Posthuman Spiritualities in Contemporary Performance

Silvia Battista is an artist and writer. Over the last twenty years, she has engaged with a multidisciplinary set of artistic languages and research methods. Interested in the intersection between visual art, performance and theatre, particularly in the use of meditative, contemplative and ecstatic practices as creative and epistemological processes, she continues to encourage reflection on the spiritual dimension of matter. Her work has been presented internationally.

1. Introduction.- 2. Reciprocating the Gaze of Others: The Artist is Present by Marina Abramovic.- 3. The Quaker Meditative Room and the Performing Eye: Deer Shelter Skyscape by James Turrell.- 4. Vipassana Meditation as an Introspective Theatre: Cat by Ansuman Biswas.- 5. When the Spirits are Socially Engaged: Journey to the Lower World by Marcus Coates.- 6. The Ecological Implications of Spiritual Gestures: Work with Pollen by Wolfgang Laib.- 7. Conclusive Thoughts.