Abstract

This article analyzes the effects of the collaboration between dance and puppetry within Crystal Pite’s Dark Matters (2009) and claims Pite’s work challenges nonhuman-human and object-subject binaries. Functioning within a new materialist philosophical framework, specifically in conversation with theorist Jane Bennett’s concept of vital materialism, this study argues that Dark Matters exposes the human body as an assemblage of vibrant multiple objects, and by positioning both the puppet and human corpse as agential matter, poses a radical rethinking of “liveliness” and “death.” Ultimately, this analysis reveals dance’s unique ability to evoke important posthuman reflection regarding physical matter, which always already includes the human body.

摘要

本文分析了 Crystal Pite 的Dark Matters (2009) 中舞蹈和木偶戏合作的影响，并声称 Pite 的作品挑战了非人类和物体主体的二元体。在新的唯物主义哲学框架内，特别是在与理论家 Jane Bennett 的生命唯物主义概念的对话中，这项研究认为，暗物质将人体暴露为一个充满活力的多个物体的组合，并将木偶和人类尸体都定位为主体物质，对“生”和“死”进行了彻底的反思。最终，这种分析揭示了舞蹈的独特能力，可以唤起人们对物质的重要后人类反思，物质总是已经包括人体。