The TIME, SPACE, and GESTURE in a Crossdisciplinary Context

One of the major factors in any performance genre is the use of time.  Artists have a particular temporal perception when working alone or with collaborators within their own medium.  However, the sense of the time as an artistic device might alter significantly, when the art genres are crossdisciplinarily blended and artists from various media work simultaneously on the same material in an experimental setting.  The focus of this presentation is the non-verbal artistic communication that occurs between two performers during art making and how can the actions of one duo partner from a certain artistic discipline influence the decisions of the other one in another discipline, respectively.

I will present a case study of character miniatures for solo piano written by Alexander Scriabin during the middle and late periods of his life and legacy, intertwined with contemporary dance improvisation, and discuss possibilities brought by the In-Betweenness, the layers of the communication that are frequently transient, barely definable, and oftentimes imperceptible, unless paid a special attention to.  Particularly these are the sense of the flow, movement, and structure of the work; the role of the  space, i.e. the physical distance between performers and its relation to the use of the time; the density of the content (i.e. musical material) in a crossdisciplinary context; and the gestural communication between the artists that evolved from being a spontaneous reaction to each other’s temporal decisions into a means of intersubjective contact that to a large extent defined the interpersonal interpretation of the given works.

Each of these miniatures represents a transient character that is very unique and poignant.  With the help of a crossdisciplinary exchange and due to the sharpening of the human senses in such setting, artistic intake can be manifested in ways that create a profound impact for both, the audience as well as for the performers themselves.  Allowing for openness creates an opportunity for the aesthetic of chance; acknowledging this aesthetic and giving it space lets the work thrive and transform itself, due to the freedom the performer has, even in the context of working with a classical solo piece, while in an expanded crossover setting.  This approach leads to limitless possibilities of creating a crossdisciplinary dialogue, namely a true synthesis of the arts, which was the biggest, life-long aspiration of Alexander Scriabin, who nobly envisioned the transformation and regeneration of the entire humanity via blending multiple art forms.

To illustrate my arguments I will present excerpts from my case study documentary “Vers le Mystère” (“Towards the Mystery”), featuring the collaboration between piano and dance, a discussion of the project concept, the development of the intersubjective communication between the artists, the process of creative experimentation itself, and the research outputs of the case study sessions.

Internal Supervisors and External Advisors: Markus Schirmer (KUG), Deniz Peters (KUG), Håkon Austbø (Oslo), Anna Gawboy (Ohio State University).