Presence and Physiovalence

Abstract

The tendency to reduce the movements of performers in media art to data results in a flattening of identities and makes the performers’ essence seemingly insignificant. Two case studies showcase what might be lost through datafication, even as they resist it: Lucinda Childs “walking” in Bach 6 Solo by Robert Wilson, and Michael Jackson standing still at the start of his 1993 Super Bowl Halftime show. The desire to detach the body from aesthetic significance can be traced back to America’s historical racism.