Bergson and Durational Performance: (Re)Ma(r)king Time

In his text, Bergson and Durational Performance, author James Layton, through his unyielding, embodied-intellectual engagement with the philosophical, psychological, and sociological realms of the durational performances he participated in, forces his reader to slow down. Permitting the flow of thought to flourish, as a reader I embraced involuntary memory, pondered truth, and took breaks without feelings of guilt. More than “respite from a socially accelerated culture” (p130), reading at this revised pace enabled me to reflect on how I can achieve an “increased ownership of selfhood in a late-capitalist society which champions the participation of everyone and marginalizes those who are less fearful of being left behind” (p249).