ABSTRACT
A narrative or story is a reproduction of an event, real or imaginary, in oral or written form. Narrative can be organized in a number of thematic or formal categories, including nonfiction, the fictionalization of historical events, and fiction proper. The specific strength of narratives can thus be described as follows: it is only as a result of their concatenation that individual elements of the narrative assume meaning, and through which contingent events are transformed into history. The relation between historical and contemporary artistic reenactment and narrative is a complex one. Historical narratives are invented, or constructed retrospectively, post ipso facto. The Battle of Orgreave attacks and intends to erase the official narrative or plot by letting the miners’ memories direct the reenactment and leading to a reversing of the sequence of events. Contemporary artistic reenactments are—through their use of performative embodiment—powerful tools for directing the audience’s attention to the constructedness of historical narrative.
