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Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts
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Plural Intimacy in Micropublic Performances
Jon Foley Sherman
Published online: 13 Dec 2011.
To cite this article: Jon Foley Sherman (2011) Plural Intimacy in Micropublic Performances, Performance Research: A Journal of the
Performing Arts, 16:4, 52-61, DOI: 10.1080/13528165.2011.606050
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13528165.2011.606050
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52

I loolcd ai ilc booi. Iis slccn, iis lccl, iis
iciurc. Iis iapcr. My parincr liicd ii and I iool
ii inio my lands. I ound ilc zippcr and unpcclcd
ilc booi, looling up inio my parincrs cycs.
I rcmovcd ilc booi. 1lc oilcr was placcd inio my
lands. Again, I opcncd and rcmovcd. 1lis iimc
wlcn ilc lcg was wiildrawn rom my land, my
parincr siood and I loolcd up ai waisi, iorso,
slouldcr, nccl, lair, clccl, lips, nosc, cycs.
My acc was dirccily in roni o ilc bcli o my
parincr. My parincr, wlo was a sirangcr io mc.
As wcrc mosi o ilc pcoplc waicling us.

In ilc all o :oo, icli Ruclcri and lis iwclvc

danccrs iourcd ilc uniicd Siaics wiil ilcir
produciions Deluxe Joypilot and Secret Service.
Ruclcri, a ormcr danccr or iina Bauscl,
las csiablislcd a body o worl lnown or iis
pariicipaiory naiurc picccs oicn involvc
dircci plysical coniaci bciwccn danccrs and
aiicndanis

and somc o lis worl involvcs

cpliciily scualizcd provocaiions. In Secret
Service, or camplc, blindoldcd aiicndanis arc
ialcn ilrougl a scrics o cncounicrs involving
dicrcni linds o movcmcni and ioucl,
including ilc rcmoval o morc ilan a pair o
boois (Bocniscl :oo: 8oi.
:
ior ilcir Clicago visii ai ilc Muscum o
Conicmporary Aris (MCAsi ilcairc, ilcy
conducicd a wccl-long rcsidcncy and I was onc
o iliriccn danccrs closcn by audiiion io worl
wiil Ruclcri and lis company crcaiing iwo ncw
picccs, Tools and Consulto.

ior Consulto, cigli

pairs o acing clairs wcrc placcd across ilc MCA
siagc, and aiicndanis wcrc inviicd io comc and
cncirclc ilcm. Lacl sci o clairs was assigncd
ilrcc danccrs. wiilin a iliriy-minuic iimc ramc,
ilc danccrs iool iurns siiiing in onc o ilc clairs,
waiiing or or inviiing an aiicndani io sii in ilc
acing clair, and ilcn pcrorming a dancc or
ilcir parincr, nally cnding ilc pcrormancc
ai a momcni suggcsicd by ilc cclangc. roi
all aiicndanis wcrc ablc io sii in ilc clairs, bui
all wcrc rcc io movc around ilc playing arca,
pcrlaps looling or ilc danccrs ilcy wanicd io
lavc pcrorm or ilcm, pcrlaps clanging ilcir
visual pcrspcciivc, pcrlaps irying io ialc in as
many dicrcni duos as possiblc. Ai ilc closc o
ilis scciion, prc-assigncd danccrs iool ilcir lasi
parincrs, closcd ilcir cycs, and manipulaicd ilcm
in icams, racing, rolling, liiing and guiding ilc
icmporarily siglilcss aiicndanis ilrougl sci
clorcograply bcorc bringing ilcm io ilc ground
wlcrc ilc piccc cndcd.
In ilis ariiclc, I caminc ilc sliis o powcr
undcrialcn during ilc rsi scciion o Consulto
and ilc marlcdly divcrgcni claims madc by
pcrormcrs and aiicndanis aboui wlo was in
conirol. 1lc dicrcni rcsponscs consiiiuic ilc
good ambiguiiy ilai ilc ircncl plilosoplcr
Mauricc Mcrlcau-ioniy dcscribcd as a basis
o pcrccpiion and ilai I locaic as a crucial
clcmcni o Consulto (Mcrlcau-ioniy j6: i.
I urilcr ilcmaiizc ambiguiiy by drawing on and
dcpariing rom Miclacl warncrs (:oo:i ilcory
o publics, dcning wlai I call micropublics
as disrupiions o ilc boundarics undcrpinning
ilural Iniimacy in Micropublic icrormanccs
i o i oi i v s ii irt
Pe rf o r ma n c e R e s e a r c h 1 6 ( 4 ) , p p . 5 2 - 6 1 Ta y l o r & F ra n c i s L td 2 01 1
D O I : 1 0 . 1 0 8 0 / 1 3 5 2 8 1 6 5 . 2 01 1 . 6 0 6 0 5 0

I will rccr io audicncc

mcmbcrs and
spcciaiors as
aiicndanis. 1lis laiicr
icrm boil rcmovcs an
cmplasis on onc scnsc
and accuraicly dcscribcs
ilc manncr in wlicl
ilosc noi pcrorming
noncilclcss aciivcly
pariicipaic in maling ilc
pcrormancc; wc aiicnd
io onc anoilcrs nccds,
or camplc (and mosi
pcrormcrs nccd a
public io wiincss ilcir
worl ai onc momcni or
anoilcri. 1lis sccond
scnsc o ilc word iouclcs
on ilc ircncl word or
aiicnd assister a
word ilai, bacl in
Lnglisl, niccly indicaics
ilc lclp ocrcd by
aiicndanis. Alilougl my
rcasons do noi
ncccssarily maicl lis
own, I was inspircd io usc
ilis icrm aicr Di
Bcncdciio (:oo,: :6i.
:
In ilc sccond pari o
Secret Service,
aiicndanis wcrc aslcd io
ialc o as mucl cloiling
as ilcy lilc bcorc
allowing ilcmsclvcs io bc
claincd io a scaold
rom wlicl posiiion ilcy
wcrc subjccicd io
plysical prompis ranging
rom brcail blown onio
slin io ligli wlipping
(Bocniscl :oo: ji.
Bocniscl indicaics ilai,
laving lci only lis
undcrwcar on, ilis ioo
was rcmovcd bcorc ilc
piccc cndcd.

1lc danccrs closcn

includcd a collcgc
siudcni, procssional
danccrs and non-dancc
pcrormcrs, all rom ilc
Clicago arca.
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noiions o privacy, in pariicular ilosc ilai
sccurc ilc cclusiviiy o binary scualiiy. I arguc
ilai ilrougl iis arrangcmcni o micropublics,
Consulto docs morc ilan asl aiicndanis io
pariicipaic; ii provolcs us io qucsiion ilc icrms
o pariicipaiion in pcrormancc by cmplasizing
a slarcd, ambiguous siiuaiion ai play. In doing
so, Consulto siagcs ambiguiiy as a ounding
principlc o our rcsponsibiliiy io and cpcricncc
o oilcrs.
R E V E R S I B I L I T Y , P A R T I C I P A T I O N A N D
T O U C H
I iypically bcgan cacl inicraciion brcailing
dccply so ilai I could smcll ilc pcrson opposiic
and io givc myscl ilc iimc io bc provolcd by
any dciail in ilcir posiurc or cloiling ilai migli
providc mc wiil a bcginning movcmcni. 1lis was
ilc lasi momcni in wlicl I alonc dcicrmincd ilc
movcmcni io comc. Lacl aiicndani undcrsiood
ilc pcrormancc dicrcnily and rcspondcd
accordingly. Somc sai and waiclcd, and or
ilcm ilc danccs wcrc indccd pcrormcd wiiloui
any slarcd plysical ioucl, a small solo or a
small audicncc. uilcr aiicndanis, lowcvcr,
incrcascd ilcir plysical involvcmcni wiil ilc
pcrormanccs. Somc bccamc cquisiic ollowcrs,
moving sliglily or largcly io complcmcni mc
and rccciing on ilcir own rolc wiil simpliciiy
and prccision. uilcrs ound ways o corncring
mc in rclaiions I did noi cloosc; onc parincr
rcpcaicdly ound lcr way inio my arms wlcrc
slc would slaclcn and cpcci mc io lold lcr
as slc swaycd. Anoilcr parincr snaiclcd my
glasscs and laicr rcuscd io givc ilcm bacl io
mc, iurning our cclangc inio an cplicii powcr
play. An aiicndani clscwlcrc onsiagc cngagcd
wiil anoilcr danccr by singing a spiriiual ai ull
volumc.
iucia Mauro conirasis Consulto wiil oilcr
pariicipaiory picccs, suggcsiing ilai ilc
opcraiing principlc lcrc was, a provocaiivc idca
ilai gocs bcyond dragging pcoplc up onsiagc and
asling ilcm io jump around. Ruclcri addrcsscs
issucs o cloicc, irusi and conirol (Mauro :oo:
:ji. ro onc was unwillingly brougli onsiagc
boil bccausc cvcryonc was already on ilc siagc
o ilc MCA and bccausc only ilosc aiicndanis
wlo closc io sii opposiic a danccr did so.
According io Mauro, aiicndanis:
could cloosc low mucl and low liiilc ilcy wanicd
io pariicipaic. 1lc clorcograplcr did noi so mucl
iopplc ilc ouril wall as lci vicwcrs guraiivcly
cliscl oui scciions o ilai wall io cngagc in dancc
rom a liglly individual pcrspcciivc.
(Mauro :oo: :ji
1lcsc lcvcls o pariicipaiion varicd as dcscribcd
abovc, wiil somc rcmaining ouisidc ilc dircci
cncounicrs wiil ilc danccrs, somc siiiing, and
rcsoluicly only siiiing, opposiic a danccr, wiil
oilcrs moving ilcmsclvcs and ilcir parincrs in
improviscd plysical rclaiions.
And yci, Mauro also claims ilai, laving
clisclcd ilcir spacc, aiicndanis ilcn subjccicd
ilcmsclvcs io danccrs wlo[ sccm io mainiain
caciing conirol ovcr ilcir lcss cpcricnccd
parincrs (Mauro :oo: :ji. 1lus, cvcn ilougl
aiicndanis ccrciscd agcncy in dcicrmining low
mucl ilcy would pariicipaic, ilc danccrs nally
dccidcd o wlai ilai pariicipaiion would consisi;
ilcy rcmaincd in conirol. univcrsiiy o Clicago
irocssor David icvin dcscribcd ccling ilai
ilc danccrs wcrc running ilc joini, and addcd,
Im noi surc ilai I would lavc cli comoriablc
scnsing ilai I was in conirol, sincc ilis was
propcrly ilc danccrs spacc io conirol (icvin
:o: cmaili.
1lcsc imprcssions orm a sirong conirasi io
my own. 1o bcgin, ii did noi sccm io mc ilai ilc
rolcs o danccr and aiicndani wcrc vcry clcarly
disiinguislcd. u coursc, ilc danccrs wcrc
cosiumcd dicrcnily ilan our parincrs: barcooi
and in loosc-iiing, singlc-laycr cloiling, wc
did noi lool lilc mosi o ilosc ilai sai opposiic
us. In addiiion, or mc io ccl a slii in conirol,
somc scnsc o rolcs musi lavc cisicd: in ordcr
or mc io so mucl as cpcricncc my parincr
ialing conirol o ilc pcrormancc ilc ccniral
rclaiion o ilc pcrormanccs musi lavc ai rsi
involvcd ilc aiicndani submiiiing io my plan.
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Brcaling ilis submission, wlilc wclcomcd,
scrvcd io lciglicn ilc scnsc ilai ilc danccr was
mcani io bc ilc onc dircciing ilc pcrormancc.
And yci, my parincrs aciions clangcd wlai
I did and low I danccd, rcvcaling ilc aiicndanis
agcncy in our cclangcs. uur slarcd iniiiaiion
o impulsc worlcd io rcsisi i noi dcy ilc
dclincaiion csiablislcd by our cloilcs. 1lis
was sircngilcncd, or mc, by ilc aci ilai ilc
danccrs in ilc rsi scciion o Consulto did noi
lavc unison clorcograply prc-sci and cacl
pcrormancc lad io bc ncgoiiaicd on ilc spoi
wiil ilc aiicndanis.
iar rom running ilc joini, my scnsc was
o a consiani waing and waning o powcr and
a rcgular ncgoiiaiion o lcadcrslip wiil my
parincrs.

Alilougl lc docs noi cquaic conirol

wiil powcr, icvin also noics ilai rom momcni
io momcni as ilc danccrs rcspondcd io lis
movcmcnis, ilc scnsc o discrcic plysical
conirol would ncccssarily slii rom onc
momcni io anoilcr (icvin :o: cmaili. Ai ilc
vcry lcasi, or ilosc aiicndanis ilai undcrsiood
and acccpicd ilc improvisaiory naiurc o ilc
cncounicr as announccd by Ruclcri ai ilc
bcginning o ilc scciion (and ilc aiicndanis
opposiic mc did noi all sccm io ciilcr bclicvc
or irusi Ruclcri or mci, ilcrc quiclly arosc
ilc possibiliiy o aciivcly clanging ilc coursc,
naiurc and scnsc o ilc pcrormancc.
1lis was pariicularly apparcni in rcgards
io ioucl. I aiicmpicd io gaugc my parincrs
availabiliiy io bcing iouclcd and io gcnily icsi
ilai willingncss, or camplc by lccping my
land on a wiildrawn lcg, or rcmaining in placc
aicr an aiicndani lad siicncd undcr my brcail
on a slouldcr. In oilcr circumsianccs, lowcvcr,
I quiclly noiiccd wlcn my parincrs iouclcd
bacl. 1lcsc momcnis siagcd wlai Mcrlcau-
ioniy dcscribcd as ilc rcvcrsiblc rclaiionslip
involvcd in ilc oundaiional aci o pcrccpiion.
As lc undcrsiood ii, wlcn you ioucl anoilcr,
you may cpcricncc ilc rcvcrsibiliiy o scnsaiion
and bc boil iouclcd and iouclcr. Bui lc also
mainiaincd ilai you wcrc ncvcr ciilcr onc
cniircly.
Mcrlcau-ioniy bcgins by dcscribing ilc
cpcricncc o ioucling onc o lis lands wiil ilc
oilcr. In lis accouni, wlcn lc lays onc land on
iop o ilc oilcr, lc is ablc io ccl limscl ioucling
or ccl limscl iouclcd, bui lc cannoi do ilcm
boil ai ilc samc momcni. Insicad, lc consianily
sliis rom onc io ilc oilcr, dcspiic wlai appcars
io bc ilc aci o lis coniinuously doing boil
(Mcrlcau-ioniy j68: ,8i. 1lis slii is wlai
claracicrizcs both ilc scnsaiions and my bcing
somconc capablc o cpcricncing ilc scnsaiions.
1o ioucl oncscl is noi io apprclcnd oncscl as
an ob-jcci, bui insicad io bc opcn io oncscl
(:ji. 1lc cpcricncc o ioucling onc land wiil
anoilcr and our inabiliiy io complcicly occupy
onc rolc (iouclcri or anoilcr (iouclcdi cprcss
a dcpil in bcing ilai always parily obscurcs
cpcricncc and claracicrizcs cmbodimcni
(Barbaras :ooo: 8:i. As cmbodicd bcings, wc
pariicipaic in a world o dcpil and occlusion
ilai dcnics us ilc possibiliiy o scl-coincidcncc,
somciling only availablc io an absiracicd,
discmbodicd bcing a non-pariicipani.
1ransposcd io ilc cpcricncc o ioucling
anoilcr, Mcrlcau-ioniy argucs ilai our
pcrccpiion o ioucl cniails a coniinual cscapc
rom rm idcniiiy, in pari bccausc wc cisi
in a rcvcrsiblc rclaiionslip wiil oilcrs: io
bc iouclcd by you is io ioucl you. wiiloui
proposing ilc appropriaiion o ilc oilcr
ilrougl a claimcd idcniiiy wiil myscl, Mcrlcau-
ioniys rcvcrsibiliiy dcscribcs ilc cpcricncc
o movcmcni bciwccn rclaiions. 1lc ioucl o
anoilcr arms my rcvcrsibiliiy as iouclcr and
iouclcd. As somconc wlo iouclcs, I am in ilc
rcalm o ilc iangiblc and am iangiblc myscl;
as somconc wlo smclls I am in ilc rcalm o ilc
olaciory and may bc smcllcd by oilcrs; and
so on wiil all ilc scnscs (Mcrlcau-ioniy j68:
i.
j
wc arc caugli up in wlai wc pcrccivc and
pariicipaic in a world cpcricnccd ilrougl ilc
sliis bciwccn scniicni and scnsiblc I am noi
coincidcni wiil wlai I ioucl, bui wc boil bclong
io ilc iangiblc (ji. uncc wc undcrsiand ilai io
ioucl is io bc iangiblc, io scc is io bc visiblc, our
siiuaiion wiil ilc world bccomcs rcvcrsiblc and
I wondcr, ioo, low ilc
aiicndanis wlo iool my
glasscs or lcpi alling
inio my arms cli ilc
qucsiion o conirol.
j In addiiion, no scnsc
cisis on iis own: 1[lcrc
is cncroaclmcni,
inringcmcni bciwccn
ilcm (Mcrlcau-ioniy
j68: i.
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wc cpcricncc ilc inicriwining o subjcciiviiy
and objcciicaiion.
ircciscly bccausc wc cannoi gain dcniiion
as a subjcci or objcci wiiloui cpcricncing low
cacl is insiiiuicd by ilc movcmcni bciwccn
ilcm, ilc principlc o rcvcrsibiliiy is impossiblc
io aclicvc in ullncss. wlcn wc ioucl cacl
oilcr, wc arc noi rcvcrsiblc in ilc scnsc ilai wc
may occupy ilc oilcrs siiuaiion: wc arc only
rcvcrsiblc wiil cacl oilcr in ilc scnsc ilai wc
may ioucl and bc iouclcd. 1lis assurcs us ilai
wc slarc a world ilrougl our spccic and uniquc
cngagcmcnis wiil ii. 1o ioucl is abovc all clsc io
bc in a iangiblc world, wlicl is also io say, wc arc
noi so mucl iouclcr and iouclcd, bui ioucling.
1lc aci is rcvcrsiblc, noi ilc siiuaiion.
A M B I G U O U S R O L E - P L A Y
1lc singlc aiicndanis and I ncvcr rmly occupicd
ilc rolcs o pcrormcr and aiicndani, iouclcr
and iouclcd, bui circulaicd bciwccn unaclicvcd
and incomplcic idcniiiics. 1o bc surc, ilcrc
wcrc cucs or camplc, ilc aorcmcniioncd
dicrcncc in drcss ilai providcd grounds
or sccuring our idcniiiics or rolcs. And yci,
as I arguc, wc disrupicd and corrupicd ilcsc
cucs by our movcmcni and unccriain conirol.
iar rom bcing ncccssary or incviiablc, our
occupaiion o spccic rolcs would lavc signallcd
noi simply a ailurc o ilc piccc bui a ailurc
o pcrccpiion wlosc conscqucnccs arc ar-
rcacling. As Roslyn Diprosc wriics, ilc dcnial
o ilc ambiguiiy o pcrccpiion and with this the
possibility of transforming imaginary worlds,
is also ilc dcnial o ilc oilcrs alicriiy wlo
animaics pcrccpiion and wlo ilcrcorc animaics
subjcciiviiy (Diprosc :oo:: ,6; my cmplasisi.
iiicrary criiic william Lmpson dcncd scvcn
linds o ambiguiiy (Lmpson j66i, bui Mcrlcau-
ioniy was conccrncd wiil iwo: bad and good.
1lc rsi lc dcscribcd as, a miiurc o niiudc
and univcrsaliiy, o inicrioriiy and cicrioriiy; ii
is a siasis or dcadlocl, an incri momcni bciwccn
iwo possibiliiics. uood ambiguiiy, on ilc oilcr
land, cisis in ilc plcnomcnon o cprcssion, a
sponianciiy wlicl accomplislcs wlai appcars io
bc impossiblc wlcn wc obscrvcd only ilc scparaic
clcmcnis, a sponianciiy wlicl gailcrs iogcilcr
ilc pluraliiy o monads, ilc pasi and ilc prcscni,
naiurc and culiurc (Mcrlcau-ioniy j6: i. 1lis
ambiguiiy docs noi siall oui bciwccn muliiplc
possibiliiics bui rccognizcs ilai ilc movcmcni
bciwccn ilcm consiiiuics a world.
As was oicn lis labii, Mcrlcau-ioniy lcrc
involcs ilc pluraliiy o bcing and ilcn cncloscs
ii in a scrics o pairs. wlilc commcniaiors sucl
as Rcnaud Barbaras considcr ilis a oundaiional
aw in Mcrlcau-ioniys worl (Barbaras :oo:
ivi, I conicnd ilai ilc ragmcniaiion o bcing
indicaicd by plural imagcs o an objcci nccd
noi bc irappcd in ilc prc ambi-. Ii is noi so
mucl ilai ilcrc arc iwo mcanings as ilai ilcrc
arc multiple mcanings. Mcrlcau-ioniy limscl
claboraicd on low a pair, lci and rigli, nccd
noi suggcsi a binarizcd siruciurc o powcr or
mcaning, bui insicad may signal a ragmcniaiion
o bcing, ilc[ possibiliiy or scparaiion ilc
advcni o dicrcncc (j68: :6,i.
During Consulto, noi only ilc clanncls
o powcr, bui also ilc dicrcni rolcs,
rcsponsibiliiics and impulscs wcrc rcndcrcd
ambiguous. Ii was diculi io say momcni
io momcni wlo was in conirol or wlcrc ilc
movcmcni would lcad nci as my parincrs and
I movcd bciwccn rolcs and clangcd iouclcs. 1lis
samc lind o ambiguiiy, I conicnd, pcrvadcd ilc
csiablislmcni o pcrormancc spaccs. Ii was
noi clcar wlcilcr ilc spacc o ilc pcrormancc
compriscd simply wlcrc ilc danccr movcd
ilc modcl o ilc solo pcrormancc or ilc solc
aiicndani or i ii also compriscd ilc spacc madc
bciwccn danccr, aiicndani and other aiicndanis.
ro maiicr low mucl ilc scaicd aiicndani
pariicipaicd, cacl dancc was morc lilc a duci
ilan a solo. Lvcn wlcn rcmaining rmly in
ilcir clairs, ilc singlc aiicndanis movcmcnis
cll wiilin ilc samc scmioiic ramc as ilai o
ilc danccrs movcmcnis: cacl icnscd slouldcr,
rcprcsscd smilc and raiscd cycbrow rcaclcd ilc
danccr opposiic and ilc aiicndanis surrounding.
And alilougl ilc danccrs pcrormcd or ilcir
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solc audicncc mcmbcr, wc wcrc o coursc also
pcrorming wiil ilcm or oilcrs or wlom
ilc cniirc inicraciion, noi simply ilc danccrs
movcmcnis, was a pcrormancc.
Ai lcasi, ilis is low I undcrsiand ii. As I lavc
ocrcd, lowcvcr, ilis was noi cvcryoncs
cpcricncc, nor was ii minc in cvcry singlc
momcni. And yci, i anyiling, ilis only incrcascs
ilc ambiguiiy I wani io locaic in Consulto by
cicnding ii wcll bcyond ilc iniiial cncounicrs.
wlilc ilc dicrcncc bciwccn Mauro and icvins
accounis and my own suggcsis ilai wc cannoi
rcsolvc wlo was aciually in conirol during ilc
pcrormancc, ilc principlc o ambiguiiy ocrs
ilai ilis is lardly a ailurc. Indccd, ollowing
)oslua Abrams accouni o Hautnah (jjji,
ilc coniinucd dissoluiion o rolcs aicr ilc
pcrormancc migli bc undcrsiood as a marlcr
or Ruclcris worl (Abrams :oo: 8i. uur
inabiliiy io rcacl a conclusion aboui powcr or
conirol or rolc is iiscl ilc lind o ambiguiiy
I cpcricnccd during many o my cncounicrs.
P U B L I C S A N D M I C R O P U B L I C S
wiil cacl pcrormancc spacc ilai o soloisi
wiil onc aiicndani and ilai o iwo parincrs
wiil many aiicndanis arosc a dicrcni, i
rclaicd public. 1lc smallcr o wlicl ilc danccr
and ilc aiicndani I call a micropublic. In lis
scminal cssay iublics and counicrpublics,
Miclacl warncr idcniicd scvcn claracicrisiics
o a public and cacl asscmbly o danccr and
aiicndani mainiaincd ilcm: 1lcy arc . Scl-
organizcd; :. A rclaiion among sirangcrs; ilcy
involvc . icrsonal and impcrsonal addrcss;
and arc . Consiiiuicd ilrougl mcrc aiicniion;
ilcy involvc a j. Social spacc crcaicd ilrougl
ilc rccivc circulaiion o discoursc; ilcy
6. Aci lisiorically according io ilc icmporaliiy
o ilcir circulaiion; and ilcy arc ,. A pociic
world-maling (warncr :ooj: jjoi. Alilougl
mosi o ilcsc claracicrisiics arc apparcnily scl-
cvidcni in codicd pcrormancc, ilc praciiccs
o avani-gardc pcrormancc and pariicipaiory
insiallaiion ari clcarly suggcsi ilai ilcy all
dcscrvc scrious scruiiny. ior camplc, low scl-
organizcd arc pcrormanccs cisiing wiilin ilc
inicrnaiional iouring circuii, and low lilcly is ii
ilai aiicndanis ai an outr projcci in ilc rarccd
world o pcrormancc will bc cniircly sirangcrs
io onc anoilcr? uivcn ilc aims and consirainis
o ilis ariiclc, lowcvcr, I will ocus on ilc ilird
and il.
warncr cplains ilai a public involvcs an
addrcss io sclcci pcoplc wlo arc noncilclcss
unlnown and lci un-pariicularizcd by ilc orm
o addrcss:
wc migli rccognizc oursclvcs as addrcssccs, bui
ii is cqually imporiani ilai wc rcmcmbcr ilai ilc
spcccl was addrcsscd io indcniic oilcrs; ilai in
singling us oui, ii docs so noi on ilc basis o our
concrcic idcniiiy, bui by viriuc o our pariicipaiion
in ilc discoursc alonc, and ilcrcorc in common
wiil sirangcrs. (warncr :ooj: j8i
So ar so good ilis maiclcs up wiil
aiicndanis ai pcrormanccs. warncr conirasis
ilis wiil iouis Alilusscrs subjcci lailcd by ilc
policcman (Alilusscr j,: ,ji, claiming ilai
ilc lawman will bc undcrsiood io bc addrcssing
a pariicular pcrson, noi a public and suggcsiing
ilai any onloolcrs will movc on wlcn ilcy
undcrsiand ilai ilcy arc noi ilc subjccis o
addrcss (warncr :ooj: j8i. warncr ilus sialcs
ilc ormaiion o a public in pari on ilc abscncc
o a singular addrcsscc wlosc idcniicaiion
would prccludc ilc ormaiion o a public or
any discoursc dirccicd io ilc addrcsscc. 1lc
pcrsonal addrcss involvcs our undcrsianding
ilai wc arc bcing addrcsscd wlilc rccognizing
ilai ii is noi us in pariicular bcing addrcsscd.
Bui ilis ovcrlools ilc aci ilai ilc policcmans
lail dcpcnds on a public pcrormancc o ilc rolc
o policcman. 1lc subjcci is noi inicrpcllaicd
inio ilc wcb o siaic powcr by a solc luman
voicc bui by a shared rccogniiion ilai ilis voicc
cmanaics rom an agcni o ilc siaic. wlicl is io
say ilai ilc policcman crying Bcy you! is indccd
addrcssing a public, communicaiing io ilcm lis
siaius and powcr wlilc aiicmpiing io modiy ilc
movcmcni o a singlc pcrson. iurilcrmorc, lis
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abiliiy io do so depends on lis maling lis siaius
clcar io oilcrs. iar rom dismaniling warncrs
public, lowcvcr, ilis camplc dcmonsiraics
ilc opcraiion o a micropublic. 1lis spccics o
public alicrs ilc naiurc o ilc pcrsonal and
impcrsonal in a largcr public. A micropublic is
onc ilai singlcs oui a pariicipani on ilc basis o
idcniiiy wlilc also raiiying ilis gcnrc o addrcss
by viriuc o aciivc wiincssing by oilcrs.
In Consulto, I addrcsscd cacl aiicndani
opposiic mc noi only in pariicular, noi only
in ilc placc o oilcrs, bui also for oilcrs. My
pcrormancc was to, based on and meant for
oilcrs, bui ii was also apparcnily and scl-
consciously pcrormcd before oilcrs. I could
noi addrcss ilc solc aiicndani wiiloui also
addrcssing ilc oilcrs. I was pcrorming or
cacl aiicndani in pariicular wlilc ilc cisicncc
o cacl micropublic dcpcndcd, mucl lilc ilc
policcmans lail, on a largcr public, onc ilai
raiicd ilc smallcr oncs. 1lc iwo publics slarcd
ilc rccivc circulaiion o discoursc (warncr
:ooj: 6:i by rccciing each other and maling
possiblc ilc pcrsonal and impcrsonal naiurc o
my inicraciions wiil ilc pcrson scaicd opposiic
mc. In ilis scnsc, a micropublic docs noi
simply supplcmcni a largcr public as a pcrsonal
corrcspondcncc migli; a public docs noi need
a micropublic ilc way a public and a privaic
scrvc io supplcmcni cacl oilcr. Insicad, ilc
micropublic allows us io dwcll bciwccn ilcsc iwo
supplcmcnis wlilc undcrmining ilc sccuriiy o
a disiinciion bciwccn ilc icrms. Ii dcmonsiraics
noi only low pariicipaiion involvcs morc ilan
an aiicndani joining a danccr in ordcr io slarc
agcncy or ilcir muiual movcmcni, bui also
low ilc undamcnial ambiguiiy o pcrccpiion
involvcs morc ilan iwo lands ioucling.
( M I C R O ) P U B L I C I N T I M A C Y , T H I R D
P A R T I E S A N D P O S S I B I L I T Y
unc woman sai down across rom mc, and wlcn
I ound myscl suddcnly ai a loss or movcmcni
I lcancd in and wlispcrcd inio lcr car. Slc ilcn
wlispcrcd somciling io mc. wc coniinucd bacl
and oril or scvcral minuics bcorc I noddcd
my lcad and lci ilc clair. In ilc momcni, I was
disappoinicd ilai I lad noi pcrormcd a dancc
wiil my parincr. Bui our display o sccrccy,
iclling sccrcis in public, inamcd ilc curiosiiy o
oilcr aiicndanis, scvcral wlom approaclcd mc
aicrwards and bcggcd io lnow wlai my parincr
and I lad discusscd. Ii sccms io mc ilai wlcilcr
wc admiiicd cars ncvcr discusscd wiil anoilcr
pcrson or discusscd ilc wcailcr, ilc simplc
aci ilai ilc oilcr aiicndanis wcrc allowcd io
waicl bui noi lcar was ilc main worl o ilc
inicraciion. uur wlispcrs cli iniimaic io ilosc
waicling, wlcilcr or noi ilcy sccmcd so io us.
Again, a icnsion cmcrgcs ilrougl ilc unrcsolvcd
movcmcni bciwccn dicrcni rolcs.
un ilc onc land, wc lavc ilc vcry modcl o a
modcrn lcicronormaiivc rclaiion: A malccmalc
pair marling an cclusivc spacc rom a crowd.
And yci, ilis micropublics worl consisicd o
subvcriing ilc pair by csiablisling a spacc o
iniimacy ilai was nciilcr privaic nor cniircly
cclusivc. 1lis iniimacy did noi dcpcnd on
scl-rcvclaiion, or a scparaiion o public and
privaic, or an associaiion o ilc privaic wiil
lcicronormaiiviiy. Railcr, ii rclicd on ilc aciivc
aiicniion o oilcrs io acis inicndcd boil or ilcm
and or ilc micropublic alonc. Insicad o wlai
Brucc Barion las callcd a bcirayal o iniimacy,
ilcsc danccs cpandcd iniimacys rangc by
insialling ii rmly in ilc cpansivc aiicniion o
oilcrs (Barion :ooji.
1lc cpansion o pariics io iniimacy aclicvcd
by Consulto providcs us wiil camplcs o low
pcrormancc may wcalcn conicsis o powcr and
impcraiivcs o ilc oilcr. As Mcrlcau-ioniy puis
ii in lis dcscripiion o ilc aniagonisiic accouni
o alicriiy ccmplicd by )can-iaul Sarircs worl:
1lc problcm o ilc oilcr is always cplaincd
by ilc plilosoplics o ilc ncgaiivc in ilc orm
o a problcm o the oilcr 1lis is signicani:
ilc oilcr is lcrc noi an oilcr, lc is ilc non-I in
gcncral. Bowcvcr, Mcrlcau-ioniy coniinucs,
1[lc problcm o the oilcr is a pariicular
problcm o oilers, sincc ilc rclaiion wiil
somconc is always mcdiaicd by ilc rclaiionslip
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o ilird pariics (Mcrlcau-ioniy j68: 8; my
cmplasisi.
By insisiing on ilc spcciciiy o our cncounicr
wiil oilcrs, Mcrlcau-ioniy rcvcals low
imagining ilai oilcrs arc ilc oilcr icnds io
rcducc inicraciion io opposiiion; ilc absiraciion
o oilcrs inio ilc cmblcm o ilc non-I plungcs
us inio compciiiion and rclaiions o dominancc.
Insicad, Mcrlcau-ioniy suggcsis ilai, cvcn
bciwccn iwo pcoplc, wc cncounicr anoilcr, noi
the oilcr. wc arc ncvcr onc or iwo, bui always
among many others with whom we institute the
world. 1lis is noi io say ilai cncounicrs wiil
oilcrs cannoi involvc cocrcion, dominancc or
violcncc; ii is io claim ilai ilcsc arc nciilcr
ncccssary nor incviiablc.
Ii is also io claim ilai a pcrormancc bringing
us io an cncounicr wiil ilc ilird pariics
mcdiaiing our rclaiionslip wiil anoilcr will
bring us io qucsiions o rcsponsibiliiy. As Sara
Almcd noics in Queer Phenomenology, ilc
I can o bodily inicniion dcpcnds on oilcrs
allowing us io pcrorm aciions, ilai our abiliiics
arc inscparablc rom condiiions o possibiliiy
ilai arc noi madc by us alonc (:oo6: ji.
Doing ilings dcpcnds noi so mucl on inirinsic
capaciiy or cvcn on disposiiions and labiis,
bui on ways in wlicl ilc world is availablc as
a spacc or aciion (Almcd :oo6: oi. Ai ilc
samc iimc ilai wc can claim our cpcricncc o
ilc world is insiiiuicd by ilc limiis io our rangc
o aciions, wc can rccognizc ilai ilcsc limiis
arc nciilcr cclusivcly our own nor ilosc o
oilcrs. In lcr accouni o ilc plcnomcnology o
poliiical rcprcssion, )anicc Mcianc obscrvcs, i
luman bcings cisi ilrougl slarcd corporcal
sclcmaia, wc musi asl oursclvcs jusi wlai
sclcmaia arc bcing slarcd (Mcianc :oo6:
8i. In oilcr words, wc may lcarn a rangc o
possibiliiics circumscribcd by muliiplc orms o
insiiiuiionalizcd dcnial and privilcgc.
In Black Skin, White Masks (jj:i, iraniz
ianon addrcsscs low an abiliiy is condiiioncd
by racial lisiorics ilai narrow possibiliiics or
bodics rcad, and cli, as blacl. Dciailing lis
alicnaicd awlwardncss rcacling or a cigarciic ai
a iablc in ilc company o wliic bodics, lc unvcils
ilc ways in wlicl lis body, noi simply rccognizcd
as blacl bui as blacl in a spccic placc and cra,
cccis lis movcmcnis in ways ilai scparaic lim
rom oilcr bodics (ianon in Almcd :oo6: oji.
row, ilis is noi io suggcsi ilai wliic bodics
opcraic rccly, as ilcy dcmonsirably do noi, bui
ilai in many circumsianccs ilcy opcraic wiilin
habits o rccdom applicd io bodics (unimarlcd as
wliic: wlai plcnomcnology dcscribcs is noi so
mucl wliic bodics, bui ilc ways in wlicl sucl
bodics arc noi poinis o sircss (Almcd :oo6:
8ji.
Bow io cmbracc a lovcd onc musi o coursc
bc lcarncd, bui Almcd and ianon lclp us
rcmcmbcr ilai ii musi also bc cpcricnccd as
possible. 1lc succcssul body, as Mcrlcau-
ioniys counilcss camplcs o bodics modicd by
lisiory and circumsiancc malc clcar, is a ciion;
cacl orm o abiliiy carrics wiil ii noi only
individual accomplislmcni, bui ilc inlcriiancc
o scdimcnicd lisiorics acquircd ilrougl all
lcarning o bodily movcmcni. In Roslyn Diproscs
words: My possibiliiics arc borrowcd rom ilc
bodics o oilcrs, always wiil an incalculablc
rcmaindcr (ji. 1lcrc is noi a succcssul body,
bui muliiplc bodics variously cngagcd in slarcd
projccis.
Anoilcr way o puiiing ilis, is ilai ilc
I can docs noi cisi scparaic rom a You may.
Micropublics pcrorm low ilis pcrmission docs
noi cmanaic solcly rom ilc oilcr, bui ilrougl
ilc aiicniion o muliiplc oilcrs. 1lc pcrmission
io slowly rcmovc my parincrs boois did noi arisc
solcly rom my parincr or myscl, bui rom our
bcing siiuaicd bcorc oilcrs. u coursc, ilis is
wlai lappcns cvcry day in ormal pcrormancc
a public asscmblcs and granis pcrmission io
pcrormcrs io do ilings oilcrwisc unacccpiablc.
In ilcsc siiuaiions, lowcvcr, a morc or lcss
cnorccd linc scparaics pcrormcr and aiicndani
spaccs. As I lavc claimcd, Consulto complicaicd
ilis modcl rsi by wcalcning ilc dicrcnccs
bciwccn danccr and aiicndani by maling ilc
sourcc o impulsc ambiguous, and ilcn by
undcrmining ilc grounds o iniimacy.
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rowlcrc was ilis morc sirongly siagcd ilan
ilrougl ilc pcrormancc o ioucl. In Consulto
ioucl rcmaincd an asscriion o proimiiy bui
wiiloui ilc privilcgc assigncd io ilc approacl io
a corc subjcci via bodics. Subjccis lcrc cisicd
as elds rangcs o agcncy involving scvcral
pariics; ilc micropublics o Consulto siagcd our
inicriwining wiil a pluraliiy railcr ilan wiil
a solc uilcr. 1lus, iniimacy was aclicvcd by
slaring ilc proimaic wiil ilc urilcr away,
by laving ilc common grani pcrmission io
and participate in ilc cclusivc. As binarics
brcal apari in pcrormancc, wlai ii mcans
io pariicipaic bccomcs unccriain bccausc iis
icrms losc ilcir grounding ilcrc is no poini
o cniry inio pariicipaiing in ilc pcrormancc
bui insicad a consiani siaic o pcrccpiion and
ambiguiiy. 1lcsc condiiions malc clcar low
diculi and low imporiani ii is ilai wc grapplc
wiil ilc roois o our rcsponsibiliiics io oilcrs.
I M P E R A T I V E S , A M B I G U I T Y A N D O T H E R S
By ormulaiing Consultos ducis as ambiguous
cclangcs involving muliiplc pariics, I sccl a
modcl o oniological rcsponsibiliiy ilai migli
cvadc ilc iraps laid by Lmmanucl icvinass oi-
ciicd cilical modcl o ilc acc-io-acc.
6
un ilc
onc land, ilc duos pcrormcd in and by Consulio
sccm io siagc ilis cncounicr in a way ilai
mosi ilcairc simply cannoi. unlilc iradiiional
aiicndanipcrormcr arrangcmcnis, in wlicl
cacl pariy is lcpi ai somc disiancc rom ilc
oilcr, ilc paircd clairs placcd aiicndani and
danccr closc cnougl or ilcir lnccs io ioucl; my
acc was ccriainly bcorc ilai o my parincrs. In
addiiion, ilc worl o ilc surrounding aiicndanis
sccms io align wiil ilc ilird pariy (le tiersi
involcd by icvinas as a mcdiaior bciwccn
oncscl and ilc uilcr (icvinas jj8: j,6oi. un
ilc oilcr land, io dcscribc ilc danccraiicndani
rclaiion in ilis way is io orcc a complc
pcrccpiual cpcricncc inio icvinass conccpi o a
pre-pcrccpiual, prc-social cncounicr rom wlicl
rcsponsibiliiy ariscs. iurilcrmorc, io dcscribc
ilc danccraiicndaniaiicndanis rclaiion in
ilis way locaics ilcsc ilird pariics solcly in ilc
posi-pcrccpiual world ilai follows and is ilis
ccludcd rom ilc undamcnial cpcricncc o
rcsponsibiliiy.
)oslua Abrams addrcsscs ilc icnsion bciwccn
a dcsirc io csiablisl rcsponsibiliiy in ilc acc o
ilc oilcr and ilc dcsirc io placc ilai cncounicr
in a social conici in lis icvinasian analysis
o iwo oilcr Ruclcri picccs. ior Abrams ii is
ncccssary io pry ilc acc-io-acc rom iis sccuriiy
in ilc prc-conscious and lodgc ii in a social
cncounicr ilai includcs ilird pariics aciivaicd
by discoursc (Abrams :oo: :i. ior icvinas,
lowcvcr, ilc ilird-pariy rclaiion (scl, uilcr,
oilcrsi alicrs a pre-existing rclaiion bciwccn
scl and uilcr: Consciousncss is born as ilc
prcscncc o a ilird pariy. Ii is ilc cniry o ilc
ilird pariy, a pcrmancni cniry, inio ilc iniimacy
o ilc acc io acc (icvinas jj8: 6oi. I, as
Mcrlcau-ioniy argucs and I ollow, pcrccpiion
is a oundaiional aci o bcing, ilcn ilird pariics
musi pariicipaic in ilis cpcricncc, noi scrvc
as an adjusimcni io ii. In ordcr io mainiain ilc
pluraliiy and ambiguiiy o bcing I am arguing
or, ilc ilird pariy musi bc involvcd wiil ilc
mosi basic accounis o our cncounicr wiil ilc
world: 1[lc rclaiion wiil somconc is always
mcdiaicd by ilc rclaiionslip o ilird pariics
(Mcrlcau-ioniy j68: 8, my cmplasisi. iar
rom ilc ilird pariics arriving on ilc sccnc o a
acc-io-acc cncounicr and rcndcring an cilical
rclaiion poliiical, ilcy, rom ilc siari, pariicipaic
in a pcrccpiual aci ilai oilcrwisc sccms io
involvc only iwo pariics.
In addiiion, Abrams wriics o Ruclcris
imposcd iniimacy, and low aiicndanis must
aiicmpi io undcrsiand ilc pcrormancc in a
pariicular way (Abrams :oo: , :; cmplasis
in original
,
i. 1lis languagc ncaily capiurcs
ilc coniours o anoilcr irap sci by icvinas,
namcly ilc violcncc and cocrcion inlcrcni
in lis cncounicr wiil ilc acc o ilc uilcr.
icvinas argucs noi only ilai wc ail io rccognizc
ilc uilcr (bccausc rccogniiion would cniail
corralling ilc uilcr wiilin our lcn, prccipiiaiing
a colonizing solipsismi, bui ilai wc submii
6
ior icvinas, ilc ormaiivc
cpcricncc o bcing arrivcd
ilrougl a acc-io-acc
cncounicr wiil anoilcr. In
ilis modcl, ilc oilcrs acc
cprcsscs all ilai cannoi
bc lnown and las noi bccn
cpcricnccd by ilc scl,
iniroducing an irrcduciblc
alicriiy. urappling wiil
ilis cncounicr wiil an
incomprclcnsiblc uilcr
and ilc naiurc o our
obligaiions io ii ormcd ilc
ongoing ilcmc or mucl o
icvinass worl. ior ilc
bcginning o ilis irajcciory
scc icvinas (jj8:
8,::oi.
,
Abrams uscs iniimacy in
ilc iradiiional scnsc o
cclusivc proimiiy io a
corc subjcci.
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60

oursclvcs io a bccoming aclicvcd solcly ilrougl
rcsponsibiliiy io ilc uilcr. 1lis rcsponsibiliiy
is noi oundcd on cloicc, bui an obligaiion ilai
prcccdcs all discursivc, lisiorical and oniic
coniingcncy (icvinas jj8: 8i. By csiablisling
compulsion in ilc cilical cncounicr (going so
ar as io dcscribc subjcciiviiy as pcrsccuiion
and mariyrdomi, icvinas noi only rcmovcs
agcncy rom rcsponsibiliiy, lc also ccludcs our
abiliiy io dcicrminc to whom wc arc obligaicd
as a maiicr o cilics (686i
8
. riclolas Ridoui
claracicrizcs ilc rcsuli as an cilics wiiloui
conicni (:oo6: oi bccausc ii is noi only
unablc bui also uninicrcsicd in disiinguisling
bciwccn accs. Maling ilcsc disiinciions
involvcs coniingcncics ilai may rcsuli in an
invcrsion o ilc primary rclaiionslip, bui
ilcy arc a disioriion brougli aboui by ilc
movc inio socialiiy (icvinas j8j: 8ji. Sucl an
cilics compcls a rcsponsc bui docs noi providc
any mcans or undcrsianding how io rcspond
bccausc ilc rcsponsc iiscl is undcrsiood io
occur wcll bcorc any poliiical or social mcaning
arrivcs.
j
Ai ilis poini, I wani io comparc ilis cilical
compulsion wiil Mcrlcau-ioniys unnislcd
or morc accuraicly, unelaborated cilics as
wc migli nd ilcm in Consultos ducis. Railcr
ilan an unrccognizcd uilcr io wlom wc owc a
primordial allcgiancc, wc lavc an unccriainiy ai
ilc rooi o our cncounicr wiil muliiplc oilcrs.
uur rcsponscs io onc anoilcr, our basis or
undcrsianding ilc vcciors o our cloiccs and
ilcir conscqucnccs, bcgin noi rom obligaiion or
aniagonism, bui rom a slarcd pariicipaiion in
an ambiguous siiuaiion. wiilin ilcsc awlward
cncounicrs lics ilc promisc o rcsponsibiliiy
bascd in ilc undamcnially inconclusivc and
opcn naiurc o pcrccpiion. uur rclaiionslip io
oilcrs and our rcsponsibiliiics io ilcm arisc
rom our coniinual and incomplcic movcmcni
bciwccn onc anoilcr in an cmbodicd world o
pcrccpiion.
unlilc ilc acc-io-acc, wlicl cannoi
aclnowlcdgc lisiory wiiloui losing iis
oniological powcr, pcrccpiion undcrsiood as an
ambiguous opening to others opcraics as ilc
oundaiional movcmcni o bcing wlilc ai ilc
samc iimc cisiing in a social, lisiorical conici.
Insicad o a moral impcraiivc or prc-oniic
obligaiion, ilcrc is a pcrccpiual aiil, a bclic
in a slarcd world dcspiic our undcrsianding
ilai ilis world is composcd by our dicrcni
siiuaiions. icrccpiion carrics wiilin ii
awarcncss o iis incomplciion, wlicl is io say,
ii always bcars a undamcnial unccriainiy: I[i
is a aiil because ii is ilc possibiliiy o doubi
(Mcrlcau-ioniy j68: oi. 1lc implacablc
ccriainiy o ilc obligaiion io anoilcr is rcplaccd
wiil ilc mysicrious slippagc ilai allows us
io grasp oursclvcs ilrougl a movcmcni wiil,
ilrougl and by oilcrs (Mcrlcau-ioniy j,: i.
Micropublics siagc low our rcsponsibiliiy io
onc anoilcr comcs noi rom ilc impcraiivc o a
acc-io-acc cncounicr bui insicad ariscs rom an
ambiguous ioucl.
1lc promisc ilai ilis rcsponsibiliiy lolds rcsis
in iis dcmand ilai wc acccpi ilc coniingcncy
noi only o pcrccpiion iis ormaiion by localc
and lisiory, iis modicaiion by labii bui also
o low io pcrorm ilis rcsponsibiliiy. wlai ii
means io bc rcsponsiblc, wlai oilcr valucs ilis
cnacis and proiccis, will bc diculi io csiablisl
locally and impossiblc io apply univcrsally.
And yci, ar rom an cilics wiiloui conicni,
or a dcsccni inio ormlcss rclaiivism, ilis
lind o rcsponsibiliiy malcs iis own siringcni
dcmands io vigilancc, adapiabiliiy, lumiliiy
bcorc ilc unamiliar and io ilc pcrccpiual
aiil. Aiicmpiing io undcrsiand low dicrcni
publics and micropublics cndorsc or orcclosc
rcsponsibiliiy or onc anoilcr may ocr us a way
io comc io grips wiil ilc valucs o our cmbodicd
and plural cisicncc.
R E F E R E N C E S
Abrams, )oslua (:ooi Lilics o ilc wiincss: 1lc
pariicipaiory danccs o cic. icli Ruclcri, in S.
Kaiiwinlcl (cd.i Audience Participation: Essays on
inclusion in performance, wcsipori: iracgcr, pp. .
Almcd, Sara (:oo6i Queer Phenomenology:
Orientations, objects, others, Durlam: Dulc ui.
8
Sucl a dcicrminaiion
rcmains, or icvinas, a
unciion o jusiicc, ilc
posi-social grasp o ilc
uilcrs rclaiion io oilcrs
(icvinas j8j: jji.
j
Abrams also wriics
aboui ioucl as
claracicrizcd by icvinas
in lis ircaimcni o ilc
carcss, a orm o coniaci
ilai opcns a promisc
wiiloui dciail: ilc
aniicipaiion o ilc purc
uiurc avcnir[, wiiloui
conicni (icvinas quoicd
in Abrams :oo: i. ro
maiicr low icmpiingly ii
rcscmblcs Mcrlcau-
ioniys undcrsianding o
ioucl, icvinass carcss
rcmains boil ouisidc
lisiory and insidc ilc
obligaiion insiillcd in our
cncounicr wiil ilc uilcr
(icvinas j8,: 8ji.
Alilougl wc lavc
dicrcni undcrsiandings
o wlcrc and low ilc
carcss opcraics, my
ilouglis lcrc arc
indcbicd io Kclly ulivcrs
worl; scc ulivcr (:oo:
:oj6i.
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61
Alilusscr, iouis (j, j,o[i Lenin and Philosophy
and Other Essays, irans. Bcn Brcwsicr, iondon: rcw
ici Bools.
Barbaras, Rcnaud (:oooi icrccpiion and movcmcni:
1lc cnd o ilc mciaplysical approacl, in ircd
Lvans and iconard iawlor (cdsi Chiasms: Merleau-
Pontys notion of esh, SurY Scrics in Conicmporary
Coniincnial ililosoply, Albany: Siaic univcrsiiy o
rcw Yorl ircss, pp. ,,8,.
Barbaras, Rcnaud (:oo jj[i 1lc bcing o ilc
plcnomcnon: Mcrlcau-ioniys oniology, irans. 1cd
1oadvinc and iconard iawlor, Studies in Continental
Thought, Bloomingion: Indiana ui.
Barion, Brucc (:ooji iarado as proccss: Inicrmcdial
aniciy and ilc bcirayals o iniimacy, Theatre Journal
6(i: j,j6o.
Bocniscl, icicr M. (:ooi Llcciruric bodics: corpo-
rcaliiics and conicmporary dancc pcrormancc,
Performance Research 8(i: .
Di Bcncdciio, Sicplcn (:oo,i uuiding somaiic
rcsponscs wiilin pcrormaiivc siruciurcs:
conicmporary livc ari and scnsorial pcrccpiion, in
Sally Bancs and Andrc icpccli (cdsi The Senses in
Performance, rcw Yorliondon: Rouilcdgc.
Diprosc, Rosalyn (:oo:i Corporeal Generosity: On
giving with Nietzsche, Merleau-Ponty, and Levinas,
SurY Scrics in ucndcr 1lcory, Albany: Siaic
univcrsiiy o rcw Yorl ircss.
Lmpson, william (j66 jo[i Seven Types of
Ambiguity, rd cdn, rcw Yorl: rcw Dircciions.
icvinas, Lmmanucl (j8j j8:[i Ethics and Innity:
Conversations with Philippe Nemo, irans. Riclard A.
Colcn, iiiisburgl: Duqucsnc ui.
icvinas, Lmmanucl (j8,i Collccicd plilosoplical
papcrs, irans. Alplonso iingis, Phenomenologica oo,
Dordrccli: M. rijlo.
icvinas, Lmmanucl (jj8 j,[i uilcrwisc ilan
bcing, or, bcyond csscncc, irans. Alplonso iingis,
iiiisburgl: Duqucsnc ui.
Mauro, iucia (:ooi Consulio a ioucling piccc ai
ilc MCA, rcvicw, Chicago Tribune, scc. rcws, p. :j 8
uciobcr.
Mcianc, )anicc (:oo6i 1lc boundarics o a viciim-lic,
in )amcs Bailcy, )anicc Mcianc and Clrisiian Diclm
(cdsi Interrogating Ethics: Embodying the good in
Merleau-Ponty, iiiisburgl: Duqucsnc ui, pp. j8.
Mcrlcau-ioniy (j6 j6:[i An unpublislcd ici
by Mauricc Mcrlcau-ioniy: A prospccius o lis
worl, irans. Arlccn Dallcry, in )amcs M. Ldic (cd.i
The Primacy of Perception, and Other Essays on
Phenomenological Psychology, the Philosophy of Art,
History, and Politics, rorilwcsicrn univcrsiiy Siudics
in ilcnomcnology u Lisicniial ililosoply, Lvansion:
rorilwcsicrn ui, pp. .
Mcrlcau-ioniy. (j68 j6[i The Visible and
the Invisible: Followed by working notes, irans.
Alplonso iingis, rorilwcsicrn univcrsiiy Siudics in
ilcnomcnology u Lisicniial ililosoply, Lvansion:
rorilwcsicrn ui.
Mcrlcau-ioniy (j, j6j[i The Prose of the World,
irans. )oln urcill, Lvansion: rorilwcsicrn ui.
ulivcr, Kclly (:ooi Witnessing: Beyond recognition,
Minncapolis: univcrsiiy o Minncsoia ircss.
Ridoui, riclolas (:oo6i Siagc rigli, animals, and
oilcr ilcairical problcms, in 1racy C. Davis (cd.i
Theatre and Performance Theory, Cambridgc, uK:
Cambridgc univcrsiiy ircss.
warncr, Miclacl (:ooj :oo:[i iublics and
counicrpublics, Public Culture (i: jjo.
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