Performativity of the Body and the Body Performed
The book is an attempt at systematizing practical work in the field of performance art and practice-based theoretical research that took place over the last ten years through workshop attendance, performing, discussions and consulting literature. In spite of the fact that performativity is the term used to cover wide range of human activities, the author has focused on the research of body and on embodiment as the basis for participation and creation of reality, with special reference to phenomenological and performative aspects of body-mind relation, interaction between these concepts, as well as to mechanisms of consciousness and the body (e.g. intention, breathing, voice, repetition, rhythm. Heavily relying on the insights from the philosophy of embodiment, the author reflected on different conceptualizations of the body in the East and in the West, and to their integration through somatic work. Researching the body, Bubaš has tried to analyze complex relations between the subject and the environment; a continual flux and intertwining that create the fabric of life. The performativity itself, as it was stated before, has been chosen primarily because of the author’s passionate interest in this field of research, but also as an indicator of broader human activities. The author presumes that the performativity at the same time creates and reflects mechanisms of perception-action and bodymind in continual interaction with the environment. The choice of the topics has remained open to possible additions due to the fact that during the process of research new possibilities of research continued to crop up. However, this book does not deal exclusively with theoretical insights, but has also been motivated by the author’s performing and pedagogical experiences described in the workshop-based case-study presented in the last chapter. The author strongly believes that bridging the gap between theory and practice, as well as between scientific and artistic types of research, is an important direction in research and in gaining knowledge. This work is an attempt at affirming mixed-methodology options based on practice-led theoretical research, where the personal experience itself is treated as a valid theoretical tool.