Gray Zone: from the time of the event to the time of visitation and the implications for the gray spectator

Abstract

The reflections proposed in this article come from the interest in investigating the relationships between creative processes in dance, aesthetic-dramaturgical choices, and the role of the audience in works outside the black box, with their direct relationship to the perception of time in the arts, based on the experiences with T.F. Cia de Dança. One of the hypotheses considers that works outside of the black box, in a Gray Zone, offer the viewer the option to choose and interact with the work, similar to the white cube, but still remaining the characteristics of a scenic work. Multiperspectivism, temporality, the simultaneity of actions, and the relationship with mobile devices are some of the aspects listed by Claire Bishop as defining features of works and artists situated in this gray zone—experiences that were studied and applied in practice through three artistic residencies conducted by the group in São Paulo. According to Claire Bishop (2018), the migration of the performing arts to the museum space brings a series of effects, including the retemporalization of performance, from “event time” to “exhibition time.” This group of actions produces situations that require more visibility for proper discussion, and the intention here is to closely examine works that deviate from the traditional logic of the black box, calling for a different posture from the audience, thereby forging a gray spectator.