27.04.

2017 Synchronous Objects Media Site

ChoreographicObjects,
MEDIAHOME
MEDIARELEASES EssaybyWilliamForsythe
SynchronousObjects
MediaRelease "Anobjectisnotsopossessedbyitsownnamethatonecouldnotfindanotherorbettertherefore."
ReneMagritte
WilliamForsytheTransfigurations
MediaRelease Choreographyisacuriousanddeceptiveterm.Theworditself,liketheprocessesitdescribes,iselusive,agile,

WilliamForsytheSymposium: andmaddeninglyunmanageable.Toreducechoreographytoasingledefinitionisnottounderstandthemost
ChoreographicObjects crucialofitsmechanisms:toresistandreformpreviousconceptionsofitsdefinition.

WilliamForsytheBiography
Thereisnochoreography,atleastnotastobeunderstoodasaparticularinstancerepresentingauniversalor
CreativeDirectorsBiographies standardfortheterm.Eachepoch,eachinstanceofchoreography,isideallyatoddswithitspreviousdefining

QUOTESANDESSAY incarnationsasitstrivestotestifytotheplasticityandwealthofourabilitytoreconceiveanddetachourselves
QuotesfromtheProjectTeam frompositionsofcertainty.

ChoreographicObjects, Choreographyisthetermthatpresidesoveraclassofideas:anideaisperhapsinthiscaseathoughtor
EssaybyWilliam suggestionastoapossiblecourseofaction.Toprohibitorconstrainthesubstitutionormobilizationoftermswithin
Forsythe thisdomainiscounterintuitive.Theintroductionandexaminationoftheeffectofterminologicalsubstitutionsthat

CREDITSAND revealpreviouslyinvisiblefacetsofthepracticeiskeytothedevelopmentofproceduralstrategies.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Credits Choreographyelicitsactionuponaction:anenvironmentofgrammaticalrulegovernedbyexception,the
contradictionofabsoluteproofvisiblyinagreementwiththedemonstrationofitsownfailure.Choreography's
Acknowledgments
manifoldincarnationsareaperfectecologyofidealogicstheydonotinsistonasinglepathtoformofthought
IMAGESFORMEDIA andpersistinthehopeofbeingwithoutenduring.
ProjectTeamPhotoGallery
Choreographyanddancingaretwodistinctandverydifferentpractices.
ProjectPhotoGallery

VIDEO Inthecasethatchoreographyanddancecoincide,choreographyoftenservesasachannelforthedesireto
dance.Onecouldeasilyassumethatthesubstanceofchoreographicthoughtresidedexclusivelyinthebody.But
isitpossibleforchoreographytogenerateautonomousexpressionsofitsprinciples,achoreographicobject,
withoutthebody?

Theforceofthisquestionarisesfromtherealexperienceofthepositionofphysicalpractices,specificallydance,in
westernculture.Denigratedbycenturiesofideologicalassault,thebodyinmotion,theobviousmiracleof
existence,isstillsubtlyrelegatedtothedomainofrawsense:precognitive,illiterate.Fortunately,choreographic
thinkingbeingwhatitis,provesusefulinmobilizinglanguagetodismantletheconstraintsofthisdegradedstation
byimaginingotherphysicalmodelsofthoughtthatcircumventthismisconception.Whatelse,besidesthebody,
couldphysicalthinkinglooklike?

WhentheblindmathematicianBernardMorinwasaskedwheretheimagingoftheprocessofevertingasphere
existedinhisimagination,hefamouslyreplied:"Nowhereandeverywhereatthesametime."Andsoitiswiththe
choreographicobject:itisamodelofpotentialtransitionfromonestatetoanotherinanyspaceimaginable.An
exampleofasimilartransitionalreadyexistsinanothertimebasedartpractice:themusicalscore.Ascore
representsthepotentialofperceptualphenomenatoinstigateaction,theresultofwhichcanbeperceivedbya
senseofadifferentorder:atransitionviathebodyfromthevisualtotheaural.Achoreographicobject,orscore,is
bynatureopentoafullpaletteofphenomenologicalinstigationsbecauseitacknowledgesthebodyaswholly
designedtopersistentlyreadeverysignalfromitsenvironment.

ImakethiscommentinrelationshiptoMorintointroducethemanifoldpossibilityofourpractice.Morinsawan
eventinthespaceofhismindthathethentranslatedwithhapticskillintosculpturesandsubsequentlyintothe
universalyetsomewhathermeticlanguageofmathematics.Hisquitesubstantialbody,putintoactionbytheforce
ofhisidealeftaverydiscernabletraceofthisideaintherealworldfromnowheretosomewhere,noteverywhere,
andnolongerexclusivelywithinhisbody.

Butwhatifwe,foramoment,lookatthesituationofthechoreographicact.Historicallychoreographyhasbeen
indivisiblefromthehumanbodyinaction.Thechoreographicideatraditionallymaterializesinachainofbodily
actionwiththemomentsofitsperformancebeingthefirst,lastandonlyinstancesofaparticularinterpretation.The
idea'senactmentisnotsustainedandcannotberepeatedinthetotalityofitsdimensionsbyanyothermeans.As
poignantastheephemeralityoftheactmightbe,itstransientnaturedoesnotallowforsustainedexaminationor
eventhepossibilityofobjective,distinctreadingsfromthepositionthatlanguageoffersthesciencesandother
branchesofartsthatleaveupsynchronicartifactsfordetailedinspection.Thislackofpersistencethroughtime,
likethebodyitself,isnaturalandsuspectatthesametime.Theirretrievabilityofthechoreographicenactment,
thoughpossiblyengenderinganostalgicthrillperhapsalsoremindstheviewerofthemorbidfoundationsofthat
samesentiment.

Areweperhapsatthepointintheevolutionofchoreographywhereadistinctionbetweentheestablishmentofits
ideasanditstraditionalformsofenactmentmustbemade?Notoutofanydissatisfactionwiththetradition,but
ratherinanefforttoalterthetemporalconditionoftheideasincumbentintheacts,tomaketheorganizing
principlesvisiblypersist.Coulditbeconceivablethattheideasnowseenasboundtoasentientexpressionare
indeedabletoexistinanotherdurable,intelligiblestate?

Achoreographicobjectisnotasubstituteforthebody,butratheranalternativesitefortheunderstandingof
potentialinstigationandorganizationofactiontoreside.Ideally,choreographicideasinthisformwoulddrawan
attentive,diversereadershipthatwouldeventuallyunderstandand,hopefully,championtheinnumerable
manifestations,oldandnew,ofchoreographicthinking.

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