Time: 2021.12.23 (THU.) 15:30-17:20

Venue: Alois Osterwalder Hall, NTNU GIEM (2F, No. 31, Shida Rd. Taipei)

Guest Lecturer: Dr. Ross Aftel

Abstract:

"In the West, writers throughout history have explored the issue of 'temporal' versus 'spatial' presentation through the establishment of binaries, often comparing both sides largely through Aristotelian logic. Rather than analyzing the teleology of an artistic medium, we can study the propensity of the medium instead. In this talk, I will argue that the modes of expression and mediums of art can be criticized through presentations of "勢", or "potential momentum". In Particular, I have honed-in on what I argue is integral to any "spatial" or "temporal" artistic work, which is the relationship of the static and the dynamic. In this presentation, I suggest interpretations of 勢 in Pina Bausch's dance-theater piece, Café Müller (1978) and Paweł Szymanski's First Study for Piano (1986). By moving away from the binary model of aesthetic presentation, I propose the possibility of a unifying, underlying experience within contemporary arts. With supporting material from 莊子, 太音大全集, François Jullien, and others, I will gradually develop an understanding of 勢 through multiple fields within the arts."

Bio:

As a researcher, Ross Aftel (D.M.A., Stony Brook University SUNY) has studied and presented on disability in performance, issues of inclusion in repertoire and pedagogy, and composed theater throughout the US. Between 2015-2020, Aftel was the archivist for the Emerson String Quartet. As a percussionist, Ross Aftel has been involved in the premieres of works by composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, Malika Kishino, 徐儀, Akiko Yamane, Agata Zubel, Szilard Mezei, and others.