ABSTRACT
In this conversation, Philip Auslander discusses the role of documentation for preserving and conserving performances, providing data, and accessibility. For him, conservation extends beyond archiving, involving embodied knowledge and the reactivation of performances. Retrospective documentation includes reenactment and modifying existing records, referencing past performances. A single iconic image can capture a performance, evoking the event beyond a static representation. Auslander also addresses the question of authorship in performance documentation, which has evolved over time, with photographers and videographers increasingly asserting their artistic authorship. Decisions about which performances are deemed significant and worth documenting and preserving shape the formation of a canon. Paradoxically, the complete vanishing of a performance is conceptually elusive since any evidence or traces of its occurrence will prevent its total disappearance. Even forgotten performances leave behind remnants that prevent their complete erasure. As the conversation evolves, we discuss how iterations shed new light on performance, enhancing its meaning.
