Brown University, Department of Literary Arts

“Clytigation: State of Exception” created by Michelle Ellsworth is an experimental performance work that collides Aeschylus’ “Oresteia” with dance, the Internet, live video processing, and an aerial drone. Using an ancient text and modern technology, this timely work investigates the impact of wars on bodies and legal protocols while examining the gap between emotional intention and physical execution. This work provides insights into how the cultural differences (class, gender, religion, and race) of the bodies involved in war impact their status as seeable and “grieve-able” or invisible and non-essential.