The Theatre of Death

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Artist: TCM Hitchhiker
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The art that is created by means of an actors' displacing of themselves with a lifeless object is the result of a humans' fascination with death. As Kantor explains in, "The Theatre of Death" according to Gordon Craig the human figure, who is the actor, must be eliminated in order for the inanimate being, that holds the characteristics of a human, to become "alive." It is interesting to note also that when the connection between man and nature (the natural elements that are associated with man and its being) are severed, that this is when the object takes on a life of its own. Number six in Kantor's "The Theatre of Death" (which is, "THE REJECTION OF THE ORTHODOXY OF CONCEPTUALISM AND THE 'OFFICIAL AVANT-GARDE OF THE MASSES'") explains that "the concept of LIFE can be vindicated in art only through the ABSENCE OF LIFE..." Although it may seem counter-intuitive I believe this statement is declaring that the realism of life can only be manifest if the object possesses qualities of life in and of itself with no external assistance. This is significant because this view then points to both the psychological and spiritual realm where the mannequin takes on "life" possibly through itself or through the manipulation of the puppeteer.
Something that I was thinking about in the discussion that our class had last Tuesday but didn't have time to share was that the human can become an extension of the puppet. Many times we think about the human operating a puppet or mannequin and neglect to see the puppet as the actual actor. In addition, as discussed last Thursday, the mobility of the puppet or lack thereof determines the characteristics of the puppet that is being manipulated as well. To connect this to the reading of Kantor, it is mentioned in number seven of his observations that a mannequin is or can act as "a kind of ADDITIONAL ORGAN for the actor, who was their master." This means that at some point the mannequin must take on its own unique qualities and almost detach itself from any human connection in order to become its own entity. I am not sure that I completely understand this, but I know that it is what I'm trying to convey. In the article by John Bell entitled, "Death and Performing Objects" he states that those who perform with objects must, "turn directly to this dead world for their inspiration." He goes on to say that because these objects are connected to this "dead world" that they can offer better insight than a human is able. The similarities that a mannequin shares with the physical characteristics of a human are evident, yet it can never achieve that of a human relationship. The only way that it is able to establish any type of connection is through that of a spiritual and dematerialization process. This, in part, is what makes mannequins and other objects of similar nature so appealing.