A Statement on my use of the sentimental… There seems to be a motif in this performance that is concerned with sentimentality. This includes references to longing, tenderness, and even love. Instead of simply apologizing for this, which is what I would normally do when my carefully constructed reputation as an ironic cynical academic artist is at stake, this time I will offer a potential reading of how I am using these sensibilities in aesthetically responsible ways. My use of the sentimental in this performance is not an attempt to share with you an emotional journey, nor is it an excuse to allow myself an indulgence of over-romanticism in an otherwise jaded age; instead, this sentimentality is a song and dance- a mere representation of a representation of sentimentality. I am only using such things as ‘yearning for tenderness’ as an aesthetic ornament, and therefore it is sadder than any other way I can imagine using it. I do not actually feel onstage, and it is not my intention to have an actual cry or moment of reverie. If Nostalgia occurs during the performance, do not be fooled, it is actually Fear; and the role of Hope is being played by a forced Ignorance. Although I admit all of this, it should not mean that if it suits you to interpret my use of the sentimental as hopeful and with aspirations of love and tenderness, then please read them in this way for your own satisfaction. Thanks, Distributed on the occasion of the performance A Touch Takes Time or Love Death or Self-Fulfilling Fugue State (circle one). |