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The Aura of Bad Maps

2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 29; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/10462930903244737

1479-5760

Deke Weaver,

Theatre and Performance Studies

While wondering about the importance of live performance and how it is different from virtual/on-line performances, I try to define Benjamin's aura and chew on ideas of authenticity, presence, community, and audience. This essay alternates between theoretical/practical examples (Ralph Ellison's notions of the cosmopolitan to Mahalia Jackson's love of performing in church to Reverend Billy to recent science on body maps and biomagnetic fields to the do-it-yourself technology provocateurs, The Institute for Applied Autonomy) and an anecdotal journal chronicling my solo performance tour of intimate spaces (cafés, backyard sheds, Brooklyn lofts, and the Edinburgh Fringe).