SENSE OF SPACE – SPACE OF SENSE

An artistic research of the artistic potential of space during a live musical performance

Stijn Brinkman

Violinist, musician, performer

3 January 2022, The Hague

The question ‘What is art?’ has been an unsolvable mystery to many. In search for unique defining qualities, art philosophers, aestheticists, artists and audience have tried to explain what makes something art. Martin Heidegger went as far as to state that these questions can only be asked if the original truth of an art piece is explored – but that truth can’t be described in scientific terms, it is only existing in the existence of the art piece.[1] Any attempt to define art by describing unique qualities can easily get too exclusive, as Georg Bertham warns us: ‘it threatens to make the distinctiveness of art into the decisive feature of how we conceive of it’.[2]

In fact, the key to these questions is the space around the art form and the artist themselves.[3] Most art forms need a space, a setting, an atmosphere that makes someone perceive an object or practice as ‘art’. Daily objects, colors, textures, movements, and sounds can get a different meaning when placed in a conscious setting – the artist can help someone else to receive, experience and reflect on these new inputs.

But what if that setting, the space around the usual art form, becomes the focus of the art itself? There are many art forms that make a conscious use of space: think of dance, visual arts, body performance, theatre, opera and so on. However, the art of ‘music’ itself is mostly conceived as an auditive experience, whereby the space only provides an acoustic or spherical setting in purpose of the hearing. Performing musicians do create another sense of space though, by positioning themselves at a certain spot in space, by moving their bodies (sometimes in the smallest way), by transforming themselves in objects to be watched. In fact, even though artforms such as opera and ballet use decors to shape the outlook of a performance in a more active way to influence the perception of the audience listener, they mostly create their own ‘space’ on stage, while often not incorporating the whole space of the concert venue itself. As audience however, you are still within that larger space, which still influences you. 

Just a few art forms (like art installations in modern art museums) have seen examples of artists putting their focus on the space itself, rather than on the object or idea that they present within that space. However, that raises some questions for live musical performances. First, where does it leave the performer in live musical performances where the focus of the art experience should be on the space around? What role have both the audience and the live musical performer in a performance that is focused on the space around? And what is the role of the live performed music (and can that be existing pieces, or only a new work or improvisation)? How can the live musical performer engage the audience to explore the space? This research is intended to explore all these questions, to investigate how a musical performance with live performer can create a sense of space for the audience.

Short bibliography:

• Bertram, G. W., Art as Human Practice. An Aesthetics (Berlin 2014).
• Fischer-Lichte, E., The Transformative Power of Performance. A new Aesthetics (Abingdon 2008).
• Heidegger, M., De Oorsprong van het Kunstwerk (Frankfurt am Main 1950; 4^th edition Amsterdam 2018).
• Lehmann, H.-T., Postdramatic Theatre (Abingdon 2006).
• Schechner, R., Brady, S. (ed.), Performance Studies. An Introduction (Abingdon, 2002; 3^rd edition Abingdon, 2013).
• Wilkie, F., ‘Out of Place. The Negotiation of Space in Site-Specific Performance’, Doctoral Thesis of Philosophy (Surrey, 2004).