theatre/archaeology – the brass era

This is one of a series of comments on the 8th biennial symposium “Connoisseurship and the Collectible Car” held at the Revs Institute for Automotive Research in Naples, Florida in March 2015. [Link] Theatre/Archaeology – the re-articulation of fragments of the past as real-time event A little theatre/archaeology from Michael Shanks on Vimeo. At the…

forty years on – restaging – return – nostos

I have just received the wonderful photo book of Mike Pearson’s new work – The Lesson of Anatomy 1974/2014. On 5 and 6 July 1974, the newly founded Cardiff Laboratory for Theatrical Research (later Cardiff Laboratory Theatre) presented The Lesson of Anatomy: The Life, Obsessions and Fantasies of Antonin Artaud in the Sherman Arena Theater,…

ruins – thoughts on the aesthetic

An exhibition currently at the Tate in London is exploring British images of ruin since the 18th century. Ruin Lust, an exhibition at Tate Britain from 4 March 2014, offers a guide to the mournful, thrilling, comic and perverse uses of ruins in art from the seventeenth century to the present day. The exhibition is…

art/theatre/archaeology

The review of my work with Mike Pearson – theatre/archaeology, and more, is out this week in the collection Art and Archaeology: Collaborations, Conversations, Criticisms edited by Ian Russell and Andy Cochrane for Springer – [Link] It all began twenty and more years ago, when Mike came to my department at University Wales Lampeter and…

Autosuggestion – rough cuts

Mike and I have edited the script of last week’s presentation of Autosuggestion – our new work of Theatre/Archaeology. Autosuggestion – the script There’s still some fact checking to do – mainly on the details of car history (and any suggestions will be very welcome – use the comment form at the end of the…

Pearson|Shanks – Autosuggestion – the event

A wonderful and responsive audience. We plan to have the script available very soon. Just what is the automobile? In this new work of theatre/archaeology — the rearticulation of fragments of the past as real-time event — Mike Pearson and Michael Shanks offer reflections on an itinerary that takes them from rural Lincolnshire in the…