Performance in Culture and Art – Historical Background and Modernity Through the Eyes of Spectators-Theorists: [Rev. N.P. Maliutina, I.V. Nechytaliyk, Performative Practices: Experience of Comprehension, Odesa 2021, 184 pp., ISBN 978-966-927-764-0]

Abstract

The monograph by N. Maliutuna and I. Nechitaliyk is the analysis of the performative practices in modern culture. A multidimensional approach allows the authors to project different theoretical concepts of performance onto the experience of artists who incorporate performative elements in music, photography, theatre, film, drama, literature, and digital media. The most important issue in the book is the transformation of the role of the spectator of performance from an active participant to a co-author and co-creator of the art event. Related to this process are the issues of body experience, feedback loop, and incorporation of psychoanalytical methods in cinematic and theatrical practice. The authors trace peculiarities in Ukrainian performative tradition, including O. Dovzhenko’s cinematographic experiments, media plays by Y. Andrukhovych, and B. Khersonskyi’s lyrics. The importance and relevance of the issues raised demonstrate their high scholarly value and the timeliness of the monograph.