Founded in 1988 by Richard Gough and Judie Christie, the Center for Performance Research (CPR) was revolutionary in its efforts to archive and make available performance documentation and materials. Attached to Aberystwyth University in Wales, the CPR is responsible for producing performances; facilitating workshops, conferences and festivals; encouraging international exchange amongst other artists and publishes the academic journal Performance Research. Currently they house printed materials, audio-visual works and a video archive.
Currently the CPR, after 20 years of operation, is facing closure after losing its funding from the Arts Council of Wales. If you'd like to sign their petition to remain open, please follow this link.
What I find most exciting about the CPR are its multifaceted functions. Both resource center and facilitator for live research, their job is to act as a living, concrete receptacle for a medium whose very nature is ephemeral. How do we working with performance document our work? And what is the reason or need to do so? What does the work become when it is no longer exists in its original live form? These appear to be the questions addressed by the existence of the CPR - but how do we interact with it as a resource center?
Located in Wales, and with virtually no free online material, to what extent is the CPR a model for performance research/spaces/facilities of the future? Their performance material on sale is extensive and well shelved, but what about us who can barely afford used books? They're based on appointment only, which in the past for me has limited my ability to wander about and discover new materials (as was my experience with the Performing Arts Museum of San Francisco). They do, however, offer residency and internship options - and seem accessible enough through their website. They're also in the process of throwing a festival Giving Voice 10 focusing on the performance of voice and the use of voice in live-art.
In the increasingly digitized world, I'm thankful for spaces like the CPR that allow you to physically interact with the materials. They are reference only, so you can only interact with them to a certain extent. Maybe some sort of hybrid between a physical and a digital resource center will be the future for performance research, but as for the first steps - the CPR has clearly pointed us in the right direction.
| Website | Online Store | Images via CPR |
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