HI-RES (video)

The
HI-RES video poses questions and gives some unexpected answers to
what is to be done in art/dance today, as well as defines the representational
limits of the framework that affects contemporary dance, together with the
capacities of the dancing body in generating meaning for itself and others.
Framework is of key importance to HI-RES, because it underlines the
artificiality of the contemporary dance scene. Namely, it relates to
contemporary dance as a practice which extends beyond life. Framework can
clearly conceptualise the abyss, the gap, the distance between the body of life
and the life of the dancing body on stage. These bodies cannot be reconnected
without the pipelines and channels of the outside world. 

Based
on the work of Gilles Deleuze, the body's capacity in HI-RES can be
recapitulated as follows. First: we should introduce Deleuze's hypothesis in
relation to Spinoza, namely: nobody knows what body is capable of; and
secondly: together with Deleuze, pose the question: is contemporary dance
capable of body representation?

HI-RES is related to dance history, as well as the procedures that were
historically intended at disciplining the body. The box in HI-RES speaks
of private property. It provokes violence in the dance performance. Maja Delak
and Mala Kline conceived this Pandora’s Box in the domain of repetitive
compulsiveness that holds everyone either on the right or the wrong side.

HI-RES develops two powerful states of action and contemplation: boredom and
dizziness, which are constantly perpetuated through politics and an analysis of
the global capitalist system and its performative policies. Giorgio Agamben
discovers in boredom – via Heidegger’s analysis – the relation between human
boredom and animal captivation – in both cases human as well as animal are held
in suspense. The human is simply an animal that has learned to become bored,
assuming that there is sufficient time to become bored! But nowadays, who has
the time to be bored?

The
question concerning production possibilities is a constitutive part of the HI-RES
video, and determines its aesthetics. The video is a group project which has
been developed in a partnership between dancers and choreographers, cameraman
and editor, as well as actors and the production house. The metaphysics of
creation are thus the tactics of script and operation of money. In the video,
contemporary dance is connected to theory that nowadays it is essential to
contaminate art with politics if we want to establish relevant critique. But
the question still remains as to how to radicalise things, because it is
obvious that theory is somewhat ever-more mass-produced, that is becomes a
pose, that intellectual outlook could well be just a decoration; that
everything works via a process of brand production; namely, we also have brands
in both theory and art similar to Benetton or Stefanel.
Marina Gržinić

The
Slovenian première of the HI-RES
video will be followed by a discussion with the directors, and, later in the
evening, also a discussion on the book entitled Moments of Decision –
Performative, Political and Technological: Artistic Video, Film and Interactive
Multimedia Works by Marina Gržinić and Aina Šmid 1982-2005, published in 2006 by Zak, Ljubljana, and edited by Marina
Gržinić and Tanja Velagić.
Discussion on this book, involving the participation of both editors, will be
moderated by Lidija Radojevič and Mojca Puncer.

Produced
by: VPK, Ljubljana,
Zavod Emanat
Video
screening and discussion on the book
Stara elektrarna, entrance hall

Organisation: City
of Women
In collaboration with: Zavod Emanat, Bunker/Stara
elektrarna