Conceptually.

One of my favorite professors in undergrad once told me that we all "tend to write the same paper, using different words," throughout our academic careers. So I figured I'd go back and look at the sorts of visually stimulating and theoretical work that has continued to inspire and influence me. The further back I went into my favorite theorists, the more I wanted to look at important conceptual influences in performance arts/theatre.

As a conceptual 'jumping off point', I've been thinking about the idea of 'translation', and it's role in visual communication. Specifically: semiotics.




Guillermo Gomez-Pena is another favored theorist and performance artist with whom I've had the pleasure of meeting, as well as some influential interactions. In 2008, he did a performance and photographic installation piece in San Francisco with his troupe Poncha Nostra:

 

Throughout his career, he has worked with visually representing trans-national identities/conflicts, problematizing historical colonization in the past, present and future tenses, and using various mediums to juxtapose his politicized concepts of self-identification (with respect to race, sex, gender, etc.).

As an avid Roland Barthes fan, I decided that I'd go back through concepts from my performance theory studies in undergrad (mainly his collection titled Mythologies), and stumbled upon this:

I'm considering taking this diagram literally, and re-appropriating this structuring in the sign and signification to create a physical outline for my piece/s.



Cited:
Schach, Nicole. "Page 23." Rio Yañez | Graphic Art, Tortillas, Comics, and Troublemaking by Rio Yañez. 17 Dec. 2008. Web. 18 Jan. 2011. <http://rioyanez.com/page/23/?archives-list&archives-type=cats>.

Fagerjord., Anders. "Barthes' Mythologies (MEVIT 2110, University of Oslo) - Universitetet I Oslo." Forside - Universitetet I Oslo. 30 Mar. 2006. Web. 18 Jan. 2011. <http://www.uio.no/studier/emner/hf/imk/MEVIT2110/v06/undervisningsmateriale/barthes.html>.