Finding Myself, Lost. / Mccutcheon, Rebecca.
2016. Paper presented at Audience, Experience, Desire Conference, Exeter, United Kingdom.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper
Finding Myself, Lost. / Mccutcheon, Rebecca.
2016. Paper presented at Audience, Experience, Desire Conference, Exeter, United Kingdom.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper
}
TY - CONF
T1 - Finding Myself, Lost
AU - Mccutcheon, Rebecca
PY - 2016/1/29
Y1 - 2016/1/29
N2 - The experience of disorientation, and of ‘out of place’-ness is frequently a component of participation in both site-specific and immersive theatre performances. It is often cited as a central part of the thrill or pleasure of participation. Encountering unexpected, or even dysfunctional place-behaviours, participants are caught in situations in which the day-to-day rules of life are suspended. Engagement with these performances are highly memorable, and when articulated by audiences, reflections tend to focus on the intensity of affective, non-verbal encounters. Drawing on my practice-based research exploring notions of place-identity drawn from environmental psychology, I propose that through encountering what has been termed ‘dysfunctional place’, (Proshansky et al, Genereaux et al) the sense of place-identity for the participant is challenged, a moment which offers the possibility of a subtle shift in self-identity. If this is the case, the effusive response of audiences is not ‘merely’ hedonism, but a response to a significant, possibly even transformative encounter. For makers, this moment of lostness contains great potential – for affirmative, progressive engagement, and of immense cultural value.
AB - The experience of disorientation, and of ‘out of place’-ness is frequently a component of participation in both site-specific and immersive theatre performances. It is often cited as a central part of the thrill or pleasure of participation. Encountering unexpected, or even dysfunctional place-behaviours, participants are caught in situations in which the day-to-day rules of life are suspended. Engagement with these performances are highly memorable, and when articulated by audiences, reflections tend to focus on the intensity of affective, non-verbal encounters. Drawing on my practice-based research exploring notions of place-identity drawn from environmental psychology, I propose that through encountering what has been termed ‘dysfunctional place’, (Proshansky et al, Genereaux et al) the sense of place-identity for the participant is challenged, a moment which offers the possibility of a subtle shift in self-identity. If this is the case, the effusive response of audiences is not ‘merely’ hedonism, but a response to a significant, possibly even transformative encounter. For makers, this moment of lostness contains great potential – for affirmative, progressive engagement, and of immense cultural value.
M3 - Paper
T2 - Audience, Experience, Desire Conference
Y2 - 29 January 2016 through 30 January 2016
ER -