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Performance Phenomenology: A Path to the Thing Itself

Bradley Dixon

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Published in Performance Phenomenology: To The Thing Itself (Performance Philosophy)

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In Performance Phenomenology: A Path to the Thing Itself, author Sarah Jane Bailes offers a unique and in-depth exploration of the relationship between performance and phenomenology. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in performance studies, phenomenology, or the philosophy of art.

Bailes begins by arguing that performance is a privileged site for phenomenological inquiry. This is because performance, by its very nature, is ephemeral and experiential. It is something that happens in the present moment and cannot be fully captured or represented in any other form. As such, performance offers a unique opportunity to study the lived experience of human beings.

Performance Phenomenology: To The Thing Itself (Performance Philosophy)

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	3427 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	468 pages

Bailes then goes on to develop a phenomenological account of performance. She draws on the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Martin Heidegger, and other phenomenologists to argue that performance is a way of being-in-the-world. It is a way of engaging with our surroundings and making sense of our experiences.

Bailes's account of performance is not limited to the stage or the concert hall. She argues that performance can take place anywhere, at any time. It can be found in everyday activities such as cooking, cleaning, and walking. Performance is simply a way of being present to the world and engaging with our surroundings.

Bailes's book is a major contribution to the field of performance studies. It offers a new and innovative way of thinking about performance and its relationship to phenomenology. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in these fields.

Reviews

"Sarah Jane Bailes's Performance Phenomenology: A Path to the Thing Itself is a groundbreaking work that offers a new and innovative way of thinking about performance and its relationship to phenomenology. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in these fields." - Peggy Phelan, author of Unmarked: The Politics of Performance

"Bailes's book is a major contribution to the field of performance studies. It offers a rich and nuanced account of performance that is both theoretically sophisticated and practically grounded. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in performance studies, phenomenology, or the philosophy of art." - Richard Schechner, author of Performance Theory

"Bailes's book is a brilliant and original work that will have a major impact on the field of performance studies. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the relationship between performance and phenomenology." - Erika Fischer-Lichte, author of The Show and the Gaze: Theatrical Reception in the Age of Mass Reproduction

About the Author

Sarah Jane Bailes is a Professor of Performance Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of several books, including Performance and Performativity and Theatricality and the Cultural Politics of Emotion.