Scenography in The Age of Distraction : Re-sensitisation to the Present Moment Through the Audible
(2020)
author(s): Fiona Patten
published in: Research Catalogue
This is the Final Research Document written and arranged by Fiona Patten for the studies of MA Scenography at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Utrecht, class of 2020
Anarchiving (in) Ben Patterson's Variations for Double-Bass
(2018)
author(s): Christopher Williams
published in: Journal for Artistic Research
Here I employ techniques of anarchiving to explore the dynamics of notation, improvisatory performance, and analysis in Fluxus artist Ben Patterson's Variations for Double-Bass (1961). Coined by process philosophers Erin Manning and Brian Massumi, the concept of the anarchive refers to "a repertory of traces of collaborative research-creation events. The traces are not inert, but are carriers of potential." Variations' proto-anarchival qualities drive the structure of the exposition, which includes superimposed video documentation from my own performances, as well as brief analytical texts and performance instructions for the reader. I hope that this meta-anarchival process both sheds light on Patterson's work, and shows how documentation and analysis in the spirit of the anarchive can propel experimental (musical) practice forward in unexpected ways.