When it was first published in 1990, Body Space Image was acclaimed as the first book of its kind – a remarkable guide to improvisation, using a narrative of discovery that “set the mind loose from the rut of everyday perception”.
It was groundbreaking in the way it addressed improvised movement, experimental performance and how to create performance settings.
Thirty years later, Body, Space, Image still stands out from anything published in the interim – largely because of the way it combines a unique collection of images (from dance, theatre and painting) and statements by working artists.
The authors start with the individual’s movement itself as the basis of improvisation, then broaden their perspective to include groups working together and the physical setting of performance – space, light, sound and objects.
Body Space Image explores ways of working and ways of thinking about performance that have inspired beginners and experienced artists alike. It is a manual intended to stimulate rather than a comprehensive system of working and, in it, word and image combine to celebrate and record one of the most exacting art forms.