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BODY POLITIQUE

THE CONCEPT

The Body Politique is a performance art comprising actuated body monologues. Springing
from Marx’s lament on the “loss of corporeality” and Weber’s “rational conditioning of work
performances” to Bourdieu’s “embodiment and mimesis,” Foucault’s poststructuralist conceptions
of discipline, governmentality, surveillance, medicalization, and Judith Butler’s “gender as
performative”, the presentation aims to problematize the deep-seated concepts and “truths” that
people have come to assume and accept about the human body.

The human body is more than just the material flesh, -- it is a political arena and a landscape
of the struggles and conflicts of power, subjugation and domination in varied forms. The human
body is a text upon which is written the histories of resistance, and voices of dissent muffled they
maybe by legitimization and pacification, yet nevertheless existent as scars, bruises and fractures
aching for articulation and recognition.

Through acted embodiments the Body Politique Performance brings to fore and dramatizes
the present day forms and instances of the encroachment of society and politics upon the body, --
the false consciousness of the society of the spectacle, the delights of slow sweet death, the
plasticity of cyborg kind of life, the banality of evil, and the hyperrealities of power play as they
operate in contemporary society.

It is hoped that the presentation will not only give voice to these deep silent social human
issues but also shed light towards possible alternatives and ways for deeper understanding of the
complexities of contemporary political life, and then perhaps advocate for a life that is “fully
human, fully alive,” not just for oneself, but for others and the greater common good.

PERFORMANCE NOTES:

1. Your performance must be anchored on a specific issue concerning body politics. Be


clear about how the body is subjected to power and what exactly is your discourse of
resistance. Never explain the meaning of your performance through an introduction.
Let the motions you make become the language of your message.

2. The presentation should not just be about raising the problem and its cause, but it
should also hint at possible alternative solution and a re-thinking of the issue, one that
offers hope, liberation and multivocality of meanings.

3. The performance is not a skit, nor a role play. The idea is to utilize the human body as a
tool for advocacy, and move with your body in conveying your point. The spoken text
should be minimal as the emphasis is on the symbolic use of the human body. Be clear,
creative, focused, -- powerful.
4. Avoid performances that: (1) will involve any and all forms of self-harm and mutilation;
(2) involve the use of fire; (3) will use paints, dye and other coloring materials that may
cause stain on the facilities in the venue; and (4) nudity and forms of self-exposures that
are uncalled for.

5. Each performer will have a maximum of two minutes to deliver his/her piece, including
entrance and exit. There will be no microphones, so be sure to modulate well your voice.
You may use props and costumes, or do a multi-media presentation.

6. Deadline of submission for the concept paper will be on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The concept
paper should include the following:
 Title of the performance piece
 A discussion of the social issue/problem which constitutes the context that
your performance aims to address or respond to
 The theoretical/conceptual framework of the performance (In other words,
what is the concept/theory that you wish to work on as a response to the
social problem you identified.)
 A description of the whole process of the actual performance

7. The public performance will be on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at Room F200 shortly after
the midterm oral exam.

GOOD LUCK, EVERYONE!

It is not “I am tired of living. I am tired of not living at all.


I already said do not die before your death, this time please don’t wait for the moment of wanting to
live again when you are already at your last breath.

As a mental illness

Just a suicide rate

Moral failure

The incapable to handle life’s demands

Spiritual crisis

Im just negative drama

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