[-empyre-] myths of conservation / the extents of learning experiences

[I. J.]

Gabriel, great food for thought for me here! Thanks.

>I was not familiar with Dominguez’s ideas, and now I’m wondering if he
>also considers the more normative dimension of rituals, as well as
>those myths not about transformation, but about conservation (nature
as an ever-returning cycle both in pagan legends and in the abrahamic
Ecclesiastes, etc). This trope seems particularly central to some
stories about eternal punishment (such as Sisyphus’ and Prometheus’),
in which there is a sort of endless feedback cycle leading nowhere (or
forever-denied transformations/ deterioration).<


I don't know about Dominguez, but I know that this is something that I am certainly considering. One reason for which I (re)turned to myth is that I think it might help me find a way out of the problem of conservation, especially as it relates to ecology. As you may recall from my presentation in Berlin, I have problems with a conceptualization of nature as an entity/some kind of essence to be preserved (which, I think, goes hand in hand with what you called "nature as an ever-returning cycle "), and with the notion of sustainability conceived in terms of conservation. I'm still working on this project, but my sense is that a rethinking of reason and rationality, a reasoning
with reason (following Derrida), as well as an opening towards the emotive, the sensual, the
perceptual, and the performative, in the understanding of the
reasonable/rational could be useful here.

Magnus brought up a Derrida quote in one of his posts this week:

> There is a quote I recited in my own presentation for reSource:

“One should not necessarily flee or condemn circularity as one would a
bad repetition, a vicious circle, a regressive or sterile process. One
must, in a certain way of course, inhabit the circle, turn around in
it, live there a feast of thinking, and the gift, the gift of
thinking, would be no stranger there.” [1] >


I wonder if this Derridean thought opens the way for a rethinking of myth in the contemporary context, while retaining its (conceptual) association with the circle/circularity/ritual that you pointed out.


AND

Magnus,Thanks for bringing up this quote...I'm attracted to Derrida's suggestion, very much so... But I have not yet quite figured out how I am to "inhabit the circle." One direction I've taken is to try to break out of the logic of exchange (calculation), which Derrida sees to be at the heart of capitalism, and which for him annihilates the gift. And I do so by trying to reconceptualize it in my theoretical projects. I wonder what "inhabiting the circle" means for you? And how do you materialize it? Does it have to become a mode of thinking and living proper to you? Does your academic work/research help you find ways to "inhabit the circle"?...

More thoughts soon.

Best regards,

Ioana 
 


From: Gabriel Menotti <gabriel.menotti at gmail.com>

To: soft_skinned_space <empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au> 
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 5:04 PM
Subject: [-empyre-] myths of conservation / the extents of learning experiences
 
>myth […]: the opening of a space that allows one to create
>rituals of understanding around the social space,
>around pervasive epistemological-ontological
>constructs; [IOANA JUCAN]

I was not familiar with Dominguez’s ideas, and now I’m wondering if he
also considers the more normative dimension of rituals, as well as
those myths not about transformation, but about conservation (nature
as an ever-returning cycle both in pagan legends and in the abrahamic
Ecclesiastes, etc). This trope seems particularly central to some
stories about eternal punishment (such as Sisyphus’ and Prometheus’),
in which there is a sort of endless feedback cycle leading nowhere (or
forever-denied transformations/ deterioration).


>How can I make of my performance-making practice a learning
>experience (that materializes in some kind of knowledge
>acquisition or understanding) rather than an application of the
>theoretical outcomes of my research? [IJ]

Do you also extend this question to the moment of performance itself?
Can being on stage be a learning experience, instead of the
application of the outcomes of another process (e.g. scriptwriting,
rehearsal, etc )?


>(How) am I to justify my art practice in relation to
>my theoretical research and demonstrate its
>relevance to the latter? [IJ]

I believe this concern also connects to Magda’s questions about the
validation of practice within academia. In that sense, at this point,
do you feel inclined towards any of the three different approaches
outlined by her?

Best!
Menotti
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