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Observer or creator? How do six viewpoints completely subvert traditional performance?
In today’s art world, the “Six Viewpoints” have become a new creative and analytical framework that challenges the reliance on fixed structures and linear narratives in traditional performing arts. This movement-based teaching and artistic practice not only reshapes the relationship between actors and space, emotions and their own bodies, but also prompts performing arts to move away from fragmented performance to a more fluid and open shared creation model.
Six Viewpoints is a deconstructive artistic approach that starts from six materials: space, shape, time, emotion, movement and story, and explores how they can be reassembled in a non-hierarchical environment.
Background and significance
The concept of six viewpoints was first proposed by theatre master and educator Mary Overy in the 1970s and further elaborated in her book Standing in Space: The Six Viewpoints Theory & Practice. Overy's perspective has contributed greatly to the development of contemporary postmodern theatre, dance and choreography movements, particularly in its resistance to modernism's emphasis on class structures and fixed meanings in performance creation.
Core Principles of Viewpoint
The core of the six viewpoints lies in their principle of "horizontality", which emphasizes the non-hierarchical organization of performance elements. In it, co-creation between performers and creators becomes the focus, and actors must make full use of their own physical impulses and personal experiences to become an indispensable part of the creative process.
Overi believes that this shift in focus redefines the role of art and artists, from a "creator" mentality to an "observer/participant", creating in a witnessing and interactive way.
The six elements of viewpoint
The Six Viewpoints (SSTEMS) include space, shape, time, emotion, movement and story. Within these elements, the artist is encouraged to treat each as an independent entity and to relinquish any desire to control the material.
Rather than emphasizing specific stories and emotions, Overy’s perspective allows these six elements to lead the conversation during the creative process, thus promoting new forms of stage language.
Bridge of Creation
Overey’s “Bridge Theory” consists of nine labs that provide artists with a methodological framework for engaging with the material, deconstructing and reconstructing the performance to gain a deeper understanding of the role and value of each element.
Bogart and Landau's viewpoint theory
In their book The Viewpoints Book: A Practical Guide to Viewpoints and Composition, Anne Bogart and Tina Landau further expand on the six viewpoints to include key viewpoints related to time and space, as well as Sound point of view. Through the introduction of these concepts, performers can apply these perspectives during rehearsal and performance to form a unique stage aesthetic.
Bogart’s perspective is not only a physical technique, but also a fusion of philosophy, spirit and aesthetics, allowing the actor to blend into the environment on stage and establish a deeper connection with the audience.
Impact and Future Outlook
Overey's point of view theory was influenced by several predecessors, including the non-hierarchical performance techniques advocated by Martha Graham and her peers. These theories not only influence current performance practices, but also shape the direction of future artistic creation.
In the pursuit of performing arts, we can't help but wonder whether artists should step out of the inherent creative mode and turn to a freer form of expression, so that every performer can become part of the co-creation?
