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On Appearance, or what the Loch Ness Monster can teach us about contemporary performance

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

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On Appearance, or what the Loch Ness Monster can teach us about contemporary performance. / Watkinson, Philip.
In: Performance Research, Vol. 23, No. 4-5, 28.10.2018, p. 251-255.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Watkinson, P 2018, 'On Appearance, or what the Loch Ness Monster can teach us about contemporary performance', Performance Research, vol. 23, no. 4-5, pp. 251-255. https://doi.org/10.1080/13528165.2018.1507768

APA

Watkinson, P. (2018). On Appearance, or what the Loch Ness Monster can teach us about contemporary performance. Performance Research, 23(4-5), 251-255. https://doi.org/10.1080/13528165.2018.1507768

Vancouver

Watkinson P. On Appearance, or what the Loch Ness Monster can teach us about contemporary performance. Performance Research. 2018 Oct 28;23(4-5):251-255. doi: 10.1080/13528165.2018.1507768

Author

Watkinson, Philip. / On Appearance, or what the Loch Ness Monster can teach us about contemporary performance. In: Performance Research. 2018 ; Vol. 23, No. 4-5. pp. 251-255.

Bibtex

@article{d253ab2ac0e14052ace1abff157098fd,
title = "On Appearance, or what the Loch Ness Monster can teach us about contemporary performance",
abstract = "This essay employs the figure of the Loch Ness Monster as an anchor and an allegory for the operations of affect and appearance in contemporary performance. More specifically, I examine the dialectical relationships between the two, and explore how appearance performs when a critical project seeks to grasp reality as it exists apart from any subjective embellishments. Drawing on eyewitness accounts and continental philosophy, I claim that the Monster objectivizes a fundamental feature of subjectivity, namely the tension between appearance and reality, and that this tension is performed by the subjects who perceive it. As a performance of subjectivity, the Loch Ness Monster is simultaneously dependent on and exists independently of its material context. This analysis poses a challenge and a reminder to theatre and performance studies, where the possibility of affect being inherent to the contradictory relationship between appearance and reality must be fully accounted for in theoretical terms.",
keywords = "theatre, performance, affect, loch ness monster, Bill Viola, Sarah Kane",
author = "Philip Watkinson",
year = "2018",
month = oct,
day = "28",
doi = "10.1080/13528165.2018.1507768",
language = "English",
volume = "23",
pages = "251--255",
journal = "Performance Research",
issn = "1352-8165",
publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",
number = "4-5",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - On Appearance, or what the Loch Ness Monster can teach us about contemporary performance

AU - Watkinson, Philip

PY - 2018/10/28

Y1 - 2018/10/28

N2 - This essay employs the figure of the Loch Ness Monster as an anchor and an allegory for the operations of affect and appearance in contemporary performance. More specifically, I examine the dialectical relationships between the two, and explore how appearance performs when a critical project seeks to grasp reality as it exists apart from any subjective embellishments. Drawing on eyewitness accounts and continental philosophy, I claim that the Monster objectivizes a fundamental feature of subjectivity, namely the tension between appearance and reality, and that this tension is performed by the subjects who perceive it. As a performance of subjectivity, the Loch Ness Monster is simultaneously dependent on and exists independently of its material context. This analysis poses a challenge and a reminder to theatre and performance studies, where the possibility of affect being inherent to the contradictory relationship between appearance and reality must be fully accounted for in theoretical terms.

AB - This essay employs the figure of the Loch Ness Monster as an anchor and an allegory for the operations of affect and appearance in contemporary performance. More specifically, I examine the dialectical relationships between the two, and explore how appearance performs when a critical project seeks to grasp reality as it exists apart from any subjective embellishments. Drawing on eyewitness accounts and continental philosophy, I claim that the Monster objectivizes a fundamental feature of subjectivity, namely the tension between appearance and reality, and that this tension is performed by the subjects who perceive it. As a performance of subjectivity, the Loch Ness Monster is simultaneously dependent on and exists independently of its material context. This analysis poses a challenge and a reminder to theatre and performance studies, where the possibility of affect being inherent to the contradictory relationship between appearance and reality must be fully accounted for in theoretical terms.

KW - theatre

KW - performance

KW - affect

KW - loch ness monster

KW - Bill Viola

KW - Sarah Kane

U2 - 10.1080/13528165.2018.1507768

DO - 10.1080/13528165.2018.1507768

M3 - Journal article

VL - 23

SP - 251

EP - 255

JO - Performance Research

JF - Performance Research

SN - 1352-8165

IS - 4-5

ER -