Liminoid and Walls Against the Multitude (on PSi #23, Part 2 of 3)

Considering the abundance of sessions offered in the conference I became aware of the limitations of reporting on the whole conference which was organized by Amelie Deuflhard, Gabriele Klein, Martin Jörg Schäfer and Wolfgang Sting and managed by Marc Wagenbach. So I decided to write about a few thoughts and ideas that came up in conversations and dialogues as well as moments of relaxation shared with other participants. Many of the terms and themes have already been discussed at other PSi-conferences and in Performance Research. This reappearance of themes can be seen as a golden thread which not only helps to get out of a labyrinth built by artists but also helps to catch the clue to a complexly woven pattern.

Liminal and Liminoid

Amongst the many metaphors and concrete forms of flow and overflow ‘liminal’ seems to be a revue of an old one. After Richard Schechner (one of the founders of PSi) one did not hear this reference for quite a while. It was introduced by Arnold van Gennep and redefined by Victor Turner. Thomas Isaacs brought it up again to understand the self-torturous actions of Marina Abramovic in “Lips of Thomas” http://marina-abramovic.blogspot.de/2009/11/thomas-lips-1975.html . Although it was done in 1974 it seems that it has not been fully understood. Why can it be useful or even necessary to perform painful acts? If we follow Turner, we have to ask again, whether there is any reason to transfer rituals and initiations from agricultural to complex contemporary societies? Does it make sense to use this term and to understand pain in terms of a contemporary ritual? Kieran Sellars also asked such questions with regard to the performances of Martin O’Brian, which for him are part of a personal method of struggling against his disease and help him to ease pain.[1] Perhaps we have to revise the idea of transgression today. While in the 1960s and 70s it meant breaking down the limits between art and life as well as between the private and the public, today the setup of limits is being discussed again. It seems that ‘liminal’ defines the use of thresholds – seen as a beam of plank at the entrance of a house – against excess.

New Limits? (degression)

The etymology of liminal is connected to the motto ‘overflow’, considering, that thresholds, the literary meaning of which can be defined as a board holding the abundance of a rich crop like cereal. Here liminal means banning or protecting the overflow and being able to share a crop over a period of time. This seems to be the direction in which the impetus of performance art has been changing over the decades at least in the Americas, Europe and Japan. Beginning as a revolutionary act in art, politics and life, which intended to tear away any limitation set by traditions, rules or conventions. This tendency was partly reversed by accademisation, when new museums were built in the 1970s and universities expanded faculties in the 1980s. Parallel to that the private TV-channels expanded by streaming 24 hours adds and news accompanied by permanent stock-market-tickers and there was the fall of the iron curtain. Things speeded up and the internet provided digital communication to almost everybody. This led to the desire to set up new limits or strengthen the old ones by moral and religious taboos. Actually even in countries with free access to internet like in Germany limitations of free speech as sanctions on hate-speech are being discussed.

This emphasizes the taming of uncontrolled powers of violence, of overwhelming feelings as well as pain. Could it also mean to a society that it looks for ways to control aggressive youngsters, powerful intellectuals and physical fighters instead of unleashing them? There is an obligation to protect the weak and if we look at the changing of the liminal in Performance Art it finally could mean the compliance of the arts by reconciling struggle, taming violence, preventing fighting and overcoming pain in a classical way. Already now sports, arts and cultural policy provide multiple space and time in media, arenas, theatres, cinemas etc. to compensate for phenomena of the liminoid. The numbers of artists who are pushing the limits are few. They are still acting in countries, where the limits for making money are wide and for artistic expression are tight. A good example is Pjotr Pawlenski in Russia. Actually numerous biennals, documenta and art fairs have been established on the base of what was achieved by the widening of limits and providing open spaces. Now we see a tendency that these multiple spaces are excessively filled with artefacts and material. It seems that the challenge of contemporary artists consists in stuffing up places for exhibitions and gathering matter and things in panic-like efforts

The Permanence of a Construction-Site as Happening

The new project of Rimini Protokoll “Staat 1-4” approaches such implications of overflow which are provided by big construction sites. As Immanuel Schipper presented, there is a trend which can be publicly observed: The generation of problems that are raising costs and cause constant delays, which enable the prolongation of construction sites deploying more and more opportunities to earn money for companies and lawyers. “Gesellschaftsmodell Großbaustelle (Staat 2)” is inspired by the logic and the logistics of a mega-construction site forming a role model for a society. The virtual set reminds me of the compartmented structure of a Happening like for example „18 Happenings in 6 Parts”. Instead of using the theatrical frame the project provides guided tours for 5 groups of visitors taking place at the same time in the same space at different parts of the site. http://www.rimini-protokoll.de/website/de/project/gesellschaftsmodell-grossbaustelle-staat-2
At the same time the “real” reality and real estate like the construction sites at the Berlin Airport (BER), will probably never be finished. Examining this from an artistic point of view this kind of reality appears like a permanent Happening, which is not dropped from the program for years like a successful musical. Is the latest and unexpected version of blurring the boundaries between art and life.

Independent Film in Hamburg

A surprisingly detailed paper was presented by Megan Hoetger from L.A. who researched “underground” film making in Hamburg in 1969 + 1973. She came close to the iconoclastic qualities of that independent experiment, which existed for a very short period of time. The film-maker-cooperative at Hamburg’s Brüderstraße was radically staying away from film- and TV-productions. Its members were also resisting paths which were chosen in local film-festivals in Germany and abroad.

[1] “Martin’s work considers existence with a severe chronic illness within our contemporary situation. Martin suffers from cystic fibrosis and his practice uses physical endurance, hardship and pain based practices to challenge common representations of illness and examine what it means to be born with a life threatening disease. His work is an act of resistance to illness, an attempt at claiming agency and a celebration of his body. Martin loves his body and his work is a form of sufferance in order to survive.” http://www.martinobrienperformance.com/about.html

 

Culturally Transformed Industrial Location for PSi #23 (part 1 of 3)

A Conference titled OVERFLOW from June 8 to 11, 2017 at Kampnagel in Hamburg

Impressions and Observations (Part 1)

The Kampnagelfabrik, which is the venue for dance-, music- and theatrical performances, was a factory that produced cranes for the port until the 1970s. After it was closed artists squatted the building and evolved various cultural activities there. This all happened when ports were transformed worldwide by the innovation of containers, which required a complete revision of the logistic scheme. When housing the annual conference of Performance Studies international, one can also realize the effects of economic change on education in the actual phase of globalization, when knowledge becomes a part of profit oriented circulation of goods and services too. However the good thing that cultural knowledge also has faces bodies and minds, which can be met and experienced during conferences and festivals like OVERFLOW from June 8 to 11 in Hamburg. Probably there are hardly other fields than those of the arts, dance, theatre, music, ritual and play as well as public performances in which cultural experience and expertise are represented and kept over the centuries.

The Foyer of Kampnagel during the Conference,
photographed by johnicon

PSi is a unique organization in which ideally practitioners of various fields of the performing arts meet academics of the theatre-faculties from the leading universities of the world. That fuels conflicts with institutions, which undergo restrictions, imposed by the neo-liberal management of universities. These were discussed right away on a Friday panel, which took place next to another one, where information on activism and performances in the overflowing City of Hong Kong was given. There students, intellectuals and artists fight for freedom which they have to defend against the requirements of capital and the circulation of commodities.

An opportunity to participate in a rich field of experiences in practice and research

The title of this conference is a metaphor describing the situation of the rich countries that profit from the exploitation of labor, agricultural and natural resources of the world, but you can also read it in a different way as the gifts, which are provided by the possibilities one has, when growing up on the sunny side of the word. Overflow can also be given to somebody for example through his or her intellectual and physical qualities, which enable a person to lead a full and happy life or resist stress and unrest.

Overflow in terms of affluence as well as spill can also be poisonous and destructive. Power and wrong decisions can destroy people’s lives, nature and social stability. Streams of money are used to exploit the resources thus helping to establish a corrupt ruling-class like in Kongo and Nigeria. On the other hand overflow is created by culture in Europe these days, when the documenta 14 at Kassel and Athens. Also the Skulpturen-Projekte Münster are opened simultaneously and in addition to the Venice Biennale and the Theater der Welt in Hamburg. Those who have the resources and permits to travel can visit the presentation of works of a chosen number of creative people from all over the world. This is also true for the program of PSi #23. Every day the participants of the conference can browse through 70 titles of presentations of papers, lectures, performances, panel-discussions or workshops, and have to decide, which one to attend. Disciplined enough you sit in one out of 10 contributions of ideas, knowledge and research, ranging from artistic to cultural, political and economic topics, from personal to conceptual as well as to life acts and performances representing in itself the flow if not an overflow of human struggle with reality and the results of cultural procession of it. For those who feel that the earth is too small Maaike Bleeker and Felipe Cervera offered a 4 hour lasting session hosting a series of lecturers, who explored the possibilities of space such as Planetary Performance Theory, theatrical events on the popularization of research in astronomy (Kurt Vanhoutte), Soviet Sci-Fi-Movies (Natalija Maysova), Performances of the Leap Second (Sara Morawetz), Kinetic Theatre during a Parabolic Flight (Janez Janša), a hypnotic flight to the moon (Nahum) and more.

But what means theatre today and what conditions do we find down on the earth especially in countries endangered by restrictions of the free speech and movement like in Turkey, Hongkong, Poland, not to speak about the dangers by losing once job or terror and crime. As it has been possible for me to visit only a small segment of the affluence of thoughts, ideas, results of research and elaborated papers I have to beg the pardon of all those, who came to Kampnagel to speak and present their papers and PowerPoints and are not mentioned here.

Kampnagel Campus, photographed by johnicon

However I will try to convey my observations as an essay on what I have listening to and experienced personally in encountering participants of the conference. So please take the excerpts that have been chosen as a possible whole. It is a subjective collection of a choice I made according to personal preferences as well as by coincidence. What I personally have experienced as a gift is a growing trust in each other to share knowledge, experience and expertise in the field, that has grown over decades and has its points of contact in many countries on 4 continents – and we still missing Africa, although the continent is present in many contributions reflecting the implications of the refugee-crises and post-colonial politics!

Hamburg is lucky to have hosted this conference at such an impressive place. The link to art history however is missing. It was represented by Aby Warburg, who included contemporary pagan rituals and festivals into the focus of his research of images to understand Renaissance. The Kunstwissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg was founded in 1925, a few 100 meters away from the venue of the conference. It was saved from loss in London exile in 1933 and was re-institutionalized as a copy and research-institution after 1993 in the renovated Warburg-building in Hamburg. Unfortunately this promising link to Performance Studies was cut by those who are responsible for the division of the faculties at the University.

More records are prepared to follow soon!

Ein neuer Wettstreit der Künste

Der Kunstverein Hamburg organisiert zusammen mit dem Deutschen SchauSpielHaus „Jed Martin. Die Karte ist interessanter als das Gebiet“ nach dem Roman „Karte und Gebiet“ von Michel Houellebecq. Dieses Double Feature aus Ausstellung und Theaterstück wurde von Bettina Steinbrügge, Anita Schmid und Christoph Luser kuratiert. Verbunden werden beide Teile als Eröffnungsfeierlichkeit der Ausstellung mit einem kleinen Spaziergang vom Theater in der Kirchenallee zum Kunstverein am Klosterwall, wobei am 21. April schon ein Teil der Zuschauer, die den Weg in die Kunsthalle einschlugen, verloren ging. Ein interessanter Umstand, weil sich daraus ablesen lässt, dass Theaterbesucher um Kunst zu sehen reflexartig die Kunsthalle und nicht den Kunstverein ansteuern. Vielleicht kann die Besonderheit des Projekts das verändern, indem die Ausstellungseröffnung als „Theatrale Feierlichkeit“ während der bis zum 18. Juni laufenden Ausstellung ritualisiert wiederholt wird. So finden am 16. und am 21. Mai jeweils um 19h im Schauspielhaus und um 20:30h im Kunstverein die dritte und vierte Aufführung der Eröffnung der Ausstellung statt. Das ist ein gewaltiges Rufzeichen, und außerdem zieht eine Eröffnung ja immer mehr Zuschauer an als eine laufende Ausstellung. Es wird sich zeigen, ob diese Überlegung aufgeht; denn man muss ja mit der Frage einhaken: Ist Theater schon Ritual oder ist eine Ausstellungseröffnung ein Theater?

Nach einem Stück, das Versatzstücke aus dem genannten Roman und anderen Quellen als Dialog, Monolog, Statement etc. verlautbarte, um eine Idee zu vermitteln, was in einem Künstler vorgehen könnte oder auch nicht, entstand Leere und auch Ratlosigkeit; denn mit der Erforschung dieser Fragen haben sich schon viele WissenschaftlerInnen beschäftigt. Ist aber der Zauber aufzulösen, der von der Kunst ausgeht? Er verlangt doch vielmehr nach Wiederholung.  Die Ausweitung einer Ausstellungseröffnung zu einer „Theatralen Feierlichkeit“ orientiert die Besucher schließlich auch in Richtung auf ein ‚wir wollen mehr!‘ und bietet einen Vorgeschmack auf die diesjährigen Großereignisse, die an so vielen Orten aufwendig in Szene gesetzt und gefeiert werden. Dazu zählen das Theater der Welt in Hamburg, die documenta14 in Kassel und Athen, die Biennale in Venedig und Skulpturenprojekte in Münster, um nur einige zu nennen. Viele Ankündigungen, Erinnerungen und Hinweise auf Begleitprogramme und Publikationen, Interviews mit Preis- und Würdenträgern, Verlautbarungen und Life-Streams werden also wieder Postfächer füllen und schon ohne einen tatsächlichen Ausstellungsbesuch viel Zeit verbrauchen.

Wer ist Jed Martin?

Der Kunstverein möchte mit diesem Stück und einer Ausstellung mit Werken von 10 KünstlerInnen, die wahlweise Jed Martin zugeordnet werden oder unter ihren wirklichen Namen gesehen und interpretiert werden können, Zuschreibungen und Originalität von Werken in Frage stellen. Nur die Kunstakademien weigern sich noch, Künstler als multiple Persönlichkeiten auszubilden, denn dauernde Brüche und Schwenks einer Person würden dem Kunstmarkt schwer zu vermitteln sein. Deshalb lernen KunststudentInnen zuerst einmal, sich als unverwechselbare Produkte zu vermarkten. Dagegen kann ein Schriftsteller wie Houellebecq relativ ungefährdet eine Person erschaffen, die das ignoriert und trotzdem erfolgreich ist. Daher werden Kunstfreundinnen und -freunde Jed Martin im wirklichen Leben nie treffen. Dafür aber können sich LeserInnen des Romans für ein paar Euro daran erfreuen, herrauszufinden, wie künstlerischer Fanatismus und die Selbstgefälligkeit wachsen, wie Tragik entsteht, denen verzweifelte Künstler, zynische Stars und ihr bisweilen selbstbezogenes Publikum immer wieder nachrennen.

Wer bringt die meisten Menschen auf die Beine?

Was aber gibt dem Kunstbetrieb gegenüber der individuellen Lektüre eines Buchs seinen Vorzug? Jedenfalls lockt er die Menschen aus ihren Wohnungen in die Giardini, die Museen und die Hallen der Biennalen und auf viele andere Weltkunstversammlungsplätze der Welt. Die kleine Tour zwischen Theater und Kunstausstellung, die in Hamburg anlässlich der „Theatralen Feierlichkeiten“ den Besucher abverlangt wird, kann als ein Symbol dieser Reisebereitschaft der Kunst-Affectionados gesehen werden. Die Sehnsucht nach Geselligkeit und der Wunsch, das Fernweh zu stillen, werden von den Kunstevents herausgefordert, während Leser und Leserinnen für sich bleiben können, solange sie nicht auf Dichterlesungen Widmungen und Autogramme sammeln. Aber ist es nicht auch so, dass Kunst- und Theaterbetrieb heute die Dichte und die Intensität eines gelungenen Buches, wie dem von Houellebecq, schwerlich erreichen, und man sich als Leser fragt, warum man sich überhaupt auf die Socken gemacht hat, um eine Theaterkarte zu erwerben und sich überdies in die zu einer Ausstellungseröffnung zusammengekommene Menschenmenge zu quetschen. Beim Kauf der Eintrittskarte kam es mir schon in den Sinn, dass eventuell diese Karte, die mir sogar erlaubte, den Bus zur Fahrt ins Theater und zurück zu nehmen, interessanter sein könnte, als das Gebiet, auf dem doch wieder nur ein weiteres Theaterstück aufgeführt werden und eine Ausstellung zu sehen sein würde. Beide Veranstaltungen erreichen nicht einmal im Entferntesten die immersiven Qualitäten der Stücke von SIGNA. Das Beste am Format der „Theatralen Feierlichkeit“ ist also wahrscheinlich der Umstand, dass mit Jed Martin ein Feld eröffnet wurde, das es erlaubt, den Wettstreit zwischen den Künsten neu zu überdenken.

Jochen Schmith, wahlweise Jed Martin: Picnic Blancet 2017, je 240x170cm, geschredderte Geldscheine, Textilfarbe, Baumwolle, Ausstellungsansicht, courtesy Kunstverein in Hamburg, Copyright photo: Fred Dott

Kunstwerke einmal lüften

Vielleicht wäre es nicht schlecht, man würde die 240 x 170 Zentimeter großen Picknickdecken des Künstlerkollektivs Jochen Schmith wirklich einmal in einem Park ausbreiten und auf dem sauerkrautartig auf Hosentaschenstoff fixierten Schredder von Banknoten feiern. Dann wären die Flächen nicht nur nach dem Muster von Parkanlagen kartografiert, sondern bekämen obendrauf eine Imprägnierung durch die Feiernden und von Untendrunter würde ihnen der Rasen als Muster aufgeprägt. Das Leben würde sozusagen das Kunstwerk patinieren wie die Hände einst die zirkulierenden Geldscheine!

Ausstellung im Kunstverein in Hamburg, Klosterwall 23, Hamburg
geöffnet: Di.-So. 12-18h, bis 18. Juni