On the book
Through the Back: Situating Vision between Moving Bodies (Helsinki: Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts, 2014) is a collection of essays by Jeroen Peeters on spectatorship in contemporary dance.
In today’s visual regime, contemporary dance operates as a critical force. It questions univocal representations and dominant cultural ideals of the body. Developing alternative approaches to physical expression, certain choreographers create body images that are vulnerable and permeable to the world. Their critical and experimental approach challenges and expands spectatorship, including the corporeal, technological and cultural elements that support the ways we see, hear, sense and imagine.
Through the Back: Situating Vision between Moving Bodies seeks to articulate this critical potential in a series of essays that explores the work of experimental choreographers active throughout the noughties: Alexander Baervoets, Boris Charmatz, Meg Stuart, Benoît Lachambre, Vera Mantero, Philipp Gehmacher, Jennifer Lacey and Nadia Lauro, and deufert & plischke.
More on the book here.
Book launch Brussels
On May 10, 2014 Sarma and Kaaitheater presented Through the Back: Situating Vision between Moving Bodies at the Kaaistudio’s in Brussels. The dancer Chrysa Parkinson and the performance theoretician Gerald Siegmund presented their reading of the book and engaged in a discussion with its author Jeroen Peeters. Tom Engels introduced and moderated the afternoon.
Excerpts of this conversation are made available on this page as an audio document - the tags box to the right indicates the different sections.
Sandro Botticelli’s contrappasso
Sandro Botticelli, La Divina Commedia: Purgatorio XI, ca. 1490, Kupferstichkabinett Berlin
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00:00:00 00:03:49
Tom Engels introduces Through the Back.
00:03:49 00:09:56
Jeroen Peeters on Sandro Botticelli’s contrappasso.
00:10:05 00:18:27
Chrysa Parkinson’s reading of Through the Back.
00:18:43 00:24:34
Gerald Siegmund’s reading of Through the Back.
00:24:45 00:34:32
Spectatorship and literacy.
00:34:35 00:39:18
Expanding visuality.
00:39:18 00:42:06
Proprioception.
00:42:09 00:50:40
Theatre apparatus and museum.
00:50:40 00:53:18
The last word to Trisha brown.
Book Launch Vienna
On July 22, 2014 ImPulsTanz presented Through the Back at the Schauspielhaus in Vienna. The choreographers and dancers Philipp Gehmacher and Jennifer Lacey, whose work is discussed in the book, ‘talked back’ to the author Jeroen Peeters. Alice Chauchat introduced and moderated the evening.
Excerpts of this conversation are made available on this page as an audio document - the tags box to the right indicates the different sections.
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00:00:00 00:01:27
Welcome and introduction by Alice Chauchat
00:01:27 00:08:48
Jeroen Peeters on Sandro Botticelli’s contrappasso.
00:08:48 00:10:10
Corpus of the book.
00:10:10 00:12:45
Spectatorship and literacy.
00:12:45 00:22:24
Philipp Gehmacher’s reading of Through the Back
00:22:24 00:29:42
Jennifer Lacey’s reading of Through the Back
00:29:42 00:32:41
Uncertainty, appearance and ghosts.
00:32:41 00:35:16
Imaginary bodies and embodiment.
00:35:16 00:38:17
Community, the social and group work.
00:38:17 00:41:11
Recalcitrance and spectatorship.
00:41:11 00:42:52
Recalcitrance and discourses in dance.
00:42:52 00:46:38
Recalcitrance, Merce Cunningham and a sense of history.
00:46:38 00:48:38
Companionship and commitment.
Book launch Bergen
Oktoberdans presented Through the Back on October 20, 2014 at USF in Bergen. The performance theoretician André Eiermann and the choreographer Mette Edvardsen shared their reading of the book and engaged in a conversation with Jeroen Peeters.
Excerpts of this conversation are made available on this page as an audio document - the tags box to the right indicates the different sections. To avoid repetition, Peeters’ introduction of Through the Back via Botticelli and portions of the discussion have been omitted.
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00:00:00 00:10:29
Mette Edvardsen’s reading of Through the Back
00:10:31 00:15:42
André Eiermann’s reading of Through the Back
00:15:42 00:16:24
Subtractive speculation
00:16:24 00:17:19
Medium specificity
00:17:28 00:19:15
Subtractive speculation
00:19:15 00:20:45
Dorsal choreography in a historical perspective
00:20:45 00:23:10
Phantasmal archaeology and tropology
00:23:11 00:24:24
Medium specificity
00:24:24 00:26:23
Expanded choreography
00:26:33 00:31:37
Bojana Cvejić [speaking from the audience] on the conceptual imagination
00:31:40 00:32:31
Writing spectatorship
Book Launch Berlin
HZT and Tanzfabrik presented Through the Back on November 2, 2014 at Open Spaces in Berlin. The philosopher and curator Stefanie Wenner and the choreographer Martin Nachbar shared their reading of the book and entered into dialogue with Jeroen Peeters.
Excerpts of this conversation are made available on this page as an audio document - the tags box to the right indicates the different sections. To avoid repetition, Peeters’ introduction of Through the Back via Botticelli and portions of the discussion have been omitted.
tags berlin
00:00:00 00:08:30
Stefanie Wenner’s reading of Through the Back
00:08:30 00:12:28
Representation, experimental world-making and the historicity of vision.
00:12:29 00:19:01
Martin Nachbar’s reading of Through the Back
00:19:01 00:21:43
Kinaesthesia and phantasmal archaeology
00:21:43 00:27:27
The selection of artists. Development of themes: visuality, language and writing, the self-image, the social, spectatorship.