Performance Art and Museum Space Exploring their role as learning tool Zoi Katsamani (s4815440) Thesis supervisor: Prof. dr. Huib Ernste Internship supervisors: Dr. ir. Arnold P.O.S Vermeeren Dr. Licia Calvi MASTER HUMAN GEOGRAPHY URBAN AND CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY To Aggela i Table of Contents Table of Figures iv Preface vi Abstract vii 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Objective and Research questions/ mission 2 1.2 Scientific Relevance 2 1.3 Societal relevance 3 1.4 Overview 4 2. Theoretical Framework 5 2.1 Museums and Performance art 5 2.1.1 Museums 6 2.1.2 Performance art 6 2.1.3 When performance art enters museums 9 2.1.4 Museum Theatre 11 2.1.5 Creative process 14 2.2 Learning- the role of performance art and museums 15 2.2.1 Museums and learning 16 2.2.2. Performance art and learning 17 2.2.3 Adolescents and learning in museums and performance art 18 2.2.4 Artful Thinking 19 2.3 Actor-network Theory 21 2.3.1 Useful concepts for the understanding of Actor-network Theory 21 2.3.2 Why Actor-network Theory? 22 3. Methodology 24 4. Case studies 28 4.1 What the old man said 31 4.1.1 Introduction 31 4.1.2 Theoretical framework 31 4.1.3 Methodology 32 4.1.4 Analysis - Case study 33 4.1.5 Results 39 4.2 Johannes Paul Raether performance 41 4.2.1 Introduction 41 4.2.2 Theoretical framework 42 ii 4.2.3 Methodology 42 4.2.4 Analysis- Case study 42 4.2.5 Results 50 4.3 Piraeus 391 BCE- A day at Xanthippe’s 51 4.3.1 Introduction 51 4.3.2 Theoretical framework 52 4.3.3 Methodology 52 4.3.4 Analysis- Case study 53 4.3.5 Results 61 4.4 Ten Chapters 63 4.4.1 Introduction 63 4.4.2 Theoretical Framework 64 4.4.3 Methodology 64 4.4.4 Analysis- Case study 64 4.4.5 Results 67 4.5 Discussion on the case studies 70 4.5.1 Analysis 70 4.5.2 Analysis tool 72 5. From Research to Practice: Lessons Learned from Theatre Performances at Benaki Museum 78 5.1 Key elements of the two performances 78 5.2 Insights gained from working experience 84 6. Recommendations 87 6.1 The Ghika Gallery 87 6.2 The proposed performance 89 6.3 Reflection 93 7. Conclusions 95 Appendix 112 iii Table of Figures Figure 1. One-on-one performance: “The artist is present” .................................................... 7 Figure 2. Two-on-one performance: “iOrganic’s Symptoms and Suggestions” ...................... 7 Figure 3. Dance-based performance: “d r i v e” ..................................................................... 8 Figure 4. Musical performance: Matilda The Musical ............................................................ 8 Figure 5. Thinking routines .................................................................................................. 20 Figure 6. Illustrating the extreme circumstances ................................................................. 27 Figure 7. Case studies- visual overview .............................................................................. 29 Figure 8. Benaki Museum. .................................................................................................. 33 Figure 9. National Theatre of Greece .................................................................................. 33 Figure 10. The exhibit: oil painting of Theodoros Kolokotronis ............................................ 35 Figure 11. The exhibition and presentation hall ................................................................... 38 Figure 12. The networks created and the main actants ....................................................... 40 Figure 13. Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam ............................................................................ 43 Figure 14. Vrije Universiteit ................................................................................................. 43 Figure 15. Announcement of conference about Judith Butler .............................................. 44 Figure 16. Waiting in the que for the tickets. ....................................................................... 44 Figure 17. Performance’s materiality. .................................................................................. 45 Figure 18. Waiting for the performance to start. ................................................................. 45 Figure 19. The performer and the audience. ....................................................................... 46 Figure 20. A clear view of the performer: Johannes Paul Raether. ..................................... 46 Figure 21. Changing halls and walking in the museum. ....................................................... 48 Figure 22. Little children as part of the performance............................................................ 48 Figure 23. Collecting DNA ................................................................................................... 49 Figure 24. Children playing with the scenery ....................................................................... 50 Figure 25. The basement and the first floor of Xilapothiki .................................................... 56 Figure 26. Audience walking around on the first floor .......................................................... 57 Figure 27. Video in the exhibition ........................................................................................ 57 Figure 28. Sitting with their back to the screen .................................................................... 57 Figure 29. Audience’s roles ................................................................................................. 58 Figure 30. People sitting in a circle close to the archaeological site .................................... 59 Figure 31. Xanthippe offering water to her guests ............................................................... 60 Figure 32. Close to the archaeological site .......................................................................... 60 Figure 33. Students- adolescents and their teacher looking at a painting ............................ 67 Figure 34. Elements’ intensity in the case “What the Old Man said” .................................... 73 Figure 35. Elements’ intensity in the case “Johannes Paul Raether Performance” .............. 73 Figure 36. Elements’ intensity in the case “Piraeus 391 BCE- A day at Xanthippe’s” .......... 74 Figure 37. Elements’ intensity in the case “Ten Chapters” .................................................. 74 Figure 38. Exhibits’ intensity during the four different cases ................................................ 75 Figure 39. Performers’ intensity during the four different cases ........................................... 76 Figure 40. Scientific staff’s intensity during the four different cases ..................................... 76 Figure 41. Audience’s intensity during the four different cases ............................................ 77 Figure 42. Miniature painting in Museum of Islamic Art in Athens........................................ 79 iv Figure 43. The manuscript with the signatures (left) and a picture taken the night that the authors and poets signed the manuscript- exhibit (right) ..................................................... 79 Figure 44. Actors’ and director’s meeting, examining literature and dramatised texts .......... 80 Figure 45. Rehearsal in the presentation hall (Ghika Gallery) ............................................. 81 Figure 46. Rehearsal while visitors are in museum hall (Museum of Islamic Art) ................. 81 Figure 47. The military equipment in the presentation hall of Museum of Islamic Art ........... 82 Figure 48. The transformation of museum space to dressing room ..................................... 83 Figure 49. Graph illustrating exhibit’s, performer’s, scientific staff’s, and audience’s intensity in both performances in Museum of Islamic Art and in Ghika Gallery .................................. 84 Figure 50. The fourth floor- The apartment of Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika ............................ 88 Figure 51. The fifth floor- The drawing room of Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika ......................... 88 Figure 52. The first floor- The art of the word in display cases and artistic artworks on the walls .................................................................................................................................... 89 Figure 53. The second floor- The art of the word in display cases and artistic artworks on the walls .............................................................................................................................. 89 v Preface This master thesis mirrors my wish of combining science and art. My educational background as a topographer and as an actress made me wondering about how space, that is a core issue in topography and geodesy, interacts with performance art. These thoughts led me to museum space and its interaction with performance art. Consequently, my previous studies on the fields of Exact Sciences, and Arts are combined in this research on the field of Humanities. The period of doing this research interweaves with the bereavement of three lovely persons of my life. However, this period is also linked to people who supported me during this travel, and made it more interesting and enjoyable. I am very grateful to my supervisor Huib Ernste for his kindness, and his understanding from the very beginning of this research. I would like to thank him for the constructive meetings, and the interesting discussions we had on my research. I really thank him for all I learnt next to him. He showed me another way of thinking of what I knew about a research