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B. Marranca (2018)
The Self as Text: Uses of Autobiography in the Theatre (Animations as Model)Performing Arts Journal, 4
(1997)
A Global Sense of Place,” in Reading Human Geography: The Poetics and Politics
ONE SQUARE FOOT Thousands of Routes Deirdre Heddon ORIENTATION uringâtheâsummerâofâ2003âmyâmostâfamiliarâandâinhabitedâterrainâbecameâ aâ singleâ squareâ foot.â Theâ One Square Foot project,â aâ creativeâ partnershipâ betweenâtheâUniversityâofâExeter,âecho-artsâ(Cyprus),âandâTheatreâAlibi,âwasâ aâpracticalâresearchâenterpriseâinitiatedâandâmanagedâbyâDorindaâHulton,âaâprofessionalâdirectorâandâpart-timeâlecturerâatâtheâUniversityâofâExeterâDramaâDepartment.â WithinâthisâprojectâIâwasâoneâofâthreeâactors,âeachâgivenâtheâinitialâtaskâofâchoosingâ aâsquareâfootâandâthenâworkingâwithâaâteamâofâartistsâfromâdifferentâdisciplinesâtoâ deviseâaâseriesâofâsoloâperformancesâinâresponseâtoâandâforâthatâlocation.âHulton,âlongâ interestedâinâdevelopingâmodelsâthatâfacilitateâtheâactorâsâcreativeâpractice,âproposedâ One Square Footâasâaâmeansâtoâexploreâtheâimpactâofâdifferentâcreativeâmethodologiesâ onâtheâactorâsâcraft.âAsâherâprogramânoteâstates,â theâprojectâplacesâtheâactorâatâtheâheartâofâgeneratingâmaterialâforâperformance.âStories,âimagesâandâmemoriesâassociatedâwithâaâsquareâfootâchosenâ byâeachâperformerâhaveâfoundâtheirâformsâthroughâaâseriesâofâinteractionsâ withâcreativeâartistsâworkingâinâdifferentâfields. Hultonâhadâspecificallyâinvitedâmeâtoâbeâaâperformer-participantâinâtheâprojectâbecauseâ ofâmyâcriticalâandâpracticalâinterestâinâautobiographicalâandâsite-specificâworkâandâ theirâ inter-relations.â Thisâ reflection,â then,â isâ notâ onâ theâ entireâ creativeâ processâ orâ evenâonâtheâoutcomesâofâOne Square Foot,âbutâratherâonâaâparticularâsetâofâconcernsâ activatedâbyâenfoldingâautobiographicalâandâsite-specificâpractices. GROUND (WORK) Movingâ toâ Exeter,â Devonâ inâ 1998,â Iâ encounteredâ forâ theâ firstâ timeâ theâ workâ ofâ Wrightsâ&âSites,âcreatorsâofâThe Quay Thingâ(1998),âandâtheâmoreârecentâMis-Guides,â imaginativeâguideâbooksâthatâpromptâyouâtoâseeâfamiliarâplacesâinânewâandâunexpectedâ ways.âWrightsâ&âSitesâintroducedâmeâtoâtheâtermââsite-specificâperformance,ââandâ theirâenduringâfocusâonâsiteâhasâpromptedâmeâtoâtakeâmyâworkâonâautobiographicalâ performanceâinâaânewâdirectionâbyâconsideringâtheârelationsâthatâexistâbetweenâsiteâ D 40â îªâ PAJâ86â(2007),âpp.â40â50.â ©â2007âDeirdreâHeddon andâautobiography.âIâhaveâbegunâtoâexploreâthisâthroughâdeployingâtheâtermââautotopographyââthatâIâuseâhereâtoâreflectâonâtheâperformanceâdevisedâforâOne Square Foot.âBeforeâturningâtoâautotopography,âthough,âitâisâusefulâtoârehearseâtheârelatedâ butâmoreâfamiliarâtermâautobiography. Auto:âfromâtheâGreek,âforâself,âsame,âoneâsâown;âBio:âfromâtheâGreek,âbios,â forâlifeâcourse,âorâwayâofâlivingâlife;âGraphy,âfromâtheâGreek,âgraphein,âtoâ scratch,âtoâdraw,âtoâwrite.â Aâ common-senseâ understandingâ ofâ autobiographyâ isâ thatâ itâ isâ theâ account,â orâ recounting,âofâoneâsâownâlife.âTheâlifeâisâlivedâandâthenâtheâstoryâisâtoldâaboutâthatâ life.âLife,âthen,âwouldâappearâtoâprecedeâitsâautobiographicalâtellingâandâfunctionsâasâ theâfoundationâforâthatâtelling.âFromâthisâperspective,âtheâsingularâandâcoherentâselfâ existsâandâcanâthereforeâtellâtheâstoryâofâthisâself.âHowever,âpoststructuralistâtheoryâ promptsâusâtoâturnâthisâcommonsenseâconceptionâofâautobiographyâonâitsâheadâbyâ remindingâusâthatâthereâisânoââself ââpriorâtoâitsâperformance.âTheâselfâisâaâperformative,â reiterativeâ act,â inescapablyâ boundâ upâ inâ theâ socialâ andâ culturalâ discoursesâ thatâpermitâcertainânotionsâofâselfâtoâexistâ(whileâmakingâotherâselvesâinconceivableâ and/orâ âunreadableâ).â Autobiography,â aâ creativeâ actâ ofâ selecting,â ofâ ordering,â ofâ editing,âofâforgetting,âofâembellishing,âofâinventingâaâlifeâisâpartâofâthisâiterationâorâ reiterationâofâaâself.âAâselfâisâconstructedâthroughâtheâconstructionâofâtheâlife-story.â This,â ofâ course,â isâ bothâ theâ potentialâ andâ dangerâ ofâ autobiographicalâ production;â whileâ itâ mayâ beâ aâ usefulâ andâ powerfulâ toolâ ofâ self-determinationâ (particularlyâ forâ marginalisedâorâoppressedâpersons)âitâalsoâfunctionsâasâanâequallyâpowerfulâapparatusâ forâtheâculturalâreproductionâofânormativeâideasâaboutâwhatâconstitutesâaââproperâ subjectââ(andâaâproperâsubjectâofâautobiography).âTheâpractitionerâofâautobiographyâ needsâtoâkeepâthisâpoliticalâinstabilityâ(asâbothâpotentialâandârisk)âinâmindâeachâtimeâ theyâperformâaâspecificâself. Topography:âTopos,âfromâtheâGreek,âforâplace;âgraphein,âtoâscratch,âtoâdraw,â toâwrite.â Myâuseâofâtheâtermâautotopographyâshouldâbeâdistinguishedâfromâitsâapplicationâbyâ artâcriticâJenniferâGonzález.âWhereâGonzálezâusesâitâtoâreferâtoâpersonalâobjectsâsuchâ asâphotos,âtouristâmemorabilia,âetc.âarrangedâbyâaâsubjectâasâphysicalâsignsâthatâspatiallyârepresentâthatâsubjectâsâidentity,âIâtakeâtheâtoposâmoreâliterally.1âAutotopographyâ resonatesârichlyâinâtheâcontextâofâsite-specificâpracticeâsinceâtoâaddâautoâtoâtopographyâisâtoâadmitâtheâselfâthatâwritesâeveryâplace.âTopography,âlikeâautobiography,âisâ aâcreativeâactâofâinterpretation,âofâperspective,âofâlocation.âWhileâtheâmythâofâplaceâ mightâbeâthatâitâsimplyâexists,âisâfixedâandâknowable,âplaces,âlikeâselves,âareâmade.â AsâgeographerâTimâCresswellâwrites,ââplacesâareâconstructedâbyâpeopleâdoingâthingsâ andâinâthisâsenseâareâneverââfinishedââbutâareâconstantlyâbeingâperformed.â2âIâwriteâ placeâaccordingâtoâwhoâIâamâasâmuchâasâwhereâIâam;âinâfact,âwhereâIâamâisâalsoâasâ muchâtoâdoâwithâwhoâIâamâasâanythingâelse.âButâthenâwhoâIâamâisâpredicatedâonâ whereâ Iâ am,â sinceâ âIââ amâ alwaysâ somewhere.â Iâ amâ plottedâ inâ andâ throughâ placeâ HEDDonâ /â One Square Footâ îªâ 41
PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art – MIT Press
Published: May 1, 2007
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