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- Convenors:
-
Monica Mottin
(Heidelberg University)
Barbara Curda (UCA (université Clermont Auvergne), France, IFP (Institut Français de Pondichéry), India)
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- Format:
- Panel
- Stream:
- Performativity and ritual
- Location:
- G24
- Sessions:
- Thursday 8 June, -, -
Time zone: Europe/Prague
Short Abstract:
In times of crisis, documenting performance-based cultural heritage is crucial to foster individuals and communities´ sense of belonging and resilience. How is heritage performance documentation culturally and socially situated? For whom do we document and how?
Long Abstract:
We are living in unprecedented times of crisis, uncertainty and swift social changes. Performance, be it dance, theatre, music or other live events that cross boundaries often embodies and reflects such changes. In fact, performance is intrinsically inconstant - as Marcia B. Siegel pointed out, "dance exists at the perpetual vanishing point" [and is] "an event that disappears in the very act of materialising" (1968).
Documenting performance-based cultural heritage, despite it being by nature aleatory and impermanent is crucial as it connects communities and places to their history and identity; its erasure impacts on communities´ sense of belonging and resilience. But then, what does it mean to document performance? What does it mean to document heritage performance in an age saturated by social media? For whom do we document and how? Who should document?
Performance documentation as such is an activity related to multiple uncertainties. Documenting performance may differ according to the purpose of documentation, e.g. whether the focus is placed on aesthetics, on body movements, on social relationships. Furthermore, documentation is by necessity a socially and culturally situated act that is dependent on the perception of the person who is documenting. Therefore, documentation is also a creative act. Reconstructing a performance necessarily involves recreation and improvisation that contribute to the re-creation, re-shaping and re-birth of cultural heritage.
We invite papers that engage critically with the challenges of documenting performance-based cultural heritage. We welcome both theoretical and ethnographic studies from any geographical region.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Thursday 8 June, 2023, -Monica Mottin (Heidelberg University)
Paper short abstract:
This paper aims to raise questions about the position and role of researchers and ethnographic research methods in documenting heritage performance, particularly in relation to communities, event organisers and new forms of media and documentation.
Paper long abstract:
The recent pandemic closures have put a lot of pressure on organisers of annual festivals and public rituals. While some managed to continue in reduced forms throughout the lockdowns, what seems to characterise the post pandemic period is a widespread renewed effort to maintain and strengthen the performance of such events. At the same time, the pandemic restrictions ushered in new ways of broadcasting public performances online, thus reaching communities in a different manner. Ethnographic research in Nepal, both in Patan (Kartik Naach) and in Janakpur (Ramlila), showed an increasing interest for filming, live streaming and photographing heritage performances, both from traditional media, e.g. e.g. journalists and photo journalists and social media, e.g. bloggers, youtubers and spectators holding their mobile phones. Such practices may be very useful forms of advertisement attracting new audience to traditional cultural events, but they also seem to affect and alter the way performances take place and the relationship between communities with the performances themselves. Moreover, they challenge the role of researchers in thinking how to position themselves and their research in relation to both other forms of reporting/documenting, and to communities and event organisers´ expectations and concerns. Grounded on previous research on on ICTs and social media in heritage (Kalay et at 2008, Giaccardi 2012, Liang et al 2021), this paper aims to raise both theoretical and practical questions about documenting heritage dance dramas in post pandemic times and suggest multimodal ethnography as a way forward.
Jeffrey Yelverton (University of Minnesota)
Paper short abstract:
This paper will explore the history of Maksym Berezovsky's Symphony in C and the geopolitical issues that arise with dual ownership of the work. It will examine the issues between the warring countries of Ukraine and Russia and how culturally similar nations can be at odds artistically.
Paper long abstract:
This paper will explore the geopolitics behind the writing of music history and the musical appropriation which masquerades as cultural stewardship. My case study, Maksym Berezovsky (1745–1777), is a composer claimed by two competing national identities, Russian and Ukrainian. In 1803, a Ukrainian church official alleged that Berezovsky was underappreciated in Russia and committed suicide, a claim that the Russian Israeli Marina Ritzarev denies. A boost in stature came in 2002 when Berezovsky was discovered to have composed the “first” Russian Symphony. The discovery of the manuscript in the Vatican archives by 23-year-old Steven Fox, Russian music aficionado and founder of the US-based Musica Antiqua St Petersburg. Fox, an American, also conducted the premiere. l address issues with dual ownership of a culturally important product and what happens when one side starts to subjugate or even forcefully assimilate the other.
National identity and the notion of geopolitics share many similarities, most notably the preservation of one nation’s ideas over another. The forceful assimilation of Ukraine is happening in real time. With two culturally similar countries, it is more important than ever to acknowledge their distinct cultural, political, and musical identity if we are to protect the soul of Ukraine. The forming of national identity is complex and messy but also often violent, and Ukraine and Russia have been in conflict or some form of subjection many times in history. The idea of shared musical history can be problematic, but only when one party claims ownership over another.
Sophie Elpers (Meertens Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences)
Paper short abstract:
The paper addresses the significance of smell in intangible cultural heritage and discusses the question how to rethink standard visual-audio-based documentation strategies and draw more attention to olfactory elements when inventorying and documenting intangible cultural heritage.
Paper long abstract:
The paper addresses the significance of smell in intangible cultural heritage (like rituals, festive events, social practices and performing arts, but also crafts) and discusses how and for whom olfactory elements in intangible heritage could and should be documented.
Even though smell constitutes an important component of intangible heritage and people’s identification with the heritage, and serves as catalyst to access emotions and values, it is often overlooked when identifying, inventorying and documenting intangible heritage. How to rethink standard visual-audio-based strategies for documenting heritage and overcome the regime of what is traditionally understood as the ‘stronger senses’ (cf. Henshaw 2014; Davis, Thys-Senocak 2017)? How should olfactory elements in intangible heritage be documented in order to get a more complete understanding of the heritage?
The paper is based on empirical data generated from fieldwork and surveys amongst intangible heritage practitioners in the Netherlands and interviews with heritage policy makers from the Netherlands, Slowenia and France. It also makes use of a pilot study on the development and implementation of France’s law on the protection of rural sensory heritage that came into force in 2021.
Sabine Eggmann (ISEK - Populäre Kulturen)
Paper short abstract:
Wysel Gyr was called the "Pope of Folklore" in Switzerland. From 1961-1995 he produced numerous TV broadcasts presenting ‘traditional’ music and dance performances. The talk will focus on his practices of documenting asking what happened in the transformation from performance to documentation.
Paper long abstract:
Wysel Gyr acted as and was called the "Pope of Folklore" in Switzerland. He worked for Federal Television (DRS) from 1961 on, where he was responsible for folklore, folk music and cultural heritage. Until the 1990s, Gyr produced and presented numerous programme formats in which musical and dance performances were shown. Landscape shots and short historical clips on the development of various Swiss landscapes, villages and crafts complemented and framed the music and dance scenes. Gyr's broadcasts painted a specific picture of Switzerland that enjoyed great popularity.
In the context of the panel, selected broadcasts by Wysel Gyr will be analysed and understood as documentations of specific performances – 'traditional' music, dance, crafts – that were medially recorded for a specific purpose and broadcast throughout Switzerland. Using various documents from the rich archives of Swiss Television (SRF Archiv) and qualitative interviews with former employees of Wysel Gyr, it will be concretely traced, how, why and to which goal Gyr and his team produced specific ‘monuments’ of a traditional Switzerland by documenting ‘traditional’ performances. A practice-theoretical approach – focusing on documenting as practice – accordingly asks how (by whom, from which perspective, through which practices, with which media and technical means, by which motivation and intention, at what time, etc.) the recording of fluid and processual actions turns these documentations into manifestations of a fixed tradition without historical situatedness.
Savannah-Rivka Powell (University of Tartu)
Paper short abstract:
The crisis of colonization by Japan impeded the documentation of traditional music for the Indigenous Ainu. My interviews in 2022 show how singers deconstruct formulas of traditional performances to be used in the re-creation of old and new compositions guided by Ainupuri or ancestral conventions.
Paper long abstract:
For the Indigenous Ainu, traditions have been heavily impacted by pressure to assimilate into Japanese society. The continued crisis caused by colonization has greatly impeded the documentation and practice of traditional music. Ainu music revival has been central to maintaining a sense of belonging and bolstering community resilience. Archival recordings have aided in this effort, however, my interviews with singers have revealed limitations of available materials. When recordings are studied by Ainu performers to be shared, the Ainu subculture being represented is rarely conveyed to audience members. This has the effect of presenting a falsely homogenous image of Ainu communities that are richly diverse in regional variance. For under-represented Ainu identities, this can have a devastating impact on broader efforts for recognition and inclusion.
Interviews I conducted in Hokkaido in 2022 highlighted how Ainu singers are actively engaged in processes of deconstructing formulaic patterns of traditional performances to be applied to the (re)creation of old and new compositional formats. These endeavours are guided by the culturally grounded concept of Ainupuri or desired conduct based on ancestral conventions. As individual interpretations of Ainupuri can be equally diverse as the greater Ainu community, I will propose the highly flexible and personally customizable concept of the Ainupuri Compass as a guiding framework in these endeavours. The case of the Ainu people is particularly relevant to discourses of performance heritage preservation in contemporary society given their remarkable perseverance and their uniquely flexible approach to the maintenance of their musical practices.
Elīna Gailīte (Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia)
Paper short abstract:
The aim of this presentation is to look at the case of Latvian folk dance today, the thoughts of dance practitioners on the process of dance inheritance based on documented dances. Also looking at the impact of the covid pandemic on the documentation of Latvian folk dance.
Paper long abstract:
Descriptions of Latvian folk dances have been preserved in archives since the second half of the 19th century. The oldest dance descriptions are very laconic and it is not always clear how to interpret the dance steps and movements. In the middle of the 20th century, when choreographers went on folklore expeditions the descriptions became more detailed. But when these notes are used practically to learn the dance it becomes clear that the written text alone does not make it possible to understand the dance. Most documentation of Latvian folk dance is text, in some cases a drawing or a photograph is added. There are very little video materials.
In the framework of the project “Urban Experiences: Narratives, Memories and Place Heritage”, which focuses on the cultural heritage in the city, dance group leaders and dancers have been interviewed. The interviews elicited a variety of practitioners’ reflections on the inheritance of dance and the process in which the documented material is crucial. There were also reflections on how to document dance when individual feelings and context is so important and cannot be captured even on video. Similarly, during the covid pandemic dance events and rehearsals took place online which further distorted the view of dance.
The aim of this presentation is to look at the case of Latvian folk dance today, the thoughts of dance practitioners on the process of dance inheritance based on documented dances.
Tóta Árnadóttir (University of Iceland)
Paper short abstract:
Looking at various layers of the performance of “Faroese cultural heritage” this paper asks to what extent recent development can be seen as the result of a perceived cultural crises and how these manifestations may affect the way people engage with traditional performance practices.
Paper long abstract:
As there seems to be a surge in interest in documenting local legends through picturesque sculptures around the Faroe Islands - often accompanied by various performances and re-enacting of the story involved – questions about motifs and meaning behind the efforts are rarely being asked.
Even though there are visible ties to the interest of the tourist industry, the various projects are often presented to the public as means to safeguard local cultural heritage by “keeping the stories alive” and the efforts are generally welcomed by locals. This approach also fits neatly into recent political commitments to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage of the Faroe Islands and in some cases the efforts seem to overlap, for instance when the traditional chain dance is used as part of the official programme celebrating the unveiling of yet another statue with a “traditional motif”.
Recognizing that “Cultural heritage” is persistently in crisis by definition(Harrison, 2013) any documentation of performance based cultural heritage can be seen as a response to a perceived threat. This paper looks at how the entanglement with official representations of “Faroese culture” contributes to stereotypical manifestations of “Faroese culture” and explores possible motifs behind and consequences of the ongoing trend, based on the notion of “heritage as a cultural process”, (Smith, 2006) and bearing in mind the possible redefinition of traditional performances as “representations of themselves”(Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, 1998).
Barbara Curda (UCA (université Clermont Auvergne), France, IFP (Institut Français de Pondichéry), India)
Paper short abstract:
This paper proposes to examine the modalities of staging of Odissi performances in present day Odissa. What is at stake through a set of practices that are conventional, yet embedded in the present day, socio-economical dynamics of the particular locality of the performance and its uncertainties?
Paper long abstract:
This paper proposes to examine specific case examples of the modalities of staging of Odissi dance performances in the early 2020ies in the Indian State Odisha. This dance practice, officially viewed by the Indian government as constituting heritage, is evolving in a context marked by the economic growth of the past two decades, but also, most notably, the galloping urban expansion of the city of Bhubaneswar - the capital of the Indian State Odisha - and a variety of social as well as political characteristics associated with uncertainty, that mark lives of individuals in present day India.
When looking at dance, it is common to place the focus on the performer's body. However, Andrée Grau remarked that to make sense of dance practices, "one needs to look beyond the dancer's body, its immediate space, and its musical accompaniment" (2003 : 173). It is conventional in Odisha to associate certain practices - such as the holding of meetings before performances, the distribution of gifts or certificates - with dance performances. What are these practices? What is at stake through their enactment? What particularities do they present in the early 2020ies? Do the topics that come up through these actions which are publicly presented relate to the aesthetic aspects of performances, or to other aspects? What do they reveal on the place of dance practice in Odisha today? On the social networks Odissi dancers are evolving in? On the economic opportunities and constraints they are facing?
Patricia Ballantyne (University of Aberdeen)
Paper short abstract:
I discuss Cape Breton-based initiatives to document and record percussive step dance as cultural heritage and contrast planned with ad-hoc documenting. How useful might such initiatives be for the local community and to what extent can they trace demographic and cultural changes in the community?
Paper long abstract:
Percussive step dance and its associated ‘celtic’ music plays a vital part in the cultural and social activities of some rural communities in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, and has drawn many tourists to the area. Local consumers of the music and dance are highly knowledgeable and often either play an instrument or dance themselves. Even those that engage in neither activity know both the musical repertoire and each dancer’s style as well as the lineage of the dance steps of each dancer. Locals attend the social dances to participate, observe and to discuss the music and dance.
Since the 1980s, efforts have been made to document the music and dance through ethnographic documentation (Feintuch, Docherty, Melin), musical performance transcriptions (Dunlay and Greenberg), and increasingly, through film and social media. Often the documentation has been made by observers from outside the community although more recently, the initiative has come from within.
In this paper I will discuss Cape Breton-based creative initiatives to document and record percussive step dance as cultural heritage and will consider how useful such initiatives may or may not be for the community. I will specifically consider contrasts between planned and ad-hoc documenting and between ‘outsider’ and ‘insider’ recording. To what extent can such documenting trace demographic and cultural changes in the local community?
Justīne Jaudzema (Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia)
Paper short abstract:
The focus of this presentation will be on ways that folklore groups chose or were forced to develop and document their repertoire during the time of the pandemic focusing on the experiences of participants of groups in the city of Riga, Latvia.
Paper long abstract:
Since the National Awakening period in Latvia in the 1980s the interest in traditional music and singing has been growing and in the 1990s many new folklore groups were established. This process has been continuing till the present day and in 2022 according to the Latvian National Centre for Culture there were more than 220 folklore groups and ethnographic ensembles in Latvia.
Part of these groups have been formed in the capital of Latvia, Riga and are taking part in regular and various performances in the city. The development of a repertoire of folk songs in a traditional view has been connected to the countryside. Groups that are based in the city and are performing traditional song repertoire need to find and define an approach to use focusing on a place outside the city or theme too which connects its repertoire. The performance of folklore groups is an integral part of different celebrations in the city. During the time of the pandemic rehearsals and performances continued but in a different way focusing on performances for a non-existing or digital audience.
The focus of this presentation will be on ways that folklore groups chose or were forced to develop and document their repertoire during the time of the pandemic focusing on the experiences of participants of groups in the city of Riga.