When Writing Becomes Gesture
After 25 years as a dance and performance critic, Ann Daly pauses to reflect on the philosophical basis of her writing. Is movement really “beyond words”?
Using the book as the site of her own performance, Daly explores the relationship between movement and words through the work of performance-makers Antonin Artaud, Deborah Hay, Bill T. Jones, Jackson Pollock, Yvonne Rainer, Carolee Schneemann, and Robert Wilson.
Informed by the notion of gesture in the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Julia Kristeva, Daly demonstrates that movement and words are mutually inherent. What results is a form of performative criticism that Daly calls "gestural writing."
Wollemi Pine Press
limited edition of 200
hand-sewn and hand-bound by the author
168 pp with b/w illustrations
4 1/4" x 6 1/2"
Paper US$85
Publication October 2004
Angela Rodgers is Assistant Professor and Area Coordinator of Graphic Design at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. Her research explores visual communication that crosses cultures. She utilizes a design methodology that engages people to question their automatic interpretations and become aware of the structures that shape meaning.