WAR Group C Associational Network Image

The Performative Architecture of Facade

WAR Group A Keyword Bucket

WAR Group C COMMENT [FLOW] final posting

Challenge [FLOW] from AMS Group C:

"We feel that in contemporary times disruption is a value (esthetic, academic, performative) which is equally valid . . . How is this reflected in contemporary theatre and other arts? Now we see disruptions in traditional narrative, design and other dramatic elements as important esthetic modus."

Response [FLOW] from TAM Group C:

This is an extremely valid point, which brings to our minds the continuing tensions regarding the status of graffiti as an art among parties of differing opinions. Several years ago, it was decided that a wall on which graffiti had been officially allowed should be painted over. Here is a link to a report on the incident: http://www2.hs.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20001031IE18

We understand that just several weeks ago, a similar incident happened, which shows the continuing negotiations, or disruptions, of the "flow" of what is considered "art".

Final COMMENT [FLOW] from WAR Group C:

The most cogent dynamic that this process drew up was the one between 'flow' and 'disruption' which was presented in the challenge from AMS Group C. It's interesting to conceive of how 'flow' (a naturally fluid, consistent, and smooth process) was naturally opposed by 'disruption' which is an immediate, active, and localized intervention. This seemed to imply that the 'flows' here are conceived as large cultural currents which can be protested by small external individual forces, not for example by a 'counter-flow'. Hence, graffiti as a method of social disobedience is an individual intervention in the form of a disruption whereas graffiti as an art form was opposed by a larger cultural flow emanating from the government which quite literally 'whitewashed' the art form.

Perhaps a question to follow on from this 'flow' thread would be to pick up on our original definition in relation to the challenge and response. We noted that 'flows' can exist on a micro and macro scale, for instance within a theatre building or across continents. In general the responses dealt with larger 'performances'; we wonder how the dynamic of 'flow' and 'disruption' would work on a smaller scale.

Many thanks to AMS Group 3 and TAM Group 3 for their insightful comments. We look forward to continuing the discussions :)
Posted by Stu, Michelle, and Keith.

WAR Group C RESPONSE [GULE] for AMS Group C

Original Definition:

AMS Group C - DEFINITION Gule For Tampere Group C
KEYWORD: Gule
Language: Chichewa. A Malawian Language
3) Unlike the separation in European performing arts disciplines, Gule in Malawian context sees the elements of music, dance and drama as inseparable. For example, during a dance, drama with identifiable characters and a clear narration becomes part of it.

Original Challenge

TAM Group C Ua Kristina Jocelyn CHALLENGE [Gule] for WAR Group C

1. We would first like to challenge the point that European performing arts traditions separate the different performance forms of music, dance and drama as clearly as it may seem on first consideration. We would like to give classical ballet as an example which combines the three forms, with orchestral music, dance, and mime combined into a single performance.

2. Our second consideration is not so much a challenge, but we would like to raise the point that many Asian performance traditions are similar to Gule in Malawi, in that they also combine many peformance forms - an example would be the traditional Khon of Thailand. Furthermore, traditional Asian performance forms often have a spiritual aspect, adding yet another layer to the performance.

3. Another example from Africa, of a performance form that combines many elements - the Bangoura.

New Response: We agree with your initial challenge in that European practices have a long tradition of a syncretic approach to performance dating back from Greek tragedy. The line can be followed through to Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk which has in turn influenced many 20th century practitioners.
However, we are wary of seeing the fusion of art forms involved in gule, ballet, Khon, and Bangoura, and other performance practices as necessarily adding artistic value. To pursue this synthesized approach for its own ends without context and content could well result in a weaker final product in which each individual art form suffers. Performances where a synthesis of individual art forms are brought together under the guise of transcultural interaction, as in a 'cultural collage' where performance practices are sometimes combined without concern for context or content, can do more harm than good. If a practitioner wishes to utilize a fusion of various cultural forms they must do so with the respect and understanding of all the traditions they wish to assimilate. A full synthesis of performance is not always the best; each art form contains its own virtues too.

WAR Group C CHALLENGE [FLOW} for AMS Group C

TAM Group C Ua Kristina Jocelyn DEFINITION [Flow] for WAR Group C FLOW (v.):

1. to move along in a stream: The river flowed slowly to the sea.
2. to circulate: blood flowing through one's veins.
3. to stream or well forth: Warmth flows from the sun.
4. to issue or proceed from a source: Orders flowed from the office.
5. to menstruate.
6. to come or go as in a stream: A constant stream of humanity flowed by.
7. to proceed continuously and smoothly: Melody flowed from the violin.
8. to hang loosely at full length: Her hair flowed over her shoulders.
9. to abound in something: The tavern flowed with wine.
10. to rise and advance, as the tide (opposed to ebb).

Flow (Psychology):
the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity (Mihály Csíkszentmihályi 1990).

Challenge: Of the above definitions we’d like to focus on the psychological concept offered by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi as it offers a different path from the definition of 'flow' that we sent to Amsterdam. Looking at the etymology of Csíkszentmihályi 's theory in more depth: "Flow is so named because during Csíkszentmihályi's 1975 interviews several people described their 'flow' experiences using the metaphor of a water current carrying them along.[2] The psychological concept of flow as becoming absorbed in an activity is thus unrelated to the older phrase "to go with the flow" which means "to conform"." This seems to suggest that one experiences a false passivity during a state of 'flow', evidenced by the use of the analogy to water, which relates to definitions 1 and 6 from above. We would contend that this may perhaps raise concerns about the experience of 'flow' and the ability to measure one's responses and feelings in this state. Two of Csíkszentmihályi's components of flow are "A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness, the merging of action and awareness" and "Distorted sense of time, one's subjective experience of time is altered". Therefore, this would seem to indicate that an accurate portrayal of what the true state of 'flow' is can be hard to measure, or in fact impossible to understand outside of a highly subjective account.

Interestingly, Csíkszentmihályi also proposes a notion of 'group flow' in which members work together to achieve 'flow'. The methods for achieving this goal appear to involve several highly performative aspects, including working on one's feet, etc which is a stark contrast to the perceived image of the psychiatrist's couch. This is interesting to consider in how it relates to the very different definitions of 'flow'.

Staff Warwick Janelle Directions

We encourage all the students to use the comments function which is a link beneath each of the posts on the main blog page when you want to comment on a particular group response. This will keep the individual comments together with the subject posting and will make for a less 'messy' blog.

This suggestion comes to you from Ed, who has enjoyed what he's seen of the postings so far.

Warwick Group 3 Response to Helsinki Group A: “Culture”

Thanks for the amusing video – here’s another image to analyse: Spitting is forbidden for Native Americans! We think the humorous interplay of the cultural symbols on display here is very interesting. What do you think??

As a question of whether such behaviour in the video is indeed “cultural”, it seems as if there is a difference, in English at least, between the words “cultural” and “cultured”. To be cultured implies an adherence to a socially-acceptable set of values and morals, whereas the word cultural merely denotes something to do with a culture in general.

In this case, the spitting can therefore be considered cultural, even if this is not cultured. The act itself confirms a disobedience towards the prevailing behavioural standards accepted by most of society, so is inherently cultural, even if it is cultural deviancy.

Within certain subcultures, though, spitting is considered acceptable, such as on the football or baseball field. For other groups, particularly adolescents, spitting in public can be viewed as a marker of cultural identity, symbolizing a rejection of normative values and giving a communal sense of belonging within a subcultural group at odds with the dominant culture.

However, the act of spitting as a culturally-embedded performance varies from culture to culture. According to the following report (http://www.renmenbi.com/spitting-culture), spitting is an everyday and accepted occurrence in China. This brings us onto the broader transcultural questions of manners and etiquette.


As much as the spitting video makes fun of social convention, etiquette to too great a degree can seem stuffy and similarly comical:

With so many differences between acceptable behaviours, we wonder if there are many behaviours which are transculturally acceptable? Would there be any benefit to a standardized worldwide etiquette? It may stop some intercultural misunderstandings, but would it also be symptomatic of cultural imperialism?

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Warwick Group 2 (Courtney & Ridzal) responds to Mele Yamomo (tanghal) and AMS Group 1 (Ty's, palabas)

We noticed that the two Tagalog words introduced on the blog had strong similarities in their definitions. Both words, in a sense, have something to do with showing or displaying, to reveal e.g. "premiere" or to expose "exhibit". A performance, then, pretty much does all of these things - it is showing something, displaying, and not just itself (what is on stage, for example) but also representing something outside of the theatre. To fall back on a cliche, it makes real what is not there, but also illuminates what is absent. Taking the definition of tanghal as v. to proclaim e.g. Itinanghal siyang kampeon - He is declared a champion, and palabas as adv. aloud, plainly; performance also lays bare or names something in a manner that allows the audience to better understand something larger outside of itself.

While there are obviously rich similarities between these two terms, there are also discrepancies that delineate one from another. Tanghal, for example, includes in its definition "to exalt," which is absent from palabas. This slippage between the two words illustrates how necessary a precise lexicon is, when it comes to articulating our thoughts and ideas about performance and its consequences (social, political, etc.). The nuance that one term captures is omitted from the other, even though the two, upon initial inspection, appear to be synonymous (and share a linguistic background).

In order to cultivate the more expansive, accurate lexicon, we think it is important to be more flexible when it comes to incorporating phrases and terms from a multiplicity of sources, cultures, and linguistic backgrounds. A systematic reconsideration of how we represent and recognize abstract concepts might be more frequently associated with the methodology of the sciences, but it also has the potential to enhance scholarship. In many branches of the physical sciences, taxonomies are introduced as systems of classification that allow us to name things so we can think about them. In a similar fashion, scholarship depends on our capacity to develop a creative, precise, and provocative system of classification and representation.

Having said that, we also acknowledge that are inherent complications and problematic elements embedded in our suggestion for a more expansive, flexible lexicon. For example, it would be quite problematic if the terms and phrases from non-Western backgrounds being incorporated into academic discourse get appropriated by that Western environment and alienated from their original context. Such a scenario would subjugate non-Western languages in the name of recognizing their value and potential.

Warwick Group 3 - Keywords (Stu and Michelle)

COSMOPOLITAN: adj. 1): having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing 2) having wide international sophistication : worldly 3) composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world

cosmopolitan adj 1 belonging to or representative of all parts of the world. 2 free of national prejudices; international in experience and outlook. 3 sophisticated. 4 composed of people from all different parts of the world. noun someone of this type; a citizen of the world.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from cosmo- + Greek polites citizen.

- Chambers Online

cosmopolitan

adjective USUALLY APPROVING
containing or having experience of people and things from many different parts of the world

COSMOPOLITAN magazine – what image is this trying to portray? Exotic? Sophisticated? Stylish? Why particularly a women’s point of view?

Cosmopolitan Cocktail – Martini Glass, Pink, Sex and the City

Challenge: There is a huge logical leap between a definition such as “from all parts of the world” and one such as “sophisticated”. This leads to a confusing tension in definition between the multicultural and the hierarchical, as these two radically different meanings are often conflated into one vague general term. Similarly, there are problems with colloquial usages (eg. the magazine and cocktail above), which further distance people from any original meaning.

Demographic

Noun. A particular sector of a populace.

- OED.

demography noun, technical the scientific study of population statistics, including births, deaths, etc. demographer noun someone who studies demography or the statistics of populations. demographic adj.
ETYMOLOGY: 19c: from Greek demos people + -graphy.

- Chambers Online

demographic

Main Entry:

demographic

Function:

noun

Date:

circa 1966

1 plural : the statistical characteristics of human populations (as age or income) used especially to identify markets

2: a market or segment of the population identified by demographics

As an indicator used to define a sector of society, a demographic constitutes a particular grouping of (usually) people, segregated on grounds of age, wealth, ethnicity, profession, or many other characteristics. It is often used as a marketing tool, so companies can effectively market their products to particular target groups, but is also an issue in politics and the art world, as (for example) a theatre group decides to put on plays aimed at a particular type of theatergoer.

Challenge: There are several problems with this definition though, as the criteria used for differentiating demographics can be concrete (eg. those on salaries of £50,000 or more), or far more value-based (eg. people with liberal tendencies). This leads to indeterminacy, but also to a stereotyped view of society as a whole, as certain discrete personal tendencies can become the prime social stratification for commercial groups.

Corral de comedias (noun):

House, courtyard or theatre where plays were first performed on a permanent space in Spain, in the late 16^th century. Travelling companies of theatre began to settle and perform their plays permanently in these spaces.

Challenge: It’s a type of staging space very similar to the Elizabethan stage, so it is not exclusive to the Spanish tradition. So, to what extent it is a local concept or else a way of conceiving the theatrical space that transcended local borders.