Archaeologies of Presence

Archaeologies of Presence shows how the performance of presence can be understood in relationships between performance theory and archaeological thinking. Focusing on the conditions that shape experiences of presence through acts of performance, the work considers a number of important concepts: the performer’s negotiation of the tenses of place and time; the actor’s subjection to the gaze; the reading of the body in performance; and a presence encountered in the traces of performance. It offers a new, radical and rewarding bridge between these two disciplines.

Archaeologies of Presence is a brilliant exploration of how the performance of presence can be understood through the relationships between performance theory and archaeological thinking. Drawing together carefully commissioned contributions by leading international scholars and artists, this radical new work poses a number of essential questions:

• What are the principle signifiers of theatrical presence?
• How is presence achieved through theatrical performance?
• What makes a memory come alive and live again?
• How is presence connected with identity?
• Is presence synonymous with ''being in the moment''?
• What is the nature of the ‘co-presence’ of audience and performer?
• Where does performance practice end and its documentation begin?

Co-edited by performance specialists Gabriella Giannachi and Nick Kaye, and archaeologist Michael Shanks, Archaeologies of Presence represents an innovative and rewarding feat of interdisciplinary scholarship.