Hölling, Hanna B;
(2024)
Joanna Leśnierowska: Performance conservation as a political act.
In: Hölling, Hanna B and Feldman, Jules Pelta and Magnin, Emilie, (eds.)
Performance: The Ethics and the Politics of Conservation and Care, Volume II.
(pp. 293-304).
Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group: London, UK.
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Abstract
In this chapter, Joanna Leśnierowska stresses the significance of caring for both performance artworks and the artists themselves. Leśnierowska expresses reservations regarding the terms ‘conservation’ and ‘preservation’ as they conjure images of lifeless specimens preserved in jars. She addresses the difficulties associated with preserving ephemeral art and suggests that traditional archiving and documenting methods may not fully capture the essence of a performance, which thrives in the dynamic exchange between artists and the audience. Leśnierowska shares her experiences working on Yanka Rudzka, a Polish choreographer active in Brazil. She discusses the challenges of reconstructing Rudzka’s work and explains that the project’s focus was on reactivating Rudzka’s interest in traditional culture and choreography. She also touches upon the role of speculation in preserving performances, emphasizing its importance in reimagining history to connect communities and identities. The conversation underscores the political nature of performance preservation and the responsibility of curators and artists to select what to preserve and what to omit. Leśnierowska highlights the significance of preserving dance traditions and gestures to reclaim them from political agendas and return them to the realm of the body. She also describes how her work as a choreographer revolves around reactivating and layering performances, fostering an ongoing artistic lineage rather than aiming for static preservation. She even contemplates the use of comics as a method for documenting performances and underscores the pivotal role of the audience in activating choreography.
| Type: | Book chapter |
|---|---|
| Title: | Joanna Leśnierowska: Performance conservation as a political act |
| ISBN-13: | 9781003467809 |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.4324/9781003467809-20 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003467809-20 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © The Author(s), 2024. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CC-BY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of History of Art |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10203656 |
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