Output details
34 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
University of Derby
'Dance to the Muzik of Time' - Solo Exhibition and publication
12 pieces and publication.
A major commission awarded by Arts Council England, East Midlands.
The series continues Goto’s research into historical subjects, historiography and the visual representation of past events. A satirical undertow is evident as he interrogates established notions of national history. Goto argues for history being considered a platform for debate and negotiation, where the relationship between the past and the ever-changing present is constantly rethought.
In the aftermath of the London bombings (2005) and calls for the establishment of a Museum of Britishness, Goto tested the limits of ‘traditional’ British history by re-running selected events within the cultural frameworks of contemporary immigrant communities. He worked with traditional Kathak dancers, break-dancers and a Bollywood troupe.
Goto’s peregrination around the East Midlands begins in 1280 and takes us to 2008. Twelve historical events are depicted, each occurring within a significant architectural setting. Architectural and social histories were instrumental in his choice of locations and narratives.
Dancers perform in anachronistic costumes, which draw on costume history and contemporary street fashion. In preparation Goto researched the histories of dance, theatre and their visual representation from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries. He explored parallels between the construction of space using theatrical illusion, and digital montage through the use of Photoshop layers. Theatrical artifice is further explored through disjuncture of scale as Goto places the dancers within a nineteenth-century toy theatre.
This was a high-risk project, aiming at production values akin to West End musicals or Bollywood productions, but using simple and economic means. Meticulous planning and organization, independent creative thinking and the consistent application of a robust methodology contributed to the substantial and novel resulting works. In addition to Seoul, the series has been exhibited in Paris and Chongqing, and published internationally in arts journals (see portfolio).
