Daniel Blanga Gubbay - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Articles by Daniel Blanga Gubbay

Invernomuto, Black Med, 2022

Commissioned by Invernomuto, and published last summer in their book Black Med, The Sound of the ... more Commissioned by Invernomuto, and published last summer in their book Black Med, The Sound of the Sea.mp4 is as a poetic investigation into the rhythmic reproduction of the sound of the sea, and its transportation in diasporic geographies.
From the practice of bringing shells close to the ear, to Mahmoud Darwish' metric reproducing the waves (in Arabic, metric is البحر al-baḥr, a word of which the main meaning is 'sea’), to the ambient phenomenon of Youtube compilations.

« […] If it is the sound of the sea that defines its boundaries, perhaps displacing the sound of the Mediterranean means shifting its limits and changing its surface. […]. An organic body that alters its edges at any given moment, penned in by the sound of its edges, of shells held to the ear, of the rhythm of poetry verses beaten to the rhythm of the waves and of tracks on YouTube. Hundreds of screens in different homes around the world simultaneously connected to the same rhythm of the waves, redrawing the boundaries of this expanded sea — a sort of ‘Webiterranean’ — where the screen itself becomes the edge of the sea. Hence, by investigating the sound of the sea, I find myself faced with a final inversion of terms: perhaps no longer the ‘Sound of the Sea’ but the Mediterranean as the ‘Sea of Sound’. »

Movement Research Performance Journal (NY), 2018

In starting from Elizabeth Povinelli's invitation to blur the distinction between life and non-li... more In starting from Elizabeth Povinelli's invitation to blur the distinction between life and non-life, this article proposes to reconsider the movement as what has its own life, and not as expression of a life (body).
More specifically, in which way dance can show the life of the movement, not simply as the movement of a living body, but a living non-body in itself? The movement is not the movement of a body (where the of is a condition of belonging), but is a movement by a body. With a reference to Graham Harman's Ontology and Choreography,this lecture investigates an ontology of the movement, to eventually recognize its agency as a non-human life, and the possibility of dance to disclose a territory beyond anthropocentrism: the movement as living non-body discloses the possibility to explore the potentialities of non-human life. The last part of the lecture travels with Māori thinker Emilie Rākete in the concept of Papatūānuku, raising the question whether agency – and political agency – are functions of a life that does not necessarily have to be human to enact them?

Choreography: Strategies, 2021

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯: 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦-𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯-𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘺 is in... more 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯: 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦-𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯-𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘺 is investigation on dance dramaturgy through the curves of the pandemic, the rollercoasters and their relationship to the plateaux of intensity; the non-linearity of mourning and mushrooms by Malaysia-born author Long Litt Woon; the 1922 theory of Russian physicist Chizhevsky on the dramaturgy of solar activity and its impact on revolts on earth (‘The Communist Revolution Was Caused by The Sun’); or the dramaturgy of a protest, as described in 1931 by Brazilian situationist architect Flávio de Carvalho. The book is edited by Marta Keil and Joanna Leśnierowska.

South as a State of Mind, Athens, 2019

'We are at the bus stop, in the elevator, or at the beginning of a meeting with a person we do no... more 'We are at the bus stop, in the elevator, or at the beginning of a meeting with a person we do not know, and we talk about the weather. If weather is always present in smalltalk and icebreaker speeches with strangers it is because it is that which we know we share with the other. Without knowing the other – neither her personality nor her political views – we are in the same weather, and together subjected by it. In a minute we might disagree, but let's start this conversation from what unites us“. Starting from the categories of impersonal, connection, event-hood, locality, movement, and inter-species communication, this text analyses the weather-conversation. It does not aim at understanding the weather, but simply aims at understanding why we talk about it, and how at the weather as a body, and the dancing body through the lens of the weather.

Chatrooms: On Curating Spaces, ed. Engy Mohsen, Sarah Maher, Nour El Safoury, Cairo, 2020

A Conversation on Space and Curating between Daniel Blanga Gubbay and Chatrooms, in the frame of ... more A Conversation on Space and Curating between Daniel Blanga Gubbay and Chatrooms, in the frame of Chatrooms: On Curating Spaces, ed. Engy Mohsen, Sarah Maher, Nour El Safoury, Cairo 2020

e-flux, 2020

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩? is a text responding to a commissioned by... more 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩? is a text responding to a commissioned by Voice (Towards Other Institutions) –program of the Russian Pavillion of Venice Architecture Biennale. Starting from the postponement and cancellation of artistic programs experienced in the month of the health crisis, It evolved through the topic of reincarnation, a dream, the film of Tuan Andrew Nguyen, and a triangle between the institutions, its visible, and its invisible practices.
Available online on eflux and Voices

https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/332280/voices-towards-other-institutions-15-daniel-blanga-gubbay/

https://www.pavilionrus.com/en/voices/daniel-blanga-gubbay

There is a double force in a firework exploding in the middle of the week (as in the presence of ... more There is a double force in a firework exploding in the middle of the week (as in the presence of fiction and artistic creation in a time of simplification). At first its explosion makes vibrate the present, revealing what was there and yet was not audible; but at the same time its image invade the present without confirming it, welcoming the possibility of a multitude of narratives. It is a celebration out of given celebrations. Or perhaps what it celebrates is not a past event, but the launching itself: the possibility of artistic gestures to contribute in creating a present consisting of many different and connected parts, the complexity the future will struggle to define. A text in the form of a firework, as an ode to artistic creation and its ability to add complexity in a time of simplification.

What does it mean for an institution not simply to host fiction, but rather to be hosted by it? T... more What does it mean for an institution not simply to host fiction, but rather to be hosted by it? This talk starts from the recents use of fictional institutions, as a way to put into question the perceived 'naturality' of the existing ones. In placing this analysis between the idea of nature and fiction, it travels with the xeno-feminst use of the two terms and the possibility to apply it to the institution, to eventually see fiction as a tool to work on inclusiveness and discrimination in today's institutions.

The margins of the sample vibrate, announcing the existence of something else beyond its limits. ... more The margins of the sample vibrate, announcing the existence of something else beyond its limits. A text under form of a playlist, from its origins in hip-hop, to the sample as a door to virtuality, from Ḥalīm al-Ḍab to Gordon Matta Clark and Pasolini. An ontology of the sample, as an invitation to think the visible as a sample of the possible.

This text has the form of a dancing body, inviting its readers into an exploration of the unknown... more This text has the form of a dancing body, inviting its readers into an exploration of the unknown. Its moves are inspired by the programme of Kunstenfestivaldesarts, as well as by the time we live in.

In the aftermath of the attacks in Paris and the situation in Brussels in November 2015, this tex... more In the aftermath of the attacks in Paris and the situation in Brussels in November 2015, this text has been written at the occasion of the Bâtard festival, and in response to the festival title "Closing the Space Between Us". A reflection on the possibility of thinking at a "Map of Empathy" and its political use, on the notion of "Latent Terrorism" and the strategy of lockdown, and on their interconnected presence in the current landscape.

The Kunstenfestivaldesarts asked Daniel Blanga-Gubbay and Lars Kwakkenbos to write a text. The fi... more The Kunstenfestivaldesarts asked Daniel Blanga-Gubbay and Lars Kwakkenbos to write a text. The figures of this bestiarum vocabulum resonate with the programme of the festival and what is going on in the world, as well as the possible role of the arts in it.

Forthcoming Articles by Daniel Blanga Gubbay

The necessity of solidarity does not have to prevent us from the need of investigating its mechan... more The necessity of solidarity does not have to prevent us from the need of investigating its mechanisms. The question is not about the – evident – existence of unbalanced positions in solidarity, but rather which parts of the mechanisms perpetrate and reinforce this unbalanced position. Starting from this political topology this talk analyses the current situation in Europe, tracing the genealogy of the notion of sovereignty in the modern idea of solidarity; and it questions the emergence of a production of vulnerability as form of control, disclosing the need of a decolonized solidarity.

Exhibition Reviews by Daniel Blanga Gubbay

Arrivée à un certain âge, Gertrude Stein s’aperçut qu’elle était devenue indifférente au th... more Arrivée à un certain âge, Gertrude Stein s’aperçut qu’elle était devenue indifférente au théâtre, et indifférente à l’idée même de personnage. Le sentiment d’être obligée de faire connaissance avec le personnage, de sympathiser avec lui, en quelque sorte de s’en faire un ami, finit par l’ennuyer. En raison de quoi Gertrude Stein préféra le paysage pour son être là, passif, qui ne demande rien jusqu’à ce qu’on y entre. C’est à partir de cette référence et à travers quatre projets révélés au cours du festival que nous proposons de nous introduire dans l’espace même d’une réflexion sur le paysage - et de son rapport à la performance. Ces quatre opus composent une galerie dans laquelle s’arrêter devant autant de “vues” pour explorer les rencontres possibles entre le paysage et la performance ou, au contraire, y cheminer et tisser à travers elles un seul paysage en mouvement, à l’intérieur duquel se perdre et se ressaisir, peut-être, de notre rapport au paysage et au théâtre.

With his feet on the edge of the platform, the trapeze artist claps his hands creating a dense cl... more With his feet on the edge of the platform, the trapeze artist claps his hands creating a dense cloud of magnesium. He walks through this floating mass of powder before making his entrance, as if it were a special effect meticulously prepared to announce to the void in front of him his imminent appearance. He is about to leave the stability of the platform; he is about to venture into a continuous sequence of instabilities. What drives him to leave the platform?
We usually think about the flying of a trapeze artist from an aesthetic viewpoint, as if his aerobatics are only for the aesthetic pleasure of the onlookers; or as if – even when alone during the day – his exercise is just aimed at fulfilling the onlookers’ desire at the evening performance.
This text has been commissioned and written for the exhibition «You Must Change Your Life» curated by Hicham Khalidi for the Artefact Festival of STUK, Leuven, in 2015.

Il y a exactement quatre-vingts ans, sortait L’Œuvre d’art à l’époque de sa reproductibilité t... more Il y a exactement quatre-vingts ans, sortait L’Œuvre d’art à l’époque de sa reproductibilité technique, un texte qui devait révolutionner l’esthétique contemporaine. Par “La cathédrale quitte son emplacement réel pour venir prendre place dans le studio d’un amateur; le mélomane peut écouter à domicile le chœur exécuté dans une salle de concert ou en plein air”, Walter Benjamin ne rendait pas seulement compte de la désormais célèbre volatilisation de l’aura d’unicité, mais il tissait la relation entre reproduction et consommation, une relation non seule- ment contingente ( la reproduction permet la consommation de l’œuvre) mais aussi causale (la reproduction est conçue pour la consommation de l’œuvre).
C’est à partir de cette citation – et de ces objets placebo – que nous pourrons ici rentrer dans le travail de Balcou (°1976; vit et travaille à Bruxelles). Et tandis que nous avançons dans sa pratique, celle-ci pourrait être au contraire décrite comme une série de soustractions : pour être précis de trois pas en arrière que l’artiste effectue et qui, plus qu’ils ne le cachent, laissent émerger un espace vide dans lequel se fait jour un nouveau rapport entre reproduction et consommation.

Books by Daniel Blanga Gubbay

The Time We Share is a book that has been structured like a play, outlining the themes that have ... more The Time We Share is a book that has been structured like a play, outlining the themes that have featured in the Kunstenfestivaldesarts over the past two decades. It attempts to provide a lasting record of its ephemeral artistic practices, as well as open up the past to the future. Like a reference work, it invites readers to think about how the performing arts reflect and shape a society. Through a number of different viewpoints, The Time We Share includes projects that have left their mark on the first nineteen editions of the festival. It consists of a large number of new contributions by creators and theorists who think about the world from a performing arts perspective. Some of the themes tackled in this publication are also being explored during three study days: periods of reflection comprising talks, workshops, projections and encounters – on the living memory of the performing arts, on the time we share inside and outside theatre.

Book Reviews by Daniel Blanga Gubbay