17514

Experimentalism in the Performing Arts: Introduction to Theater Historiography

João Cardante Romão, N.N.

Kommentar

Experimentalism seems to be everywhere these days. Whether as a way of defining artistic practices and scenes, or as a way of making and listening to music, there is something about the term that seems to fascinate artists, musicians, concert-goers, and listeners. This introductory course is about exploring that something, and how such terms have histories and can be used to think about broader political, economic, and social issues, both past and present. The specific focus on experimentalism in this seminar will serve as an entry point to explore the conditions under which historical knowledge about performance practice is generated, curated, preserved, and disseminated. Like any other performative art, experimental music poses particular challenges to historiography. Its inherently ephemeral and provocative nature, for example, challenges not only historiographic categories, but also ways of thinking about the role of the arts in general. From a materialist perspective, on the other hand, it is not only interesting to ask which objects, discourses, and practices are representative of a particular genre, but also which are ignored, and experimental music (or art in general) often exposes these silencing strategies and their inherent politics. Through both critical engagement with primary sources such as interviews, scores, sketches, or recordings, and readings of recent literature on the subject, this course will introduce students to what hands-on research on experimental music looks like from a historiographical perspective. Through innovative assignments, students will be encouraged to bridge the most recent bulk of humanities’ literature on the topic with what's taking place in institutions adjacent to the university, such as performance spaces, archives or museums. Students will have substantial contact with archivists and curators in the field, and will be encouraged to prepare short assignments such as program notes or innovative small group projects that reflect this engagement. Please note that no prior knowledge of music theory or history is required to take this course. To be clear, you don't need to know how to read music to take this class. We will focus primarily on experimental music, but like any of such practices, experimental music is by definition interdisciplinary. We will also often consider how permeable music, theater, dance, and film are in such experimental settings, and how only a truly interdisciplinary lens can serve historiography well. Schließen