Beyond Zero: Utopian Horizons and the Evolution of Dutch Mime

Abstract

This research examines the evolution of the concept of Zero in Dutch mime thinking, from the 1960’s until now, and its relation to utopian thinking. First, the thesis provides a historical overview of mime traditions, starting from the Roman Empire. The focus shifts to the rise of modern mime with emphasis on the work of Étienne Decroux and his concept of the Zero, a state of neutrality and depersonalization of the body achieved through techniques that emphasize the trunk and the minimizing of facial expressions. The Dutch interpretation of Zero is discussed as well as the critical behavior towards Zero by Nieuw West in the 1980’s. Then, the research explores utopia in relation to mime by first discussing Thomas More’s Utopia and Ernst Bloch’s ideas about utopia as a concrete fantasy. Next, ideas of Jill Dolan and José Esteban Muñoz about utopia are analyzed, such as Dolan’s concept of ‘utopian performatives’ and Muñoz’s ideas about ‘queer futurity’. These ideas are connected to perceptions of mime and the Zero through the understanding that Zero can change normative time structures in which utopian possibilities arise. Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity are used to describe how mime can deconstruct the idea of gender. Lastly, the thesis analyzes contemporary Dutch mime and its relation to utopia through an interview with mime artist Gerben Vaillant, conversation with mime artist Suzan Boogaerdt and three mime performances. While Vaillant focuses on the Zero as a fluid moment in time capable of noticing anything that could be, resonating with Dolan’s utopian performatives, Boogaerdt adopt Zero to attempt to achieve a non-binary, universal state that connects with Muñoz’s idea of the utopian horizon in which queerness can flourish. The research concludes that Zero has evolved from a strict technique to a conceptual tool to investigate and express utopian ideals.