Aesthetic Collectives: On the Nature of Collectivity in Cultural Performance (Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies)

"This book focuses attention on groups of performing people that are unique aesthetic objects, the focus of an artist's vision, but at the same time a collective being; a singular, whole mass that exists and behaves like an individual entity. This text explores this unique experience, which is far from rare or special. Indeed, it is pervasive, ubiquitous and has, since the dawn of performance, been with us. Surveying installation art from Vanessa Beecroft & Kanye West, Greek tragedy, back-up dancing groups and even the mass dance of clubbing crowds, this text examines and names this phenomenon: Aesthetic Collectives. Drawing on a range of methods of investigation spanning performance studies, acting theory, studies of atmosphere and affect and sociology it presents an intervention in the literature for something that has long deserved its own attention. This book will be of great interest to scholars, students and practitioners in performance studies, theatre, live art, sociology (particularly of groups and subcultures), cultural studies and cultural geography"-- Provided by publisher Aesthetic Collectives Cover -1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 Introduction—The Aesthetic Collective 12 Notes 29 Part I: Precis 32 1. Proximity and Prägnanz—Space, Order, Touch 36 Insides/Outsides, Proxemics and Containment 39 Aesthetic Fields, Collective Domains 44 Proximity and Prägnanz 47 The Discharge 54 Touch—Known, Unknown; Security, Threat 61 Communitas and Affect Transmission 67 Notes 70 2. Similarity—Authority and Agency 73 VB16, VB35, VB45, VB46, VB48 77 Manipulating Agency and Authority 83 Directions/Instructions—Explicit and Implied 90 Notes 100 3. Common Fate—Objective, Agency and Essence 103 Choreography and Rhythm 108 Dialogue 112 Rôle/Character 116 Agentic States 120 Notes 127 Part II: Precis 130 4. Character and Contagion 138 Character as Roles and Dramatis Personae 139 Essence and Essentialisation 145 Characterisation, Characterising, Mood 152 Contagion 158 Notes 163 5. Mood, Affect, Feeling, Emotion 165 Mood-Making 166 Affective Dimensions 171 Mood Setting/Contagion 176 Notes 184 6. Encountering Atmospheres 186 The Encounter 187 Immersion 195 Foam Structures—Atmospheres 203 Conditioning 206 Climate and Human Weather 210 Notes 218 Conclusion 221 Notes 227 Bibliography 229 Appendix A 237 IMAGE 1: 237 IMAGE 2: 238 Appendix B 239 Appendix C 240 Comment 1 240 Comment 2 240 Comment 3 240 Comment 4 240 Comment 5 241 Comment 6 241 Comment 7 241 Comment 8 241 Note 242 Index 243 cultural,geography;,cultural,studies;,acting,theory;,Artist's,vision;,Art;,Culture;,Perfromance;,Aesthetic; cultural geography,cultural studies,acting theory,Artist's vision,Art,Culture,Perfromance,Aesthetic

Aesthetic Collectives works to name, describe, and analyse the notion of collectivity in performance.