Source: Patrick Campbell's avatar created by Loulia Marouda
Advances in the areas of technology, information theory, computational modeling and immersive multisensory displays in the last two decades, position the notion of body-as-archive in new perspectives, especially with regard to performative practices. The emergence of new motion capture technologies, interactive digital platforms, artificial intelligence, mixed and augmented realities has opened up possibilities for documenting and experiencing performative practices in novel ways. These developments not only offer fresh perspectives on the creative dimensions of the body but also revolutionize the processes of notation and recording. Further, it facilitates the development of processes and experiences that bring the body closer to dematerialized states, an embodied assemblage which includes intelligent systems and digital/virtual technologies.
Our current historical moment witnesses a confluence of imaginary technologies - an ethereal and shifting network of values and practices shared concretely or virtually - and computational and information technologies. This convergence prompts critical reflections on the concept of the body-as-archive, challenging traditional notions of recording and analyzing tacit and embodied knowledge, oral and bodily histories, immaterialities, that which is volatile and fluid.
In this direction, Jacques Derrida’s essay "Archive Fever", points out that archives make a movement towards the future as much as towards the past. What is archived and how something is archived depends on the technological premises of the future and, therefore, the archive is a procedural movement. Would digital and virtual spaces, which are, in fact, another place of power, the already feared face of the future, be able to welcome and take care of such a proposal?
In this context, this call set the very idea of documentation into motion and proposes a debate on the concept of archive, its status as an immutable truth, its frequent alignment with dominant epistemologies, such as colonial and Western ones. It is also urges us to recognize other forms of knowledge inventories which can accommodate in rituals, techné and artisanal practices.
This thematic edition seeks to foster collaborative and interdisciplinary dialogue, inviting contributions that push the boundaries of research in the performing arts. We welcome submissions exploring the following themes:
- New paradigms in embodied notation systems (Motion Capture, Volumetric Cameras, Augmented Realities, Haptic Systems…);
- Technological guerrilla in performance;
- Hacking, glitching and other techno-poetic tactics;
- Body-as-archive and decolonial processes in archival practices;
- Hybrid documentation and body writing methodologies in academic research;
- Human-technological co-evolution in the performing arts;
- Translation processes between different media.
Edition in collaboration with Adriana Parente la Selva (Ghent University) as Guest Editor (adrianaparente.laselva@ugent.be).
This call for proposals extends until October 13th, 2024, or until we reach the number of 25 published texts.
In addition to thematic articles, the journal also receives texts on free themes, interviews, translations and reviews.
Guidelines for authors can be found here.