Research + Praxis
Anti-Specificity is a creative method – dance-improvisational thinking – based on the test results of my earlier process of experiments and creations. The themes of self-questioning and self-reflection are centre of my conceptual practices, together with the notion of Proxemics – a study on forms of non-verbal communication. Anti-Specificity practices and explores issues around communication and collective vision, that indicates the clarity of artistic collective team in the creation process.
Anti-Speccificity
The explanation of space between misunderstanding and clarity or successful communication. We fill the space first of all with things that we recognise from our past experience but the task of finding the clarity can only arise through time and effort. What is this space in between? That is chaos and possibility.
Anti-Specificity (A-S) is a system to prepare for ‘not knowing’ to find a method of composition and construction within a timeframe, to start with sharing the concept and intension in mind of the choreographer. Improvisational creating process usually limits our possibility. Gathering of information through the research, finding keywords and put them down into phrases, embodying those short phrases, then finally abstracting these concrete ideas to construct performative contents; movement; spoken texts; and scenic materials. I believe the benefits of A-S are to cope creators’ stagnation, embrace our own intuition and possibilities.
The trial method was implemented and formulated during the choreographic research at Frankfurt LAB in 2019, with collaborator Keith Chin. We took some reference from popularised creative technique Pomodoro Technique and design method Double Diamond. Pomodoro Technique is a time management method to reduce the influence of internal and external interruptions on focus and flow. Another reference Double Diamond gave a structure to manage the project period. It suggests that the process should have four phases of idea generation; evaluation; development; and delivery. Inspired by these two method and technique, I named my system Anti-Specificity which is based on a time structure and how to take an artistic idea to generate, conceptualise and bring it to a level where it can be shown to an audience as an artistic work. A-S made my work Have I ever spoken properly? (2020) to filter and simplify ideas, keep an open-minded and allow space for subjective reflection. That tapped into inner desires, interests and introspection. A-S gives time and space to elaborate creative thinkings, draw better understanding of the concept, establish a common ground, and let us fully improvise our artistic execution.