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Articles

Vol. 11 No. 1 (2016): Presence

Drawn Behind The Fourth Wall: The Drawing Produces a Mobile, Embodied Spectatorial Presence

Submitted
20 April 2018
Published
18-07-2016

Abstract

This paper examines the presence of the spectator viewing a drawing, particularly in the context of a mobile, embodied spectatorial presence and gaze; the presence of the drawing artist in the process or ‘moment of drawing’ is largely irrelevant. The drawing generates a spectatorial encounter which evokes both presence and absence, including that of the drawer. My drawing practice seeks to discover a hybrid genre that is both a drawing and a ‘theatre without actors’, constructed through the image of the empty stage. The spectator’s encounter with the drawing becomes a form of post-dramatic theatre. For this paper, I will examine my drawn work titled: The Chairs, which was my first completed work undertaken for this research. The paper will also identify the outcomes from this work and how they underpin my current investigations.