Dis-Patch: Practice as. . . Practice and Research

Dis-Patch is the title of a dance work that was partly the outcome of research into ways in which movement in space might successfully correlate to the parameters of sound. The process of making the work in workshops, rehearsals and performance both altered our view of, and added to the background research. It became evident in this process that certain outcomes, whilst alien to musically conventional ears, were nevertheless valid and interesting sonic translations of the choreography. The performance demonstrated how issues within and between disciplines can be re-problematised through the creative and innovative use of technology. It is our contention that in this work is evidence for a disseminable “knowledge increase” that is intrinsic to “The Work”, a primary assessable criteria in traditional textbased research (Biggs. 2002, Melrose. 2002). The question that is central to any assessment of intrinsic knowledge in a work of art is how the work demonstrates or explains this knowledge. And this question is examined in light of our reading of Dis- Patch. Extrinsic to Dis-Patch were a number of other contextualising influences by which spectators were able to inform their interpretation of the work. Program notes, an informal verbal explanation of some of the enabling technology, the venue and its attendant architecture, ritual, expectation and the broader cultural context of performance/concert-going