ÜBUNG EXERCISE no. 6 — Gender Render
performance
background of the performances with the title ÜBUNG (EXERCISE)
raise the question of our perception in a performative situation and what they might show us? Therefore also: And what does the word 'EXERCISE' mean in its origin? Does performance have something to do with 'exercising, practicing'?
'Übung/Üben (Exercise/Practising) according to Duden — The 'Herkunftswörterbuch', Etymology of the German Language, Duden Vol. 7, page 874
The word limited to the German language area (mhd. üben, uoben 'to cultivate; to cherish; to cultivate; to exercise; to put into work; to use constantly', ahd. uoben 'to cultivate; to have the habit of doing something specific, to cultivate; to worship) is related in the German language area to the differently formed verbs niederl. (Dutch) oenen 'to practice' e.g. (Old English) efnan 'to execute, to perform, to do' and aisl. (Old Icelandic) efna 'to execute, perform'. In the German language, for example, ahd. uobo 'Landbauer' (farmer), ahd. uoba 'Feier' (celebration) and mhd. uop 'Landbau; Gebrauch, Sitte' (agriculture; use, custom) are all available for 'practising'. This group of words, together with related words in other idiomatic languages, goes back to the root *op- 'to perform, carry out' (especially field work and acts of worship), see e.g. aind. (ancient Indian) ápas- 'work, sacred action', lat. opus 'to work, work' (opus), lat. operari 'to work, to be busy with something; to sacrifice' (operate and sacrifice), lat. opera 'work, toil, activity' (opera) and lat. ops 'wealth, fortune' (opulent). - Today's main meaning of the German verb 'to do something repeatedly in order to acquire an ability'n appears in the 15th century - abl.: usual 'according to general habits, occurring again and again' (16th century, actually 'what is practiced'); exercise 'the practice; being practiced, experience; more often repeated action, sequence of movements' (mhd. üebunge, ahd. uobunga).
In a series of performances I take on different tasks.
announcement and concept of the performance on the website of FADO Performance Art Center
I developed the performance work «EXERCISE EXERCISE No. 6» on the occasion of my residency in Iceland. The announcement of the performance on the website of FADO Performance Art Center is concept:
FADO Performance Art Centre is proud to present a new solo performance work by Dorothea Rust (Switzerland). The evening will also include a performance from Victoria Gray (UK).
artist Statement by Dorothea Rust
My (our) languages is (are) (long ago already) ramified: expanding to technological documentation and medias of expression, onto the handling with objects, including music, sound, text and movement/choreography and probably more to come. Thus constantly throwing another (new) light onto the relationship and my (our) being with others present or absent in a (different) space/place, be it audience, visitors, co-performers.
I don’t consider performance as an ephemeral, singular event, disappearing like a soap bubble. I see it as a space and a 'milieu’ [The term 'milieu’ refers to Jean-Luc Nancy in: Sybille Krämer: Medium, Bote, Übertragung – Kleine Metaphysik der Medialität, 2008 , pages 54 – 66], me (us) moving in it, being part of a flow, of a social, cultural environment, hence performance an incident, an intervention, a disturbance, a time/moment in a process ...
Any kind of preparation and processing before and after – such as script, notation, documentation, narration, photos, video, audio — can function as a possible trace which can become again a script and material for the next performance, a new intervention, disturbance etc., like Ariadne’s thread in a labyrinth with many exits, which is picked up not only by me, but by others. Thus the performance doesn’t belong to me, it’s part of a 'milieu’, others as much belonging to it and being part of it as me.
Dorothea Rust's appearance in Toronto is in partnership with VIVA! Art Action. Established in 2006, VIVA! Art Action is an international performance and live art festival presented once every two years in Montréal. The festival takes place with the participation of the network of artist-run centres in the city.
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