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Books by Joslin McKinney

Scenography – the manipulation and orchestration of the performance environment – is an increasin... more Scenography – the manipulation and orchestration of the performance environment – is an increasingly popular and key area in performance studies. This book introduces the reader to the purpose, identity and scope of scenography and its theories and concepts. Settings and structures, light, projected images, sound, costumes and props are considered in relation to performing bodies, text, space and the role of the audience. Concentrating on scenographic developments in the twentieth century, the Introduction examines how these continue to evolve in the twenty-first century. Scenographic principles are clearly explained through practical examples and their theoretical context. Although acknowledging the many different ways in which design shapes the creation of scenography, the book is not exclusively concerned with the role of the theatre designer. In order to map out the wider territory and potential of scenography, the theories of pioneering scenographers are discussed alongside the work of directors, writers and visual artists.

Papers by Joslin McKinney

Article which draws on practice as research performance to explore the nature of the operation of... more Article which draws on practice as research performance to explore the nature of the operation of scenography. Uses the concept of projection to focus on the spatial nature of scenography

Research Methods in Theatre and Performance

This paper reports insights gained from an exploration of performance-based techniques to improve... more This paper reports insights gained from an exploration of performance-based techniques to improve the design of relationships between people and responsive machines. It draws on the Emergent Objects project and specifically addresses notions of embodiment as employed in the field of performance as a means to prototype and develop a robotic agent, SpiderCrab, designed to promote expressive interaction of device and human dancer, in order to achieve ‘performative merging’. The significance of the work is to bring further knowledge of embodiment to bear on the development of human-technological interaction in general. In doing so, it draws on discursive and interpretive methods of research widely used in the field of performance but not yet obviously aligned with some orthodox paradigms and practices within design research. It also posits the design outcome as an ‘objectile ’ in the sense that a continuous and potentially divergent iteration of prototypes is envisaged, rather than a si...

The materials of scenography - space, light, sound, structures, objects, fabrics, textures and co... more The materials of scenography - space, light, sound, structures, objects, fabrics, textures and colours - play a central role in audience experience, yet the agency of these things is performance has not been given much attention. Using Merleau-Ponty's notion of the chiasm, it is possible to understand how the seer and the seen are bound in a reciprocal relationship and how reversibility between subjects and objects applies to the experience of scenography. But beyond that, what is it that objects and materials themselves might be capable of? This chapter draws on practice- led research and considers recent ideas about the capability of materials to address this question.

Scenography – the manipulation and orchestration of the performance environment – is an increasin... more Scenography – the manipulation and orchestration of the performance environment – is an increasingly popular and key area in performance studies. This book introduces the reader to the purpose, identity and scope of scenography and its theories and concepts. Settings and structures, light, projected images, sound, costumes and props are considered in relation to performing bodies, text, space and the role of the audience. Concentrating on scenographic developments in the twentieth century, the Introduction examines how these continue to evolve in the twenty-first century. Scenographic principles are clearly explained through practical examples and their theoretical context. Although acknowledging the many different ways in which design shapes the creation of scenography, the book is not exclusively concerned with the role of the theatre designer. In order to map out the wider territory and potential of scenography, the theories of pioneering scenographers are discussed alongside the...

Proceedings of the 2007 conference on Designing for User eXperiences - DUX '07, 2007

This paper presents the development of the robotic prototype SpiderCrab in the context of Emergen... more This paper presents the development of the robotic prototype SpiderCrab in the context of Emergent Objects 2 (EO2), a portfolio of sub-projects funded by the EPSRC/AHRC 'Designing for the Twenty-first Century' initiative. We report first on explorations across EO2 into how performance knowledge and practice can help to understand and facilitate emergence in the context of the design process, including

Performance Research, 2013

Theatre and Performance Design, 2016

Design Studies, 2010

This paper reports insights gained from an exploration of performance-based techniques to improve... more This paper reports insights gained from an exploration of performance-based techniques to improve the design of relationships between people and responsive machines. It draws on the Emergent Objects project and specifically addresses notions of embodiment as employed in the field of performance as a means to prototype and develop a robotic agent, SpiderCrab, designed to promote expressive interaction of device and human dancer, in order to achieve 'performative merging'. The significance of the work is to bring further knowledge of embodiment to bear on the development of human-technological interaction in general. In doing so, it draws on discursive and interpretive methods of research widely used in the field of performance but not yet obviously aligned with some orthodox paradigms and practices within design research. It also posits the design outcome as an 'objectile' in the sense that a continuous and potentially divergent iteration of prototypes is envisaged, rather than a singular final product. The focus on performative merging draws in notions of complexity and user experience.

Performance Research, 2013

In April 2012 French company Royal de Luxe staged Sea Odyssey in Liverpool to coincide with the c... more In April 2012 French company Royal de Luxe staged Sea Odyssey in Liverpool to coincide with the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. Over three days a thirty foot tall 'little girl giant' and her fifty foot high uncle made a twenty three mile journey through the streets between the Pier Head and Stanley Park. Billed as a 'giant spectacular' it required a company of 110 with an additional 250 local volunteers. An estimated half a million people gathered to follow the performance, effectively suspending the usual weekend business of the city. Looking at reviews and reports, it is difficult to get beyond the sheer size of the event. Alan Read was struck by the same thing when Royal de Luxe presented The Sultan's Elephant in central London, in 2006 and he says that it was talked about 'in terms of scale and little else' (2006: 522-532). Read's suspicion was that behind the numbers, the experience was empty of meaning. He admits, though, that he wasn't actually there. Audience comments posted on the producers' website suggest they found it to be a profoundly moving experience. One says; '...the most uplifting experience that I have had in a very long time indeed. I can't really tell you why it has made me so happy'. Another comments 'I'm a writer and I cannot even think

Designing for the 21st Century, 2021

In this introductory chapter, McKinney and Palmer survey the newly emerged field of expanded scen... more In this introductory chapter, McKinney and Palmer survey the newly emerged field of expanded scenography and consider the underlying concepts by which it can be defined. Taking their lead from Krauss’s approach to expanded sculpture they identify evidence of the re-structurings of theatrical scenography that have led to new ways of thinking about the spatial, material and design-based aspects of performance both in and beyond the theatre. However, scenography in its expanded form is not simply a by-product of theatre but a mode of encounter and exchange founded on spatial and material relations between bodies, objects and environments. McKinney and Palmer prioritise the perspective of the spectator to focus on the spatial, multisensorial and material aspects of contemporary performance and they propose three interrelated and overlapping concepts; relationality, affectivity and materiality, as a theoretical framework. This re-focusing of the scenographic lens illuminates the evental,...

This paper investigates how visual images in the context of performance are created and perceived... more This paper investigates how visual images in the context of performance are created and perceived. It considers the perspective of the scenographer and the experience of the audience in order to formulate an account of the ‘transaction’ of ‘symbolic exchange’ of theatre images.

Given the designation of theatre as “the seeing place” (Aronson 2005: 2) and the strongly visual ... more Given the designation of theatre as “the seeing place” (Aronson 2005: 2) and the strongly visual nature of scenography, we might wonder at how little consideration has been given so far to the act of looking, whether in scenographic studies or in theatre scholarship more generally. Yet concerns within wider cultural discourse about a dominance of the visual that “has its end in rapt, mindless fascination” (Jameson 1990: 1) have certainly influenced the way we conceptualize the visual dimension of theatre experience as “a medium of optical illusion” (Ranciere 2007: 272) and have marginalized scenography as mere decoration or as a distraction. But there are, to borrow from John Berger (1972), different ways of seeing scenography that reveal themselves in the act of looking. In this chapter I challenge dominant interpretations of the act of seeing in theatre by arguing for the explanatory power of a dynamic, embodied conceptualization of scenographic spectatorship centered on co-constr...

Scenography – the manipulation and orchestration of the performance environment – is an increasin... more Scenography – the manipulation and orchestration of the performance environment – is an increasingly popular and key area in performance studies. This book introduces the reader to the purpose, identity and scope of scenography and its theories and concepts. Settings and structures, light, projected images, sound, costumes and props are considered in relation to performing bodies, text, space and the role of the audience. Concentrating on scenographic developments in the twentieth century, the Introduction examines how these continue to evolve in the twenty-first century. Scenographic principles are clearly explained through practical examples and their theoretical context. Although acknowledging the many different ways in which design shapes the creation of scenography, the book is not exclusively concerned with the role of the theatre designer. In order to map out the wider territory and potential of scenography, the theories of pioneering scenographers are discussed alongside the work of directors, writers and visual artists.

Article which draws on practice as research performance to explore the nature of the operation of... more Article which draws on practice as research performance to explore the nature of the operation of scenography. Uses the concept of projection to focus on the spatial nature of scenography

Research Methods in Theatre and Performance

This paper reports insights gained from an exploration of performance-based techniques to improve... more This paper reports insights gained from an exploration of performance-based techniques to improve the design of relationships between people and responsive machines. It draws on the Emergent Objects project and specifically addresses notions of embodiment as employed in the field of performance as a means to prototype and develop a robotic agent, SpiderCrab, designed to promote expressive interaction of device and human dancer, in order to achieve ‘performative merging’. The significance of the work is to bring further knowledge of embodiment to bear on the development of human-technological interaction in general. In doing so, it draws on discursive and interpretive methods of research widely used in the field of performance but not yet obviously aligned with some orthodox paradigms and practices within design research. It also posits the design outcome as an ‘objectile ’ in the sense that a continuous and potentially divergent iteration of prototypes is envisaged, rather than a si...

The materials of scenography - space, light, sound, structures, objects, fabrics, textures and co... more The materials of scenography - space, light, sound, structures, objects, fabrics, textures and colours - play a central role in audience experience, yet the agency of these things is performance has not been given much attention. Using Merleau-Ponty's notion of the chiasm, it is possible to understand how the seer and the seen are bound in a reciprocal relationship and how reversibility between subjects and objects applies to the experience of scenography. But beyond that, what is it that objects and materials themselves might be capable of? This chapter draws on practice- led research and considers recent ideas about the capability of materials to address this question.

Scenography – the manipulation and orchestration of the performance environment – is an increasin... more Scenography – the manipulation and orchestration of the performance environment – is an increasingly popular and key area in performance studies. This book introduces the reader to the purpose, identity and scope of scenography and its theories and concepts. Settings and structures, light, projected images, sound, costumes and props are considered in relation to performing bodies, text, space and the role of the audience. Concentrating on scenographic developments in the twentieth century, the Introduction examines how these continue to evolve in the twenty-first century. Scenographic principles are clearly explained through practical examples and their theoretical context. Although acknowledging the many different ways in which design shapes the creation of scenography, the book is not exclusively concerned with the role of the theatre designer. In order to map out the wider territory and potential of scenography, the theories of pioneering scenographers are discussed alongside the...

Proceedings of the 2007 conference on Designing for User eXperiences - DUX '07, 2007

This paper presents the development of the robotic prototype SpiderCrab in the context of Emergen... more This paper presents the development of the robotic prototype SpiderCrab in the context of Emergent Objects 2 (EO2), a portfolio of sub-projects funded by the EPSRC/AHRC 'Designing for the Twenty-first Century' initiative. We report first on explorations across EO2 into how performance knowledge and practice can help to understand and facilitate emergence in the context of the design process, including

Performance Research, 2013

Theatre and Performance Design, 2016

Design Studies, 2010

This paper reports insights gained from an exploration of performance-based techniques to improve... more This paper reports insights gained from an exploration of performance-based techniques to improve the design of relationships between people and responsive machines. It draws on the Emergent Objects project and specifically addresses notions of embodiment as employed in the field of performance as a means to prototype and develop a robotic agent, SpiderCrab, designed to promote expressive interaction of device and human dancer, in order to achieve 'performative merging'. The significance of the work is to bring further knowledge of embodiment to bear on the development of human-technological interaction in general. In doing so, it draws on discursive and interpretive methods of research widely used in the field of performance but not yet obviously aligned with some orthodox paradigms and practices within design research. It also posits the design outcome as an 'objectile' in the sense that a continuous and potentially divergent iteration of prototypes is envisaged, rather than a singular final product. The focus on performative merging draws in notions of complexity and user experience.

Performance Research, 2013

In April 2012 French company Royal de Luxe staged Sea Odyssey in Liverpool to coincide with the c... more In April 2012 French company Royal de Luxe staged Sea Odyssey in Liverpool to coincide with the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. Over three days a thirty foot tall 'little girl giant' and her fifty foot high uncle made a twenty three mile journey through the streets between the Pier Head and Stanley Park. Billed as a 'giant spectacular' it required a company of 110 with an additional 250 local volunteers. An estimated half a million people gathered to follow the performance, effectively suspending the usual weekend business of the city. Looking at reviews and reports, it is difficult to get beyond the sheer size of the event. Alan Read was struck by the same thing when Royal de Luxe presented The Sultan's Elephant in central London, in 2006 and he says that it was talked about 'in terms of scale and little else' (2006: 522-532). Read's suspicion was that behind the numbers, the experience was empty of meaning. He admits, though, that he wasn't actually there. Audience comments posted on the producers' website suggest they found it to be a profoundly moving experience. One says; '...the most uplifting experience that I have had in a very long time indeed. I can't really tell you why it has made me so happy'. Another comments 'I'm a writer and I cannot even think

Designing for the 21st Century, 2021

In this introductory chapter, McKinney and Palmer survey the newly emerged field of expanded scen... more In this introductory chapter, McKinney and Palmer survey the newly emerged field of expanded scenography and consider the underlying concepts by which it can be defined. Taking their lead from Krauss’s approach to expanded sculpture they identify evidence of the re-structurings of theatrical scenography that have led to new ways of thinking about the spatial, material and design-based aspects of performance both in and beyond the theatre. However, scenography in its expanded form is not simply a by-product of theatre but a mode of encounter and exchange founded on spatial and material relations between bodies, objects and environments. McKinney and Palmer prioritise the perspective of the spectator to focus on the spatial, multisensorial and material aspects of contemporary performance and they propose three interrelated and overlapping concepts; relationality, affectivity and materiality, as a theoretical framework. This re-focusing of the scenographic lens illuminates the evental,...

This paper investigates how visual images in the context of performance are created and perceived... more This paper investigates how visual images in the context of performance are created and perceived. It considers the perspective of the scenographer and the experience of the audience in order to formulate an account of the ‘transaction’ of ‘symbolic exchange’ of theatre images.

Given the designation of theatre as “the seeing place” (Aronson 2005: 2) and the strongly visual ... more Given the designation of theatre as “the seeing place” (Aronson 2005: 2) and the strongly visual nature of scenography, we might wonder at how little consideration has been given so far to the act of looking, whether in scenographic studies or in theatre scholarship more generally. Yet concerns within wider cultural discourse about a dominance of the visual that “has its end in rapt, mindless fascination” (Jameson 1990: 1) have certainly influenced the way we conceptualize the visual dimension of theatre experience as “a medium of optical illusion” (Ranciere 2007: 272) and have marginalized scenography as mere decoration or as a distraction. But there are, to borrow from John Berger (1972), different ways of seeing scenography that reveal themselves in the act of looking. In this chapter I challenge dominant interpretations of the act of seeing in theatre by arguing for the explanatory power of a dynamic, embodied conceptualization of scenographic spectatorship centered on co-constr...

Studies in Theatre and Performance

This is the introduction to the Special Issue, Artist Development: Class, Diversity and Exclusion... more This is the introduction to the Special Issue, Artist Development: Class, Diversity and Exclusion. It offers an introduction to the Incubate Propagate research network that is the project that this special issue has developed from, and an overview of reports that evidence the decline of socioeconomic diversity in the field of theatre and the Creative and Cultural Industries more widely. It also offers a rationale for the structure of the special issue and introduces each of the articles.