Research Catalog
The freedom of the eye : some roots of an unfocus
- Title
- The freedom of the eye : some roots of an unfocus / by Brina Gehry.
- Author
- Gehry, Brina
- Publication
- [New York] : [New York University?], [1995]
- ©1995
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person. | Text | Use in library | *MGRL 15-174 | Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance |
Details
- Description
- 91 leaves; 28 cm
- Summary
- Apparent in the work of dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham is an East Asian influence that can be attributed to his association with composer John Cage and their mutual interest in Zen Buddhism and the Chance methods of the I Ching. Cunningham's dances are dealing philosophically with the present tense and points of view. Abstract Expressionism is also evident in Cunningham's use of a non-literal, non-narrative, open field approach to composition. The open field of Cunningham's dances finds its precedent in Surrealism. Cunningham's choreographic process in many ways resembles the work of the Surrealist painter Rene Magritte. Magritte broke from the Surrealists' preoccupation with the unconscious, directing his attention to an objective level rather than a subjective one. Both Magritte and Cunningham extend the possibilities of meaning in their given disciplines, and both utilize methods of problem solving to this end, paying close attention to practical reality. According to Magritte and Cunningham, poetic mystery is found most astonishingly in the commonplace. This is closer to an Asian way of thinking, where there is no need to reconcile one state of mind with another. Looking at the visual landscape of Cunningham's dances, one can see that not only did he adopt the methods and philosophical stance of East Asia, but he also adopted an East Asian aesthetic.
- Subjects
- Note
- Gallatin Division; Department of Performance Studies.
- "November 2, 1994."
- Typescript (photocopy).
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-87) and filmography/videography (leaves 87-91).
- Call Number
- *MGRL 15-174
- OCLC
- 900476791
- 900476791
- Author
- Gehry, Brina, author.
- Title
- The freedom of the eye : some roots of an unfocus / by Brina Gehry.
- Production
- [New York] : [New York University?], [1995]
- Copyright Date
- ©1995
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Thesis
- M.A. New York University 1994.
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-87) and filmography/videography (leaves 87-91).
- Local Note
- Separated from: Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation, Inc. records, Additions, 1890-2012 (held in (S) *MGZMD 351).
- Research Call Number
- *MGRL 15-174