Performance Studies
The notion of performance is present in many diverse fields today, from economics to engineering and information technologies, to social media, sports and culture. We may indeed live in the ‘age of performance’ where the value of human and nonhuman action is largely determined by how successfully and effectively someone or something performs. Performance is entangled with processes of doing, valuing, sensing, situating and modifying, in today’s complex experience- and attention economy. In times of increased obsession with the performance of one’s own self, studying the mechanisms of performance-making and -seeing can help you develop knowledge, criticality and imagination of yourselves as acting agents in the world.
At UCU, performance is explored as a practice that can help you not only make sense of the world, but also think of how we can implement change. It is specifically proposed as a lens for analyzing and experiencing movement, language, image and sound, which enables you to develop a critical and perceptive attitude towards the ‘making of’ performance in and outside of theatre. The courses will provide you the tools for understanding both the forms, techniques and strategies of artistic performance, and how this knowledge can help you intervene in the diverse settings of meaning- and experience-making today. While acquiring experience in performance making, performing and spectating, you will be introduced to an international contemporary performance landscape and visit a range of artistic events.