April 18th
Anniversary research
Today we/I started the residence. What I most enjoy in being here is to be able to make that is dedicated in research and dissemination, without having the pressure of coming up with a fantastic result in just a few days. It´s rare to find these opportunities outside the academic context. These weeks mean time for myself, for an artistic reflection and to organize the tools I have been developing in the last years.
The next 3 weeks will be dedicated in the development of choreographic scores and systems, specifically, in the development of choreographic tools organizing it in a toolbox that could be used for anyone. I am interested in systematize a working process I have been working in the last two years that is the translation of philosophical, sociological or theoretical concepts in choreography. These 3 weeks will be dedicated to recognize, systematize and document this process and artistic methodology.
My first step in this first research day was to make a map. I like maps and I always start my projects drawing maps and maps, I let the room full of draws, lines, words and connections between these words, trying to visualize what is happening in my mind. So the spacialisation of the abstract ideas is the first tool in this process of translating ideas into performative tools.
Since I am interested in scores and in choreography, I decided to start the research first asking myself what choreography is made of ? Which are the elements, which compose a choreography? Then I created the choreographic map, you can see on the top of this page.
Basically I selected the elements that to me belong to a choreographic object. I see choreography as a theatrical and artistic expression, composed by the following elements: body, dance, space, audience, tempo and concept. What I understand regarding each element is:
Body: is the performative agent. Body can be a human body, an object, an element of nature, an animal, an E.T., etc.
Dance: dance is what the body does and how it moves.
Space: is not just the place where the action happens, but define also the relation with the space and function it performs in the choreography.
Tempo: duration, rhythm and musicality.
Concept: it is similar to the idea of statement, that is the idea behind your work. What does move you to create this performance ? Which is your artistic question?
Audience: is about the relation you develop with the audience and what (or if) it has a function in your performance.
Based on this map and on these guidelines, I put it in practice in order to explore how this system works. Since I am mostly working alone in the studio and I don´t have animals, dancers or ETs with me, so I decided to start to make experiments in choreographing objects applying these principles.