Re-choreographed closeness – intimacy, times of isolation and one-to-one performance

Abstract

From intimacy to social interactions, human relations and the boundaries and notions which surround them are constantly being changed and reformulated. We have been forced to reflect on this aspect during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has installed a “state of exception” (Nancy 2020), that emphasized the “process of inexorable chaotization of life” (Gil 2018, 408), which occurred on a global scale.
Whether in the private or public sphere, bodies have been re-positioned, forced to move through different rhythms “to abandon frenetic and acceleration” (Berardi 2020). Faced with the ‘lockdown’ measures that imposed pause and distance, we have been re-choreographed, from social dynamics to personal and intimate relationships.
How were digital platforms used during these times, and how were their discursive and subversive potential used in performing arts to explore closeness, intimacy and affection?
Starting from these questions and considering that performing arts are rooted in the corporeality, physicality, and spatial-temporal sharing of the spectacular event (Fisher-Lichte 2019, 77), involving engagement and proximity, this presentation focuses on one-to-one performances that were developed during social isolation times.
From the analysis of performances in this singular format, one spectator’s audience, and on the analysis of interviews and conversations with artists who work in this field, this paper intends to highlight particular aspects of the use of digital platforms in performing arts and their role in the debate concerning intimate interactions, simulation and performativity in the digital.
We intend to observe how the perspectives raised by these artists and these works contribute to problematizing the impact of digital technologies, and can operate in the discussion of new paths and insights into human relationships in the ‘digital transition’ era.