Documentation, disappearance and the representation of live performance

The documentation of practice forms one of the principle concerns of performance studies, providing an ongoing dilemma for theorists and practitioners who at once celebrate the ephemerality of the live arts yet grapple with the need to know, see and think about performance after the disappearance of the thing itself. Concentrating on contemporary performance practice and with particular emphasis on the transformative impact of video, photography and writing, this book explores the ideological, practical, moral and representational implications of knowing performance through its documentations.