Fabiola Rocco

Thesis

Embodied Archives and Indigenous Epistemologies: Rethinking the Conservation of Choreographic and Movement-Based Performance Art in Soueast Asia

Performance art is not new to museums. Yet, conservation practices are still rooted in outdated object-centric paradigms which disregard intangible aspects to favour material fixity, text-based documentation, and ownership. To address this inadequacy, this study proposes to draw a parallel between Southeast Asian-based modes of care and performance art, focusing on a subset of performance works that sit at the nexus of visual art, performance, and dance. Choreographic and movement-based performances present unique challenges to collecting institutions, calling into question conventional practices of care and stewardship. Through case studies, a decolonized conservation model rooted in Southeast Asian ontologies and epistemologies, oral and embodied transmission, and community-led stewardship will be investigated. By studying embodied forms of preservation used in traditional ritualistic dance and theatre, this research aims to demonstrate that culturally sensitive transmission practices are both legitimate and more adequate. It further advocates for reframing museums as caretakers hosting living cultural heritage, rather than owners, promoting intangible aspects over tangible, and "unleashing the live" instead of focusing on authenticity. In so doing, this research aims to demonstrate the inadequacy of monolithic values in conservation and contributes to designing conservation actions which revolve around artworks and communities instead of the institution.