Through the Prism of the Senses
Mediation and New Realities of the Body in Contemporary Performance. Technology, Cognition and Emergent Research-Creation Methodologies
By (author) Isabelle Choinière, Enrico Pitozzi, Andrea Davidson Afterword by Derrick de Kerckhove Translated by Andrea Davidson
Publication date:
13 January 2020Publisher
Intellect BooksDimensions:
244x170mm7x10"
ISBN-13: 9781789380798
Over the past decades, a fundamental epistemological shift has transformed notions of performativity and representation in the arts under the influence of new technologies. Mediation has challenged both spectators’ and performers’ conventions of corporeality, embodiment, cognition and perception. Centring on contemporary synaesthetic and multimodal works, Through the Prism of the Senses examines new theory and practice in body-based arts and contemporary performance. Three main chapters present three distinct strands of methodological enquiry, one from each author, creating a work that resonates with artistic and philosophical enquiry. This book is a vital contribution to discussions surrounding research creation and the body in relation to digital media, highlighting the ways in which new technologies confront the sensate, somatic body.
A French-language version is to be published by Presses de l'Université du Québec (ISBN 978-2-76055-148-0). This includes additional chapters in English by Erin Manning, David Howes, and Luc Vanier and Elizabeth Johnson. A Spanish-language version is to be published by Centro Editoral Universidad de Caldas.
'For some time now, issues surrounding the body and its relationship to digital technologies have been debated and a myriad of interpretations have been published. Through the Prism of the Senses is a fresh look at the situation and is a welcome addition to the analysis of the body in mediation, and for the potential of advancing new realities in contemporary performance. [...] The book is theoretically rich and varied and would be a useful addition for anyone wishing to gain a wide-ranging overview of many of the key philosophical and theoretical threads within the field, as well as learning about alternative perspectives to the Western canon of thought. [...] This book will benefit art students and humanities scholars with an interest in the contention that work of this nature is dependent on our sensorial encounters with technology. Their conviction that embodied experience and corporeality is the prism through which we can gain a greater understanding of bodies and technologies, is significant. For too long the body and technology have been discussed in opposition – this book seeks to redress this imbalance and sends a strong message to the field.'