Remembering Touch: A Practical Investigation into the Role of Touch and Proximity in Performance and Beyond. / Greta Gauhe (2020)

Remembering Touch: A Practical Investigation into the Role of Touch and Proximity in Performance and Beyond seeks to explore how touch and related concepts may connect people both physically and emotionally when employed as artistic tools during participatory performances. The present thesis provides the methodological framework and theoretical background used in the creation of the performance Memories of Skin.

The study originates in the field of dance but integrates the perspectives of multiple disciplines in order to connect knowledge and to allow for a deeper physical and theoretical understanding of the topic. Various themes influenced the creation of the final performance: These include the advantages of non-traditional theatre spaces, audience participation, psychological and physiological effects of touch, touch in dance, and concepts of proximity, co-presence and vulnerability. As a practice-based project, the research process was multi-modal, creating and integrating knowledge through written text, the documentation of artistic practice, and a live event.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the research process is divided into two phases: Phase A describes the practical research and a performance prior to the pandemic and, by means of qualitative research methods, investigated the effects of touch on audience members. Phase B focusses on the practical research during and after the lockdown. During this phase, other choreographic tools were explored through which touch-like sensations could be remembered and experienced in the absence of close physical contact, including mental imagery, kinaesthetic empathy, and imagination.

The project contributes to our understanding of the role of touch and closer proximities as a strategy for connection in contemporary performance and the impact of such methods on the audience experience. The emerging applications and insights are likely to resonate with theorists and practitioners in the field. More broadly, this research highlights the social and artistic potential of touch through an arts-based practice, demonstrating that touch in choreographic events can act as a catalyst to build empathy and connection between participants.