[Xmca-l] Re: Elaborations on Nissen's Could Life Be...

[Annalisa Aguilar]

Larry.

I did not read the other Nissen article, so I'm just responding off the cuff to your email. This thread here was responding to the other (article 1: Could Life Be…) and I turned the thread into considering narratives that explain aesthetic experience in everyday life. Specifically, I am examining how artists are correlated to marginalized people (such as drug addicts) and how it is that those sorts of narratives claim that making art is therapeutic, as if art is only therapeutic and serves no other purpose than to keep marginalized people busy from hurting themselves. 

But to respond to what you wrote (without having read the article):

Another way to look at theater is how everyone these days is being turned into actors, but not if one thinks that being an actor is being a celebrity, the kitsch version of an actor. (Think of the recent movie Birdman). 

We have our branded selves, soundbyted, and packaged to render in elevator tests. Which is what actors must do to find work. They must audition constantly and compete fiercely for only a few available roles. We must tap dance ourselves into our next job.

Another thought is that being an actor isn't actually living life but acting as if living a life. This removal of actually living life meaningfully is a little irksome to me. Eventually one comes to the point of understanding that there is no dress rehearsal anymore and one must live the life one wants to live. If that isn't possible, then it's about finding help or giving help to make that happen. Isn't that what being a social being is all about? 

This is how I see the ZPD (HENRY! I'm still reading that article, OK??), as acting out aspects of life with help of more-capable others until such time one can do it on one's own independently, when it isn't acting anymore. At which time, being more capable, I would in turn help others in need who are less capable, at least one would think.

I suppose I'll have to read that other Nissen article (article 2 being: Meeting Youth in Movement and On Neutral Ground). Currently I'm thinking about an interesting one by Losonsky, but I'll start a new thread for that…


Kind regards,

Annalisa