HOW LITTLE IS ENOUGH? Sustainable Methods of Performance for Transformative Encounters.

Steinunn Knúts Önnudóttir

The exposition is an artistic PhD thesis and contains research outputs in three categories, Performance Archive, Research Publications and Method Development tied together by an essay. I.Essay: Testimony of a Pilgrim. II.Performance Archive: No Show - exposition. Island - exposition. Strings - exposition. Pleased to Meet You - exposition. III.Research Publications: Porous and Embracing Dramaturgy for Transformative Encounters - video article. A Quest for Existential Sustainability - video article. Transformative Encounters - podcast series. IV.Method Development: ME-THOD. How-little-is-enough-approach. Abstract At the core of this artistic doctoral thesis are four performance projects designed to counter the consumer-driven nature of contemporary performance-making while also addressing the need to develop sustainable methods of performance. Guided by the question: how to construct sustainable methods of performance for transformative encounters? the inquiry transcends the different layers of performance-making to explore the potential of performance as a catalyst for societal change. As a part of the Agenda 2030 Graduate School, an interdisciplinary research initiative at Lund University, the project focuses on existential sustainability and investigates how performance can enhance participants' sense of meaning and motivation for adopting sustainable lifestyles and increasing sustainable awareness. The thesis output is presented in three categories; a performance archive documenting, detailing and analysing the performances and their impact; research publications, disseminating findings and key concepts through different public formats; and method development accounting for the methodological approaches that have emerged through the process. The four performance works of this artistic research are: No Show (2020), Island (2020), Strings (2022), and Pleased to Meet You (2022/2023). The three publications of the project are: How Little is Enough? Embracing and Porous Dramaturgies for Transformative Encounters, a video article; How Little is Enough? A Quest for Existential Sustainability, a video article; and the podcast series Transformative Encounters. Utilizing Me-thod, a pluralistic situated methodology grounded in the artist´s personal background and skillset, together with the how-little-is-enough approach, which minimizes production and focuses on essential needs, the project has collected insights into how performative encounters can initiate transformation in participants and foster connections to the world around them, thereby enhancing existential sustainability and nurturing care for the environment. Through repeated cycles of action-based artistic research, employing qualitative materials and autoethnographical approaches, rich data was generated. The findings emphasize the importance of personal engagement, embodiment, and authentic exchange as catalysts for transformation within performative encounters. Through this investigation, the thesis aims to contribute to the development of sustainable approaches to performance-making that facilitate profound and meaningful human experiences in an era marked by unprecedented societal and environmental challenges. ISBN:978-91-8104-107-1

The Question

How Little is Enough?

prompts an approach to theatre making focused on:

Reducing production.

Minimising carbon footprint.

Enhancing existential sustainability.

Philosophy

Wabi sabi:

appreciation of ephemeral elements, the used and the weathered.

Balancing reduced production with enhanced artistic, aesthetic, and sustainable elements.

Focus
Prioritize meaningful engagement, building relationships.

Back

How-little-is-enough approach to performance making.

Objectives

To reduce production, labour, travel, costs, complications, distances, and energy,

while maintaining artistic ambition.

To increase playfulness, listening, meaning, friendships, and care

to enhance existential sustainability.

Tools

Site Selection

Prioritize hosts/sites with sustainability in mind.

Considerations:

Choose sites rich in contextual inquiry.
Work with hosts and sites I already have an existing relation to.
Collaborate with motivated hosts who seek to articulate their concerns.
Stay committed to avoid exploitation of non-professional participants.

Outcome: Personal engagement and commitment reduce the risk of exploitation

while promoting existential sustainability.

Local Focus

Engage with the knowledge and inquiries emerging within the local community.

Considerations:

Collaborate with local and regional participants, artists, and scholars.
Avoid overlooking local competences.

Outcome: Sustainable practices, neighborhood care, and access to local knowledge.

Global Perspective

Introduce global awareness.

Considerations:

Integrate global inquiries with local concerns.

Outcome: Adds depth, and engagement within a broader context.

Site Exploration

Pay attention to the site's resources (content, facilities, aesthetics).

Considerations:

Develop a thematic framework from the local community/site.
Create a structure around existing content with minimal intervention.

Participation

Create a space for guests' creativity and concerns through:

Porous & Embracing dramaturgy
Performative Encounters

Sustainability

Go with the flow. Utilize on-site resources. Hara hachi bu and porostity.

Considerations:

Leave space for guests to bring their own material.

Aesthetics

Merge aesthetics with sustainability.

Maintain aesthetic value through deliberate artistic and ethical choices.

What is already

in place?

Minimal intervention

Personal engagement

What is needed?

Tip

Tip