Searching for New Humanity: Exploring Forms of Contemporary Participant-Oriented Performance
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| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | In her contribution, the author concisely outlined her research material, which consists of variety of small-scale, interactive, and participatory performative forms which emerged in greater numbers in the period around the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2022) in large Czech cities. These performances often emphasise the quality of intimacy and unique personal experience, and beyond their formal characteristics, they appear to fulfil a deeper societal need: they offer participants a sense of calm, presence, and shared connection that is increasingly absent in modern urban life. Drawing on selected examples, the author discussed how these performances serve as a space for recovering certain human qualities – providing moments of stillness, fostering interpersonal presence, and counteracting the isolating effects of urban density or digital overstimulation. The presentation also briefly touched on the research methodology, combining participant observation method with subsequent analysis through insights from cognitive science, religious studies, and social psychology. |
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