artist’s body. These shocking pieces of performance art come under the broad umbrella that is Postmodernism. Emphasis on meaning and shock value has replaced traditional skills and aesthetic values evident in the earlier Modernist movements.
One of the central themes of theatrical form is identity and the catalyst by which identity is formed is the body. In using the body as the site of formation of individual identity, women are “uniquely identified with their anatomy” and specifically the parts of their anatomy that differ from that of men (Callaghan 30). Because women are thus defined by their relation ...
The first main area of art and reality colliding in the play is the existence of characters who are referred to as Characters. Pirandello stretches the bounds of meta-theater by having actors portray Characters who swear they are not actors, when faced with other actors playing actual actors and a Director. The layers of unraveling of reality are astounding. The Characters must try and convince not only the Actors and the Producer of their true nature, but also the audience. Pirandello must convey his beliefs about the essence of art through the mouths of Characters seemingly unattached to the actuality of the theater around them. In the play, the Producer acts on stage in place of the author, questioning the sincerity and the true nature of the Characters, who become his r...
Colette Conroy, senior lecturer of drama at University of Hull, in her work Theatre and the Body, discusses how the body is used within performance. Conroy focuses on four fundamental issues: bodies and meaning, bodies and power, bodies and mind, and bodies and culture. This paper will discuss bodies and meaning, power and culture in association with The Nether, Lysistrata, and Disgraced respectively. Conroy employs the works of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Judith Baker, and many others to help discuss the purpose of human bodies within theatre.
The artist’s composition utilizes theatrical gesture, dramatic facial expression, and local color, to convey a sense of urgency and drama to the scene. However, he places the composition in a classical
Even aside from the ambiguity of what is real within the text of the film, Black Swan clearly presents imagery that goes beyond what is seen and experienced in our world. Based on Arnheim’s perspective, Black Swan is art because it experiments with the forms of color, sound, framing, and with editing of time and space. Application of his theories illuminates the ways in which these aspects of film effect viewers’ process of making sense of reality, and how that interpretive process can be intentionally altered. In this respect, any filmmaker who uses film’s formal elements to create and effectively communicate meaning over and above simply conveying what was in front of the camera at the time can be said to be creating art.
The work ‘Ghost Dances’ by Christopher Bruce was viewed on 26th August, 2011 to the Year 12 Dance class. The individual interpretation of the social/political or world issue/ comment the piece is attempting to make. Using direct examples from the performance, the use the choreographer has made of the movement and the non-movement components have been identified. Also the effectiveness of this piece has been evaluated.
This essay will seek to outline my findings on movie and theatre by looking at still image and moving image. I will discuss the relationship between cinema and film, and also compare some works of artists in order to answer the question which how might photography be contextualized as image on the threshold of still and moving – as an object incorporating the temporal and the narrative, the writing of history, or the presentation of documentation as record.
According to Munsterberg’s film theory, the motion picture is an original medium in that it aesthetically stimulates the spectator’s senses. Although both still picture and theatrical play can possibly leave images on the spectator’s retina or brain, each element of motion picture, including camera angle and work, lighting, editing, music, and the story itself, appeals to somewhere more than just the retina or brain— the element of motion picture truly operates upon the spectator’s mind. Speaking of Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, the film unfolds a story of a physically and mentally repressed ballerina’s life. Due to the film’s effective filming and editing techniques, the film successfully increases excitement as well as suspense in the story. Since Black Swan captures not only the real world the ballerina lives in but also the other side of the world the ballerina has within her mind, its spectator would experience a fantastic world where one ballerina lives in two different worlds at the same time.
The name of the Bread and Puppet Theatre hails from the custom of sharing freshly baked bread with the theatre visitors to symbolise that art should be an everyday ritual for everyone just like eating bread.` We give you a piece of bread with the puppet show because our bread and theatre belong together. For a long time the theatre arts have been separated from the stomach. Theatre was entertainment.` (Peter Schumann, Bread & Puppet official website). The foremost goal of this theatre is to raise feelings of sensitivity in the viewer and to outline what the terms 'good' and 'evil' mean, especially in political spheres. This reflects the use of the audience as being used to create this form of emotion within the performanceset up, this is done through the raising the elements of sensitivity within their audience. Theatre also places a huge emphasis on the education and popularisation of art. Artists expressing their pacifistic views, strongly opposed to the war in Vietnam, and the enormous dolls created by Schumann have since become a permanent feature in many pacifistic demonstrations. Theatre critiques racial discrimination, deaf royal of natural habitats, compulsory military service and globalism. The theatre spectacles take the role of mentors who teach is lessons of morality - they are full of symbolism, archetypes and they refer to the bible, mythology and folklore.` ìWe believe in puppet theatre as a wholesome and powerful language that can touch men and women and children alike, and we hope that our plays are true and are saying what has to be said, and that they add to your enjoyment and enlightenment ` (Robert Schumann, Bread & Puppet Theatre official website). They focus on en...
Postmodernism is a vague term that can describe a variety of disciplines that include, architecture, art, music, film, fashion, literature…etc. (Klages). In the case of “Videotape”, postmodern literature would be the main focus or area of study. This type of literature emerged in the era that succeeded World War II and relies heavily on the use of techniques such as, fragmentation, the creation of paradoxes, and questionable protagonists. Furthermore, postmodern literature also exudes ambiguity and critical thinking where the focus is mainly on the reader and his/her experience of the work rather than the content and form. Building upon that, the selected passag...
Post-Modernist philosophies, as well as art theory and practices based on them, have lost their significance. In their most revolting examples, became an instrument of financial fraud and “official doctrine” of protecting the existing power structure inhibiting the creative development of Art. Realism has emerged as one of the important modes of contemporary artistic expression.
Theatre as we know it now was born more than two thousand years ago and has gone through many streams until it reached the current modernity. Among these streams is the avant-garde theatre. This theatre achieved a break in the traditional theatre and became the forefront of a new experimental theatre. Therefore it is necessary to ask how this theatre started, what impact it had on society and if this type of theatre is still common in our modern era.
Nevertheless, the question at hand is whether theatre will have a role in the society of the future, where cinema, digital television, and computers will continue to expand and grow. The answer to this question is yes. Heading into the 21st century, theatre will only be a fraction in a solid media industry. However, despite all the excitement technology brings with it, they will never replace theatre because it has something that can not be recreated or offered anywhere else. The cinema and its larger than life world appeals as an affordable alternative. Digital television provides digital interaction between the viewer and the producer. Theatre on the other hand, and its contents may take on a larger dimension, but we receive it directly in flesh and blood – one to one. The magical atmosphere between an actor and spectator who are constantly aware of each other and the theatre’s level of engagement is fundamentally more human and far more intimate.
In addition, the dance portrays a combination of operetta, musical hall and happenings. While watching the performance the viewer wonders where the rain comes from. This is a perfect portrayal of a natural happening outside the performance hall. The dancers are actually not confined within the studio as the outside world is transformed into a natural studio. The overall effect on the performance is a lively dance that keeps the audience glued to the last minute. In this regard, Bausch’s choreography is ‘life’ as she works on what moves the audience without largely concentrating on the movement of her dancer