Diffraction and ‘In-Visible Light’

Abstract

Feminism and Physics underpin the theory of Diffraction. Re-turning as a multiplicity of processes is central to the work of diffractive theorists like Karen Barad and Donna J. Haraway. This paper explores diffraction from the perspective of the dancing and performing body, using as a case study Vertical Dance Kate Lawrence’s (VDKL) Yn y Golau/In-visible Light (YYG). Diffractive principles inspired VDKL and the Photonics Academy of Wales Bangor (PAWB) to discover how invisible aspects of light might be made visible to audience members, particularly those who had visual impairments. We will argue that a diffraction process occurs for audiences as YYG requires them to make meaningful correspondences between phenomena in different mediums: dance/objects/scientific ideas/spoken word/music. We draw on Barad’s (2003) notion of ‘correspondences’ to highlight the connections between the various components in the performance space.

Notes

1 In an interview in 2018 about the spoken word accompaniment to Yn y Golau/In-visible Light.

2 Keepie-uppie: a juggling game, primarily played by footballers, in which they try to keep a ball off the ground for as long as possible using any part of their bodies to hit it into the air.