‘A Bigger Version of Me’: Self-Presence in New Voices in Art

The chapter discusses the production of New Voices in Art and its impact on participants. It outlines the instructions and mechanics for participant interaction, emphasising the creation of personas representing aspiring contemporary artists. Reflective prompts and activities within the performance are used to encourage participants to witness their own perceptions of their persona's feelings, identity, and perceptions through various forms of expression. The production design, including scenography and soundtrack, is carefully constructed to shape affective resonances and deepen the experience of participants through phenomenological processes. The chapter also highlights the importance of including the results of reflective activities within the performance itself to reflective affective dramaturgies. The reflective prompts and one-on-one internal monologues are noted as effective in allowing participants to maintain immersion in the performance, but their attention often shifts to integrating their experience into their sense of self and lived history. The chapter emphasises the value of returning to lived experience and the reflective process as a means to contribute to the expansion of knowledge using the creation of cultural artefacts.