Artistic research
We can consider a club as a total art. It unites a myriad of scenographic elements creating an environment in which the event takes place. Technology plays a key role since synthetic sound and artificial illumination are two main (scenographic) components. However, we can't imagine a club without humans, participants, taking the roles of spectator and performer.
It's important to understand that these participants operate both on an individual and collective level. It is individual, because of the body-affective technology (sound, light, psychoactive substances) and the physical and the psychological effects of clubbing. Collective, because a club is a social space in which an experience is shared, a multitude of interactions take place (looking, dancing, talking, etc.) and a club or a party is often community-based.
I define a club night as a directed performative event using a specific dramaturgy and a variety of scenographic elements. The environment in which the event takes place is not architectonic but scenographic in nature. It should serve the performative event both in function and in affect. The participants' resulting behaviour is immediate but also resonates over time. This also means that a particular club night or party can't be regarded as a static, autonomous event. It is part of a series of events that are developed over time, in which "audience building" plays an important role.
In my practice, I've focused mainly on light, spatial arrangement and their influence on participants. As disco-technology has become mainstream, it's also important to rethink their aesthetics, affect and agency, and develop them further. I've taken steps to do this and applied this within club culture and the broader field of performing and visual arts. Of course, this is only the beginning of this artistic research. In the future, I'll continue to develop other particular aspects of club culture, maintaining a holistic approach, and eventually organising a party. Given the complexity, I will operate in a collaborative and experimental way.