About "Remnant"
"Remnant" is a hybrid of 2D stop-motion animation (video), inspired by Evan Schneider's work on the evolution and formation of galaxies. Schneider investigates how galaxies gain, lose, and recycle gas over cosmic time, a process that parallels questions of the ephemerality of performance. Performance scholar Rebecca Schneider argues that live performance can be understood as a vehicle for recurrence, rather than something that simply disappears. For her, reenactment does not operate within a temporal framework that merely imitates the past; instead, it functions as a continuation, a new incidence, a repetition. Thus, performance remains and leaves remain. Reading such theories in performance studies alongside the constant evolution of galaxies has informed and inspired my thinking.
In simulations of galaxies' transformation, the components scatter and evolve in shape, yet through their interaction, the gas persists, which I imagine as a form of re-performance. What remains of the initial component is a reenactment of evolution over time, condensed into a visual and temporal form. Through the recycling of gas, galaxies are not lost or erased; rather, they are performed anew. In my own research, Body as a Live Archive, I explore the interaction of trauma, pain, and physical traces on the body, and their relationship to physical spaces. I consider the interaction between body and space as a moment of recurrence, reenacting the pain and memories embedded and archived within the body. Building on these ideas, for this project, I imagine an interaction between my own body and space, alongside galaxies in constant transformation. I am exploring the question, while the evolution of galaxies unfolds in parallel time and space outside human perception, what is the role of the human body as an abstract context within this larger cosmic evolution? How might the memories stored in the visceral body correlate with the components of galaxies? How can the reenactment of memories and the reenactment of galaxy formation be placed in dialogue with one another? I aim to capture a brief moment of this interaction, the performance of body and galaxy, in a visual project.
Laya Shahzamani is an Iranian scholar, artist, and theatre practitioner. With a background in dramatic literature and graphic design, she has experience in theatre directing, playwriting and photography. These artistic practices have consistently informed her research and projects. As a graduate student, she has sought to integrate her artistic work with her scholarly practice, including performance and visual projects. Her research examines theatre, drama, and performance in post-revolutionary Iran in relation to broader political, social, and cultural formations. She is also interested in the concept of the archived body and its relationship to pain and physical injury after trauma. Within a performance studies framework, she approaches reenactment and the formation of memory as ongoing processes that exceed fixed temporal or spatial boundaries. Laya is currently a PhD student in theatre and performance studies at the University of Pittsburgh.