Maria Chatzichristodoulou - Böcker

This collection of essays and interviews investigates current practices that expand our understanding and experience of performance through the use of state-of-the-art technologies. It brings together leading practitioners, writers and curators who explore the intersections between theatre, performance and digital technologies, challenging expectations and furthering discourse across the disciplines. As technologies become increasingly integrated into theatre and performance, Interfaces of Performance revisits key elements of performance practice in order to investigate emergent paradigms. To do this five concepts integral to the core of all performance are foregrounded, namely environments, bodies, audiences, politics of practice and affect. The thematic structure of the volume has been designed to extend current discourse in the field that is often led by formalist analysis focusing on technology per se. The proposed approach intends to unpack conceptual elements of performance practice, investigating the strategic use of a diverse spectrum of technologies as a means to artistic ends. The focus is on the ideas, objectives and concerns of the artists who integrate technologies into their work. In so doing, these inquisitive practitioners research new dramaturgies and methodologies in order to create innovative experiences for, and encounters with, their audiences.

Since entering the performance lexicon in the 1970s, the term Live Art has been used to describe a diverse but interrelated array of performance practices and approaches. This volume offers a contextual and critical introduction to the scene of contemporary Live Art in Britain. Focusing on key artists whose prolific body of work has been vital to the development of contemporary practice, this collection studies the landscape of Live Art in the UK today and illuminates its origins, as well as particular concerns and aesthetics.The introduction to the volume situates Live Art in relation to other areas of artistic practice and explores the form as a British phenomenon. It considers questions of cultural specificity, financial and institutional support, and social engagement, by tracing the work and impact of key organizations on the UK scene: the Live Art Development Agency, SPILL Festival of Performance and Compass Live Art. Across three sections, leading scholars offer case studies exploring the practice of key artists Tim Etchells, Marisa Carnesky, Marcia Farquhar, Franko B, Martin O’Brien, Oreet Ashery, David Hoyle, Jordan McKenzie, and Cosey Fanni Tutti.