Monochrome
(2025)
author(s): Julija Matic
published in: Research Catalogue
Occupying a space whilst being one ourselves.
The materiality of the body coming in a state of symbiosis with the places it chooses to position itself and the objects it chooses to surround itself with.
Deconstruct and reconstruct. Remove parts of yourself, shed skin, cut your hair, change your weight, add others, change.
The transfiguration of one’s materic flesh, in the progressive becoming one with the environment that surrounds it.
The research begins from the consideration of the body taken as material, as a space, a meeting point between exteriority and interiority. The body that shares its own materiality with the places it finds itself in; they influence eachother.
The poetics of enlivening. Searching for the music drama "Borderlands"
(2020)
author(s): Kerstin Perski
published in: Stockholm University of the Arts (SKH)
From the librettist’s perspective, the traditional working methods which tend to dominate in the creation of new music drama, often result in a situation where the initial intentions are lost along the way. How can we get away from a rigid methodology, where the different professionals involved in the creation of new music drama have to succumb to a procedure which can be likened to a whispering game? A procedure, where the dramatic content, rather than undergoing an emotional enrichment in its transformation into music, often loses the crucial connections to the initial intentions.
This doctoral project aims to reach beyond the whispering game by seeking alternative working methods in the creation of a new music drama with the working title "Borderlands", circling around the subject matter of flight and borders - inner as well as outer. The research identified cross–border methods which, borrowing from the terminology of Martin Buber, can be seen as an attempt to counteract the “I–It” relationship that often results from the genre’s focus on virtuosity. The results might inspire further attempts to find alternative working methods which could ultimately create a stronger “I–Thou” relationship between the performance and the audience.
Entwine – finding music within a poem.
(2018)
author(s): Natasza Kurek
published in: KC Research Portal
Entwine – finding music within a poem.
Exploring musical interpretations of Japanese Tanka by Yosano Akiko
What can be the contemporary musical expressions of tanka poetry from a standpoint of an improvising jazz vocalist?
What are the elements that constitute tanka’s character and can they trigger a vocal inspiration?
What could be the place of Japanese poetry within other artistic disciplines?
In my research I have explored Japanese aesthetic sensibilities and have tried to find their translations into my own musical experimentation.
After initial study of the relevant literature and listening to the existing works of both classical Japanese music and Western contemporary compositions influenced by the Japanese arts, I have proceeded with my own vocal- instrumental Sketches in which I have experimented with improvised and written music. My source material was tanka of an early 20th century poet Yosano Akiko.
The improvisations and compositional sketches are based on some specifically chosen elements: the imagery and meaning of the tanka poem, layered Ukiyo-e printing technique, sound associations derived from the paintings, Japanese language sonority, Japanese scales and harmony used in the traditional gagaku ensemble and other inspirations.
The final research document contains audio examples of the recordings that led to the final audio-visual presentation and an extensive paper documenting the process of discovery.
コスプレ ko su pu re — Ti dedico corpo e animæ
(last edited: 2025)
author(s): Gloria Furlan
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
This research explores the phenomenon of Cosplay as experienced by Cosplayers themselves through a subjective lens.
A project that stems from specific personal attitudes and inclinations to the practice of Cosplay — コスプレ kosupure — in relation to japanese entertainment media. The focus of the analysis resides in individuals influenced to the point of bordering on obsession, surrounded by characters from works of Japanese animation, illustration and graphics — Anime, Manga and RPG — culminating in the practice of donating one’s body through the practice of interpretation, assimilation and appropriation.
Consistencies and idiosyncrasies between assumptions and experience are addressed starting from Japanese imagery, cultivated by years of tactile and vivid experience of this practice as carried out in Italy.
The impact and perceived impact of the journey facilitated a firsthand, lived experience through my month-long stay in Toshima, one of Tokyo’s twenty three special districts. The reiteration of this practice in the country accredited for the birth and export of Cosplay, put to test the skills and preconceptions developed over years of experience and virtual exploration. Analyzed the ideological presuppositions set forth by Luca Vanzella in Cosplay culture: fenomenologia dei costume players italiani, found within my personal experience in Italy, the same were used as a key to reading and interpreting the experience in Japan, analyzing points of contact and divergence. Through this paper I wish to document the vivid aspects of a research at a still embryonic state, without rushing to judgment.
A vision that is not intended to be faithful to reality as a focused image, but rather as the perception of light imprinted in the first impact with the retina. It represents, in its essence, an investigation that reports testimonies and subjective experiences, exploring with individuals the value placed on their choice of character, the reasons for choosing to lend one’s body to such practice. The unambiguous presence of the self, versus, the assumptions of loss of identity and desire for escape in the link between Cosplayer, performance act and self-perception. Analyzing the relational dynamics between Cosplayers and those shared personas, with a focus on the figure of the otaku and the way it relates to this practice.
This printed object consists of 2 main parts; the first visual and graphic and the second textual and theoretical. Bound together by the “japanese stab binding” technique, that has been appropriated in correlation to the practice of Cosplay. Becoming not only a physical link, but also a key conceptual and graphic element. Giving body and matter to the characters that make up the term Cosplay.
Occupying a space whilst being one ourselves. The materiality of the body coming in a state of symbiosis with the places it chooses to position itself and the objects it chooses to surround itself with. Deconstruct and reconstruct. Remove parts of yourself, shed skin, cut your hair, change your weight, add others, change. The transfiguration of one’s materic flesh, in the progressive becoming one with the environment that surrounds it. The research begins from the consideration of the body taken as material, as a space, a meeting point between exteriority and interiority. The body that shares its own materiality with the places it finds itself in; they influence eachother.open exposition comments (0)